Ogun State Deputy Governor Engr. Noimot Salako Oyedele
All things being equal, the Ogun state government is set to add value to the state internal revenue and to improve the capacity of transportation extensively with the planned resuscitation of the abandoned Olokola sea port.
This good news was unveiled by the state Deputy Governor Engr. Noimot Salako Oyedele when she led a powerful team from the state government on a visit to the managing director of the Nigeria Port Authority, Ms Hadizat Usman at the port headquarters, Marina Lagos.
The Deputy Governor told her host that the mission of the delegation was to seek advice and ensure a synergy between Ogun State Government and NPA before taking further steps describing Olokola sea port as “fantastic ‘for Nigeria and evening Ogun state hence the need to attract investors to the project and to let them see ways to resuscitate the sea port vis a vis the development further down the coast of Lagos and also fashion out what scale to be re-introduced as regards how it was in early 2000 when it was first established.
Engr. Oyedele further stated that a meeting was held with the officials at the Consulate General United Emirate Affairs in Lagos on how to invest in Ogun state and this informed the visit of Fujurah chief executive officer, Head of strategy and others from the United Arab Emirates to Ogun state for assessment which included an aerial survey and view of the Apapa Tin can island and Olokola sea port in order to have an idea of what the project is all about.
In her response, the managing director of NPA Ms. Usman commended the Ogun state government for the initiative adding that it is important to have a cleared location in terms of environmental issues.
Usman noted that Ondo state government had brought similar proposals and ‘it is important to encourage collaboration between the two states so as to work together as one “she added.
In their separate remarks the secretary to the Ogun state government, Mr Tokunboh Talabi said that a project of this nature might be localised but the impact is natural hence the need to let the would be investor’s know that they were not just been taken around but that the state government has the cooperation and full support of the relevant authorities for the project while the chief executive officer of Fujurah Engr. Abduaziz A Balashi said that the visit to Ogun state was to assess the state of the project as well as to identify where to come in and partner with the state government on the project.
By Johnson Onifade Abeokuta
