Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Monday urged investors in
\nthe country and outside the shores to bring their investments down to his
\nstate, instead of concentrating their investments in traffic-ridden and
\nhuman congested Lagos State, saying that \u201cmy state is blessed with
\nabundant resources\u201d.<\/p>\n
The governor made this known in Akure, the state capital while welcoming
\nthe delegation of Federal Government Industrialization and Economic
\nDiversification team led by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor
\nUsani Usani to his office.<\/p>\n
The Governor said Ondo state would be ready to partner with investors so
\nthat the State can become the hub of economic activities in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cAccording to the Nigerian Police Force and Department of
\nSecurity Services (DSS), Ondo state is the 3rd most secured state in the
\ncountry, therefore, i want to urge investors in the country to come and
\nexplore untapped resources which are abundant here.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have them in their numbers here, let them come. The rain in here is
\nnot much while the harmattan is not harsh. Ondo has the second highest
\nreserve of bitumen in the world. Ondo sustained the Western region before
\nindependent and during the first republic because of the Cocoa from Ondo
\nstate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Federal government should also build a sea port in Ondo state. The
\nAtlantic Ocean that passes through Ondo State is the deepest in West
\nAfrica. Also, from Araromi in Ilaje is about 45 minutes drive to
\nIbeju\/Lekki in Lagos. So, investors should prefer Ondo state that is free
\nwithout any traffic to Lagos that is over-congested and has no land?\u201d
\nAkeredolu said.<\/p>\n
The governor further said that the state is well placed and situated to
\nconnect other states across the country for economic and business
\nactivities because those coming from the eastern part, the north and other
\nNiger\/Delta States passes through the state while going to Lagos for
\nbusiness transactions.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the purpose of the visit, Usani said federal government set up
\nan initiative that focuses mainly on Agriculture and Manufacturing sectors
\nin order to explore the opportunities in states in the country.<\/p>\n
He said moribund industries would be revived and that agriculture would be
\nmade attractive not only to farmers but the youths.<\/p>\n
In his words, the Minister said \u201cwe are here in view of the Presidential
\ninitiative that focuses on the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. The
\nFederal Government want to work in conjunction with states so that various
\nmoribund industries could be revived towards jobs creation and economic
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
The Minister said the agricultural sector will be prioritised in the sense
\nthat incentives will be provided to interest Nigerians with special
\nconsideration for the youths. He promised that something visible will be
\ndone for Ondo state before the end of the current financial year.`<\/p>\n
He commended Akeredolu for his response to the scheme, stating that of all
\n10 states selected for the first phase, Ondo state was the first state to
\nbe visited because the state is the most forthcoming.<\/p>\n
Partners in the Initiative include the Nigerian National Petroleum
\nCommission (NNPC), Ministry of Mines and Steels Development, Nigeria
\nSovereign Investment Authority and Nigerian Export-Import Bank.<\/p>\n
Others are Bank of Industry, Ministry of Niger Delta affairs and the New
\nEconomic Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD).<\/p>\n
At event were the Deputy governor of the state, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, the
\nSecretary to the State Government, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde ,the Chief of
\nStaff to the Governor, Chief Olugbenga Ale; the head of service ,Mr. Toyin
\nAkinkuotu, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Investment, Mr.
\nBoye Oyewumi and numerous top officials of the state government.<\/p>\n
Others on the delegation of the Federal were the representative of
\nMinister of Mines and Steels Development, Mrs Onyeku Okeke, Senior Special
\nAssistant to the President on Economic Matters, Mrs Fola Oyeyinka,
\nNational Coordinator, Senior Investment Corporation, Dora Akugbulo and
\nmany others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Monday urged investors in the country and outside the shores to bring their investments down to his state, instead of concentrating their investments…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n