By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Otunba Segun Showunmi, has warned the Ogun State Government and other stakeholders against framing oil exploration in the state as a contest between Tongeji Island in Ipokia Local Government Area and Eba Community in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, cautioning that such a narrative could fuel avoidable political and social tension.
Showunmi issued the warning in an open letter published on his official X handle on Sunday, 25 January, 2026 and addressed to Governor Dapo Abiodun, political leaders, traditional rulers and community representatives across the state.
He said the growing public discourse on oil exploration was taking “a direction that risks creating an artificial conflict where none should exist,” stressing that Ogun State was not faced with a binary choice.
“This open letter is written out of necessity, not convenience,” Showunmi said. “Let me be unequivocal: Ogun State does not face a choice between Tongeji and Eba. Any attempt to frame it that way is misleading and counterproductive. We can and must have both.”
The PDP chieftain noted that Tongeji Island had for decades been identified as hosting oil deposits in commercial quantities, adding that its status was neither speculative nor a recent development.
“Tongeji Island, in Ipokia Local Government Area, has been identified for decades as hosting oil deposits in commercial quantities. This is not conjecture. It is not a recent discovery,” he said.
According to him, successive administrations, from the military era to civilian governments, had consistently acknowledged Tongeji as central to Ogun State’s aspiration to become an oil-producing state.
“This expectation is long-standing, documented, and deeply embedded in the consciousness of the people,” Showunmi added.
He warned that prolonged uncertainty or delays surrounding oil exploration in Tongeji Island were unfair to host communities that had waited patiently over the years.
“The continued delay or ambiguity surrounding Tongeji, after years of anticipation, is neither fair nor sustainable,” he said, noting that such communities “deserve clarity and action, not shifting narratives.”
While acknowledging the renewed focus on Eba Community as part of emerging energy and maritime development initiatives, Showunmi said development in Ogun Waterside was legitimate and should be encouraged.
However, he cautioned against what he described as a dangerous assumption that progress in one area must come at the expense of another.
“At the same time, Eba Community in Ogun Waterside has rightly come into focus as part of emerging energy and maritime development efforts. The people of Ogun Waterside are entitled to development, and no responsible stakeholder disputes that,” he said.
“What must be resisted, however, is the dangerous idea that progress in Eba requires the sidelining of Tongeji. Development is not a zero-sum game. Ogun State is not so poor in vision that it must develop one area by abandoning another.”
Showunmi further warned that pitching Ogun West against Ogun East, whether directly or indirectly, could weaken the state’s unity and undermine long-term progress.
“Pitting Ogun West against Ogun East directly or indirectly serves no one. It breeds suspicion, weakens internal cohesion, and undermines the very progress we claim to seek,” he said.
Outlining what he described as a practical way forward, the PDP chieftain urged the state government to sustain initiatives relating to Eba Community while also reaffirming and fast-tracking oil exploration in Tongeji Island.
“The path forward is clear: sustain and advance initiatives relating to Eba Community, while simultaneously reaffirming, fast-tracking, and conclusively pursuing oil exploration in Tongeji Island,” he said.
“Anything short of this balanced approach will be read, rightly or wrongly, as selective development, and that perception alone carries political and social consequences that Ogun State does not need.”
He called on Governor Abiodun and other stakeholders to demonstrate inclusive leadership, insisting that Ogun State was capable of pursuing development on multiple fronts without exclusion.
“This is a moment for decisive, inclusive leadership. Ogun State is large enough, mature enough, and strategic enough to carry both Tongeji and Eba forward without hesitation or excuses,” Showunmi said.
He concluded by urging the state to embrace fairness and historical responsibility in its development strategy.
“I urge His Excellency, the Governor of Ogun State, and all stakeholders to rise above narrow calculations and embrace a development strategy anchored in fairness, balance, and historical responsibility. Ogun State can do better. And we must,” the open letter concluded.
