Manufacturing industries, especially in major industrial areas such as Sango-Ota, Atan-Ota, Igbesa and Agbara, may ditch Ogun State if critical infrastructure such as roads and bridges are not fixed quickly by the state government.
This, and other statements and requests were tendered before Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State during the second round of town hall meeting held against the backdrop of 2020 Ogun State Budget Preparation/Medium Term Expenditure Framework organised by the Ministry of Budget and Planning in Ilaro, the capital of Ogun West Senatorial District on Wednesday.
Speaking on behalf of traditional rulers, leaders, indigenes and residents of Ogun West Senatorial District, Akin Odunsi, a former senator from Ogun West, stated that the state might witness the exodus of industries and investors if cogent and quick action were not made to improve on-road and other infrastructure within the industrial area.
Odunsi noted that large chunk of the monthly internal revenue was generated from the region by the state government, yet successive governments abandoned the place and allowed the infrastructure dated back to the Obafemi Awolowo’s Premiership of old Western Region, to decay without tangible replacement and improvement.
He said, “If we don’t want industries to pack and move out of Igbesa, Agbara, Sango-Ota and Atan-Ota, all in the Ogun West Senatorial District, we must quickly provide necessary amenities if we don’t want to lose them to other states and countries of West Africa.”
He also appealed to the state government to resuscitate the moribund state-owned hotel – old Gateway Hotel in Ota as part of investment drive of the state, saying the Gateway Hotel in Ota was one iconic structure that shows presence of government in Ogun West Senatorial District.
Also, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who is also from Ogun West, requested Governor Abiodun to declare state of emergency on road infrastructure, saying: there was need for massive road infrastructure across Ogun West. In fact, if the governor declared a state of emergency on road construction it was not enough.
Responding, Governor Abiodun explained that such statements and requests were very important, hence, town hall meeting was being held across the three senatorial districts of the state as part of measure to collate people’s inputs and opinions that form the ingredients of 2020 Budget Preparation/Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), spanning 2022.
The governor affirmed that every effort would be directed to improving on ease of doing business, provision of credit facilities for MSMEs, creation of wealth and employment opportunities for the youths, as the present government would be inclusive, participatory and quality-based government and governance.
