Barking Dogs Won’t Stop Us!” – Ogun Governor Fires Back At Critics

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has asserted that criticism directed at his administration stems from intimidation rather than genuine concern.

The governor has recently come under intense online backlash over the poor condition of roads across several parts of the state. Many social media users have gone as far as branding Ogun State the “headquarters of bad roads” in Nigeria, with communities bordering Lagos reportedly among the worst affected.

The criticism intensified following the detention of a pastor, Kayode Olawoye, who gained widespread attention after repeatedly highlighting the deteriorating state of roads in the state. Olawoye and two others were later released on Tuesday by the Department of State Services (DSS) after public outrage.

Speaking during the commissioning of the 3.5-kilometre Laderin–Prof. Wole Soyinka Train Station Road in Abeokuta, Abiodun dismissed his critics as “barking dogs,” insisting that his administration would not be distracted by online attacks.

According to him, “We are a very deliberate administration, and we will not respond to barking dogs. As the saying goes, nobody throws stones at unripe fruits. Anyone attacking us on social media does so because this administration is intimidating. We have no response for them.”

He added that his government would instead respond through action, announcing plans to commission new roads weekly over the next two months.

Abiodun further maintained that his administration has made significant progress in road construction, claiming that about 1,600 kilometres of roads have been built in the last six years.

“At the risk of sounding immodest, we have constructed more roads than the two administrations before us combined. These are verifiable facts, and anyone is free to challenge them,” he said.

The governor also disclosed that no fewer than 20 completed roads across the state’s three senatorial districts are ready for commissioning.