Gbenga Daniel (born 6 April 1956) is a Nigerian politician who served as Senator for Ogun East since 2023. He previously served as governor of Ogun State from 2003 to 2011.
He is the owner of Kresta Laurel, an Electro-mechanical Engineering company, he started in 1990. He is also the Founder of Conference Hotels with branches in Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, Abeokuta and Isheri part of Lagos.
As governor, his programs on Public Private Partnership attracted several businesses into the State during his tenure.
Early life and education
Gbenga Daniel was born on 6 April 1956 in Ibadan, Oyo State, to Christian parents, Most Rev. Adebola Daniel of Makun, Sagamu and Madam Olaitan Daniel of Omu-Ijebu. His father was a notable missionary of the Church of the Lord (Aladura) while his mother was a trader.
Daniel attended the Baptist Boys' High School, Abeokuta from 1969 to 1973. While there, he represented the school in debates and quiz competitions – a factor that made him exceptionally popular among his contemporaries and stimulated his inclination towards intellectual pursuits. Having graduated from the Baptist Boys High School in flying colors, he proceeded first to the School of Basic Studies at The Polytechnic, Ibadan.
for his Advanced Level (A' Level) and thereafter moved to the School of Engineering of the University of Lagos. In his early years as an undergraduate, he won several scholarships and also became well acquainted with the renowned, Prof. Ayodele Awojobi as one of the best students of the late professor. It was whilst still an undergraduate, that he became indoctrinated into the select Committee of friends of the late Saga, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, indeed, as the youngest member of that select Committee that later metamorphosed into the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
Daniel's decision to study engineering was influenced by the brilliant engineer and teacher Ayodele Awojobi. Daniel spent much time with Awojobi, and was a winner and champion several times over, on his television quiz show "Mastermind".
During his National Service year at the School of Engineering of the Lagos State Polytechnic, he supervised the construction of the Engineering complex and also conducted the semester examinations for the School of Engineering. The feat was described by an appreciative management as “quite remarkable in an environment where examination fraud is quite rampant”.
He earned a Master's in business administration (MBA) from the University of Lagos and subsequently attended Lagos Business School for an executive programme in 1990.
Professional and business career
Daniel began his professional career as a lecturer in the School of Engineering at the Lagos State Polytechnic during his National Youth Service year. He then proceeded to the Metal Construction (W/Africa) Limited which he left as the Assistant Commercial Manager. In 1983, he joined the then multinational company, H.F.SCHROEDER West Africa Limited, Lagos.He rose to the position of Deputy managing director at Schroeder, becoming the first African to hold such a position in the company's history. In 1990, he left Schroeder to start Kresta Laurel, an engineering firm specializing in elevators, overhead travelling cranes and hoists. In 2017, he started KLL Construction Limited, to present a new kind of Construction Company that will stand the test of time. He is also the chairman, Conference Hotels.
In 2016, he was elected president of, Nigerian-Finnish Business Council to succeed Ambassador Olusegun Olusola who died in 2012. The Nigerian-Finnish Business Council was established to foster business relations between Nigerian companies and their counterparts in Finland with the goal of encouraging trade and investment.
Daniel is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE), a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (FNAEng) and Fellow of the Institute of Directors (FIoD).