Ogun: Group Seeks Govt Intervention Over Abadoned Olokola Free-Trade Zone Projects

Posted by RegentAfrica Times -April 28, 2019

A concerned group under the aegis ‘The Ijebu Congress’ have called on the Federal and Ogun State government to intervene in the resuscitation of the abandoned Olokola Free Trade Zone, OK Deep Sea Port and Agro -cargo airport projects situated in the Eastern part of the State.

While addressing a press conference at Ijebu -Ode on Saturday, Chairman of the group, Prince Bunmi Mebude also expressed worry over the decay in infrastructure in Ijebuland, saying the roads, water, electricity, health infrastructure have either collapsed or going through rot.

According to him, the dwindling fortune of the entire Ijebuland is becoming unbearable as the area had lost a lot due to government’s deliberate neglect and lack of interest to address the challenges faced by the people.

He described the Ogun Agro-Cargo Airport and Olokola free trade zone projects as good initiatives of the former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, noting that the projects would raise the international profile of the State when revisited and completed.

“Ijebuland has all the required indicators in not only human resources, but also in God-given natural resources to make it the treasure base of Ogun State,” Mebude said.

He decried the dearth of agricultural farm settlements such as Apoje farm in Ijebu -Igbo, said to have been taken over by the State government as another gold mine in ruins.

He urged the government to resuscitate the farm, convert it to Gateway School of Agriculture, and also establish at least one farm settlement in each local government area.

The pressure group also requested that the government enact farmland tax policy, make Ijebu a cash crop hub, create a job centre, setting up of a livestock diagnostic centre, revive government trade centre among others.

He said: “It is very pertinent to note that our people are not happy with the situation of things in our land. The issues of deplorable roads, very dirty environment, collapsed infrastructure, the exodus of industries to other areas, lack of potable pipe-borne water for over three decades and many have turned our land into a state of nature where life is very short and brutish.

“In order to fully tap the natural resources which it has pleased God to endow us with and exploit it to the fullest, the Olokola free trade zone, consisting of the OK Deep Seaport which is reputed to be one of the deepest in the continent needs to be revisited. What Ijebuland and of course, the whole of Ogun State, the Southwest, and Nigeria lost in the abandonment of the Olokola project was monumental.”

“Our goal is to see to the restoration of the lost glory of our land, rebuilding the totally collapsed infrastructure and helping in accelerating the fast growth of the economic activities of Ijebuland,” he added.

The group while declaring support for the governor-elect, Dapo Abiodun, admonished him to hit the ground running by facilitating people-oriented projects in government. Credit: Tribune

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