James Sowole in Abeokuta
The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election in Ogun State, Dr Biodun Collins Ogundipe, yesterday said he and his team of researchers and analysts have developed a document called ‘Ogun One Economic Blueprint’ aimed at transforming the state if elected to manage the state’s resources.
Ogundipe, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Aerospace expert, said the blueprint, which is a comprehensive development framework, was developed from 19 months of extensive work by a team of policy analysts and researchers.
The candidate, popularly called BCO, disclosed his readiness for the task ahead of moving Ogun State forward during an interaction with journalists in Abeokuta, the state capital.
According to him, “The blueprint seeks to leverage Ogun State’s strategic location, particularly its proximity to Lagos and the Republic of Benin, while addressing youth unemployment, rural underdevelopment, poor infrastructure and declining economic opportunities.”
He argued that despite increased federal allocations and enormous economic potential, Ogun State had failed to achieve the level of development expected over the past seven years.
He said: “We have spent the last 19 months studying Ogun State extensively.”
“We have conducted research, field assessments, and analysis because the economic realities of different parts of the state require different solutions.
The challenges facing Ipokia are not the same as those facing Sagamu.
He stated that there was no justification for the high rate of youth unemployment, poor rural infrastructure, and the challenges confronting farmers in moving their produce to markets.
The candidate promised to deploy Artificial Intelligence systems and technology-driven governance to combat insecurity and stimulate economic growth if elected in the 2027 governorship election.
He said the state needs a new generation of leadership anchored on competence, innovation, and strategic planning rather than conventional political rhetoric.
Ogundipe expressed confidence that insecurity across the state could be significantly reduced within one year through the deployment of modern intelligence-gathering tools, predictive analytics, and technology-based policing.
According to him, contemporary security management goes beyond the deployment of security personnel and weapons, stressing that effective policing in the 21st century relies on intelligence gathering, crime prediction, prevention, and rapid response.
The governorship candidate said he had participated in the development of technology-driven security solutions deployed at the multinational level, capable of identifying and preventing criminal activities before they occur.
“I am not here to make promises that I cannot fulfil. But I can confidently state that, given the necessary authority and institutional framework, I can fundamentally transform the security architecture of Ogun State within 12 months. Ogun residents will sleep with their two eyes closed,” he said.
He added that modern technologies such as telecommunications data analysis, geospatial intelligence, behavioural analytics and artificial intelligence models could be adapted to tackle kidnapping, banditry, and other forms of criminality across the country.
Ogundipe also disclosed that he had previously submitted proposals on technology-driven security frameworks aimed at strengthening intelligence gathering and improving public safety, maintaining that the solutions required to address insecurity are already available.
The ADC candidate also dismissed reports of any parallel governorship candidate within the party, insisting that he remained the duly recognised candidate whose name had been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the party’s national leadership.
He further disclosed that his campaign would deploy technology-driven electoral monitoring systems during the 2027 governorship election, saying his expertise in artificial intelligence and data science would help protect the integrity of the electoral process.
He urged residents to assess candidates based on competence, proven achievements and leadership capacity rather than political sentiments, insisting that the future of Ogun State depends on informed choices in the 2027 governorship election.
