Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD), the architect, the founder, the game-changer who refused to let Ogun State’s children be left behind
Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s Masterstroke: The Unforgettable Birth And Enduring Legacy Of TASUED | By A.R. Olanrewaju
Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) is not just a university, it is a living monument to visionary leadership, bold imagination, and an unshakeable belief in the power of education to transform lives and lift entire generations. And at the very heart of its story stands one man: Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD), the architect, the founder, the game-changer who refused to let Ogun State’s children be left behind.
When OGD took office as Governor of Ogun State in 2003, the state was choking under an education crisis. Olabisi Onabanjo University could only admit a few thousand students each year while thousands of brilliant young minds were turned away. The future was being stolen from an entire generation. OGD refused to accept that reality.
In a stroke of genius that would forever change the educational map of Nigeria, he declared on January 29, 2005, the birth of Tai Solarin University of Education, the country’s first university dedicated exclusively to teacher training, the second in Africa, and only the eighth of its kind in the world. From a modest college founded in 1978, OGD elevated TASUED into a world-class institution of prestige and purpose.
He didn’t just upgrade a school, he doubled admission opportunities for Ogun indigenes overnight, created thousands of jobs, attracted top scholars, built modern infrastructure, and positioned the university to produce the finest teachers Nigeria had ever seen. Under his watch, TASUED became a national pride, a place where dreams were ignited and futures secured.
Otunba Gbenga Daniel didn’t stop at TASUED. He launched an education revolution across Ogun State: four new ICT polytechnics, the Gateway Industrial and Petro-Gas Institute, the Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, massive school rehabilitation, relentless quality monitoring, and permanent campuses for institutions that once languished in temporary sites. He turned Ogun State into Nigeria’s undisputed education powerhouse.
His legacy is carved in concrete, in lecture halls, in the smiles of graduates, and in the thousands of families whose children now have doors that were once slammed shut.
Sadly, the years after OGD left office saw TASUED suffer painful neglect, starved of funds, left to struggle, and allowed to drift far below the heights he had lifted it to. The institution that once shone brightly began to fade under inadequate attention and resources.
Then came the dramatic turning point: on March 7, 2025, the Federal Government stepped in, adopted TASUED, and renamed it Tai Solarin Federal University of Education. While many celebrate the new funding lifeline and national status, one truth remains crystal clear:
No federal takeover, no name change, no revisionist story can erase the fact that TASUED exists today because of Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
He dreamed it.
He fought for it.
He built it.
He defended it.
Every building on that campus, every proud alumnus, every child who now calls a teacher “my lecturer” because of TASUED, traces back to the fearless vision of one man: Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
Let history speak plainly and loudly: TASUED is OGD’s child. Attempts to rewrite that story are futile. The ink of truth does not fade.
As TASUED begins a bold new chapter as a federal university, it carries forward the DNA of excellence that OGD planted. And no matter what name appears on the signpost, every student, lecturer, and citizen who knows the real story will forever remember.
This is Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s university.
A legacy that no one can take away. A story that will inspire generations. A triumph of vision over mediocrity.
Long live TASUED.
Long live the visionary leadership of Otunba Gbenga Daniel! Read More
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