Think Yoruba First (TYF), Ogun State chapter, has berated lawyer Inibehe Effiong over his recent commentary on Ogun State, describing it as "recklessly misleading."

The organisation lamented that the gross misrepresentation of the state by the lawyer is unbecoming of a man of his status.

It said Effiong's "fallacious opinion on our roads is nothing but a tactic to your followers for clicks and bait."

"First, your shock at the court closures due to a strike is either willful ignorance or a lazy attempt to discredit Ogun. Judiciary strikes were nationwide, part of broader systemic problems. To single out Ogun on this is unfair and uninformed.

"Second, your claim that Ogun lacks basic infrastructure is outright false. Look at the concrete developments: ongoing upgrades on major roads like Ijebu-Ode to Epe, expansion of the Agbara industrial corridor, and strategic housing projects in Sagamu and Kobape. The cargo airport in Iperu is a critical logistics hub that will drive agro-industry growth, one of the first real investments of its kind in Nigeria."

Issuing facts, TYF said Ogun State boasts the highest concentration of industries in the country. It stated that the development is no accident, but the result of deliberate policies that foster a business-friendly environment, peace, and strategic positioning between Lagos and other commercial centres.

MyNigeria reported that Effiong issued a statement on Wednesday slamming Ogun state for having the most mega churches but still facing crimes, cultism and ritual killings.

Effiong's statement partly read, "Many Mega Churches in Nigeria have their headquarters and or camp grounds in Ogun State. Ogun can be described as the headquarters of modern Pentecostalism in Nigeria. Yet, the State is battling with cultism, bad roads, bad governance, and high crime rates, especially skull minding or ritual killings."

This infuriated TYF, which pointed out that while Ogun attracts such establishments, other governments spend resources building them in their states.

"We can boldly say none of the mega churches were built by the state government, we attracted them as well as National and Continental Sport events, industries, etc. Your banger-boy commentary should go to State governments that use public funds to build mega churches because they couldn't attract any.

"Your attempt to link Ogun with cultism and ritual killings reeks of lazy generalisation. These are national problems. To single out Ogun as if it’s uniquely corrupt or violent is intellectually dishonest. The state’s diversity in religion and culture has produced intellectual giants, Nobel laureates, and forward-looking leaders, not the caricature you paint.

"Ogun is not perfect, but it is far from the basket case you portray. Your disrespectful narrative does a disservice to those working every day to build and improve our communities. If you want to criticise, demand better, fine. But stop recycling stereotypes and half-truths to score cheap points.

We deserve commentary grounded in facts and context, not broad insults and half-baked judgments," TYF concluded.

ASA