By Kayode Oyesiku
OGD is a mentor, a leader, who sees beyond the present, political pundit, quintessential administrator and lover of church music.
At 70, we celebrate a man of vision, resilience, and uncommon leadership — His Excellency, the
Senator Otunba Engr. Gbenga Daniel FNSE (OGD). OGD’s life has been defined by service and foresight.
As Governor of Ogun State, he transformed the landscape of governance, industry, and education. His belief in education as the bedrock of development is not mere rhetoric but a passion and necessity for the coming generations.
I recall with gratitude the day I met OGD in 1971 as I was enrolled as a fresh student at Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta. He was already in Form Three. He later became the leader of the School’s Literary and Debating Society, the School Quiz team and the head of the School choir, all of which I was a member, two years his junior.
That period in the School eventually formed the foundation of my career and opportunities
in life afterwards. Senior Daniel then was everything of leader and mentor, very charismatic and brilliant to the extent that the members of groups he led in secondary school became academically outstanding as well.
When the first University of Education in Nigeria was established by his administration in 2005-Tai Solarin University of Education as the first full fledge University of Education in Africa, OGD became the harbinger of Universities of Education not only in Nigeria but in Africa.
Today, there are over 20 Universities of Education in Nigeria, and the one OGD established become very outstanding and unique not only where others learn but also very appealing to the Federal Government of Nigeria that it eventually
took it over in 2025.
OGD entrusted me with the monumental responsibility of becoming the pioneer
Vice-Chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED). That singular decision was not just an appointment; it was a testament to his confidence in my capacity and his commitment to building institutions that would stand the test of time.
To maintain and improve on the legacy that education remains the most important legacy that any government can bequeath to her citizenry, the Otunba Gbenga Daniel Administration in Ogun State has never left anyone in doubt from its inception in 2003 that teachers are indeed the most important human capital resource to invest on, to develop, and more importantly, to provide for.
Considering the high student-teacher ratio at both the primary and secondary school levels, the poor image often attributed to the teachers and the attitude of previous administrations in the country that looked down on teachers and indeed, the teaching profession as belonging to the wretched, made the government to take a bold step of not only revamping the image of teachers but also establishing a specialised university for teacher education in the
country.
OGD pursue vigorously the idea that the future of any economy (developed or developing) does
not only rigidly depend on the availability of natural resources (renewable and non-renewable), which it endows but also on the specialised skills, competence and abilities possessed by its populace which can equally be harnessed to make effective utilisation of its resources.
Thus, the strategic objective of the
government in higher education is channelled towards “production of graduates who are well-rounded and thoroughly grounded; who are skilled and competent; who are creative, flexible and adaptive to new challenges; who are adept in critical thinking and cultural literacy; who are enabled and empowered to participate fully in their economy, their society and their globalising world (OGD, 2009).
It is against this background that the Ogun State Government under the administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel ventured into establishment of a full-fledge University of Education in Africa.
He noted that though, we had heard of the specialised universities such as University of Agriculture and Technology, but the basis of the basic education foundation in the continent, that is the science, method and skills of effective teaching and learning at the primary and secondary schools was never the focus of any government as of 2005.
Secondly, it was observed that there was a generally poor performance of first-and second-year students in the universities with a high proportion of them having several courses to repeat at the first year in the university.
This was traceable to poor understanding of those subjects by these fresh students from the high schools.
This in turn was due in part to the quality of teachers produced by the several faculties of education of Nigerian universities. Thirdly, Nigerian university curriculum was known as deficient in producing graduates that could be self-employed or even be employers of labour, after graduation.
Two major areas of deficiency in the university curriculum are vocational skills and entrepreneurship knowledge. The University of Education is expected to incorporate these to turn out graduates that are not only
knowledgeable in the subject matter of their discipline but well-rounded in vocational skills with entrepreneurship knowledge to make maximum use of the resources available to him or her, to be self-dependent upon graduation.
These three reasons must have provided the fulcrum for the first University of Education in Africa. The need to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in the process of human
capital development in a diverse and rapidly changing technologically driven society has come to the fore.
The Vision of the TASUED is to be the preferred education university, which will excel in preparing
educators who will be leaders in all spheres of the discipline. The mission is to enhance the quality of teaching and learning and continuously update the methods and skills of knowledge providers by equipping them with modern technology and services delivered by skilled and motivated members of staff to meet the contemporary and future needs of Nigeria with the capability to compete globally.
Working closely with him, I witnessed firsthand his humility, his listening ear, and his insistence on excellence. He was never content with half measures; he demanded vision, innovation, and resilience. His encouragement gave me strength to navigate the challenges of pioneering a new university, and his support ensured TASUED became a model of educational innovation in Nigeria.
OGD’s legacy of service revealed visionary governance; his tenure laid enduring foundations in education, healthcare, and infrastructure. He
is an institution builder, as TASUED and other seven polytechnics he established remain a living testimony of his foresight and commitment to education.
He is not only a leader but a mentor as he has raised leaders across sectors, empowering them to serve with integrity and courage.
At this milestone, I pray that the Almighty will grant him long life in good health and renewed strength, crown his efforts with greater success and divine favour, continue to make his path shine brighter, ensuring that his legacy inspires generations yet unborn, and bless his family with peace, joy, and prosperity.
May the years ahead bring him even greater fulfilment, and may his legacy continue to flourish in Egbaland, Ogun State, and Nigeria at large.
Kayode Oyesiku pens glowing tribute to Otunba Gbenga Daniel at 70.
‘Kayode Oyesiku PhD. FCILT, RTP, FINTP, FANG, FCIoTA.
Professor Emeritus, Pioneer Vice Chancellor Tai Solarin University of Education (2005 – 2010)
Pioneer Executive Secretary, Ogun State Bureau of Tertiary Institutions (2010 -2011)
Provost, Engineering & Environmental Studies College, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ibogun
Campus(2014-2017) National Deputy President, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (2014-2016) President, Association of Nigerian Geographers, 2016-2018.
Nigerian Representative, International Geographic Union (IGU), Senior Fulbright Fellow, United States of America Senior Fulbright Programme, hosted by Virginia, Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA (1996-1997)
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