President Buhari’s village of Daura isn’t the first to enjoy benefits because of his presence at the Presidency. Past presidents’ home states have also benefited in one way or the other because their son was the president.
The Federal University Otuoke was established in 2011 during former president Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure. Also, former president Goodluck Jonathan attracted a federal medical centre to Otuoke. The 40-bed Otuoke Cottage Hospital came under the control of the Federal government to serve as an outreach centre for Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa in 2015. The name was changed from Comprehensive Cottage Hospital Otuoke to Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Otuoke outreach.
There was also a water project established by the federal ministry of water resources. The water project has built and completed, however, it was handed over to the state government who for lack of funds couldn’t operate the project and therefore left the burden of operation on the community. As it stands now, the water project has been abandoned. Goodluck Jonathan also had a helipad built in his Otuoke community by the NDDC.
Bayelsa as a whole, nevertheless, still enjoyed some federal presence under Jonathan which include, periodic maintenance of East-West Odi Road, Gbarain sub power station (225mw) revitalized; e -wallet system in the distribution of agricultural inputs to the farmers and the Dry Season Farming Projects; construction of the Federal Government Secretariat in Yenagoa, construction of jetties at Yenagoa and NDDC Electrification Projects in Peremabiri-Ogbokiri in Akassa, Bayelsa State amongst others.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s Abeokuta village also enjoyed some presidential privileges which include the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway project. This particular project was awarded by President Olusegun Obasanjo about two years to the end of his 8-year tenure. The project was divided into three phases. The first phase was the dualisation of the Ota-Abeokuta Expressway, the second phase was the extension of the Lagos-Ota Expressway from its present dual carriageway to three lanes on both sides, while the third phase involved the construction of an overhead bridge at Ota to ease the perennial traffic congestion at the Ijoko/Sango junction. It was however not completed.
There was also the dualisation of the Otta-Abeokuta road. The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) was a private project which he requested and got donations for while in office as president. The $9.8bn LNG project, located at the Ogun State border with Ondo State, was initiated by the Obasanjo administration in 2005. The project was however abandoned following the pulling out of major investors, including Chevron, Shell and UK BG group. Two flyover bridges were constructed on each of the carriageways at Sango Otta, all thanks to Obasanjo being an indigene of the state.
