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From business to politics, Senator Gbenga Daniel has distinguished himself as an eminent engineer, corporate leader, and a well respected politician who has paid his dues. While he is widely celebrated for serving for two consecutive terms as the Governor of Ogun State, his current legislative contributions stand him out as an accomplished political figure.
He cut his professional teeth at Metal Construction West Africa Limited before joining H.F. Schroeder West Africa Limited, an engineering firm where he rose to become the Deputy Managing Director, making him the first African to hold that position in the company’s history.
In 1990, he established Kresta Laurel, an electro-mechanical engineering company that specialises in elevators and cranes. The sweeping success of this enterprise established him as a highly successful entrepreneur.
His political indoctrination started remarkably early. As an undergraduate at the University of Lagos, he was chosen as the youngest member of Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s select Committee of Friends, which later transformed into the Unity Party of Nigeria.
In the 1990s, he became a crucial financial pillar for the National Democratic Coalition, supporting pro-democracy activism during the military regime of General Sani Abacha.
He later joined mainstream politics ahead of the 2003 general electionsL on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. With a grassroots-based campaign, he unseated the incumbent governor with a landslide victory and was successfully re-elected for a second term in 2007 as the Governor of Ogun State.
After a period of strategic realignment, he joined the All Progressives Congress, contested the 2023 elections, and won to represent Ogun East Senatorial District in the 10th National Assembly.
As a senator, he has effectively translated his decades of engineering expertise and administrative experience into impactful legislative oversight. He has championed critical bills and motions focused on national infrastructure rehabilitation, economic diversification, and institutional transparency.
Beyond his legislative duties, he has utilised his position in the Senate to facilitate robust federal interventions for his constituency, securing funding for local road projects, supporting agricultural grants for rural farmers, and creating sustainable youth empowerment schemes designed to tackle unemployment across Ogun State.
For his remarkable contributions to national development through business and politics, Senator Gbenga Daniel is winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award 2026.
