By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The first Governor ever to rule Ogun State, either military or civilian, Major General Seidu Ayodele Balogun (rtd) has recounted his reaction to the announcement of his appointment as the first Military Governor of Ogun State when the state was first created on Tuesday, 3 February, 1976, reports thegazellenews.com
The retired General told thegazellenews.com during an exclusive interview in Ikeja described the announcement of his name as ‘unexpected but the situation was handled with calm’.
Thegazellenews.com recalled that then Head of State announced the creation of seven additional states to the previous 12 making it 19 in total on Tuesday, 3 February,1976. Ogun state with the capital in Abeokuta was one of the new seven states created and then Lt Colonel Seidu Ayodele Balogun was announced as the Governor of the newly created state.
Balogun, who served as Governor between 1976 and 1978 following the creation of Ogun State, said he neither anticipated the role nor played any part in the process that led to his emergence, noting that he simply accepted the responsibility in line with military duty.
Reflecting on the period shortly after his appointment, he explained that events unfolded rapidly, especially with the political uncertainty that followed the assassination of the then Head of State barely two weeks later.
“We were very lucky; we were on our own and we didn’t even know anything until later,” he said, referring to the coup that led to the death of the Head of State who appointed him.
He added, “We didn’t do anything because we were not involved. We were on our own. How they planned it, we don’t know, but when they started executing it, we got to know, and thank God we were alive.”
Despite the sudden elevation to leadership, Balogun maintained a composed approach to governance, stressing that his focus was on laying structures for the newly created state amid limited resources and administrative challenges.
He recalled that at inception, there were no basic facilities such as accommodation and vehicles for government operations, noting that officials initially commuted daily from Ibadan while efforts were made to stabilise the system.
“All we needed to do was to try and get buses that would take them down and bring them every morning, and gradually we were able to get some accommodation for them,” he said.
Watch out for the full exclusive interview with Major General Balogun in thegazellenews.com
