Ogun State is hoping to join the comity of Nigeria’s oil-producing states soon as the South-West state plans to intensify efforts in prospecting for the black gold in Tongeji Island and Olokola areas of the state this year.
Dapo Abiodun, the state governor, who stated this in his New Year message to the people of the state, said apart from human resources, the state that enjoys close proximity to Lagos is also blessed with abundant untapped natural resources which his administration is poised to explore.
Abiodun said as the year progresses, his administration would commence the implementation of some of its other initiatives including prospecting for oil.
“We will be partnering with others in the private sector in exploring the oil prospects of our state in the Tongeji Island and Olokola. We have no doubt that with the right technical partners and investors, Ogun State will soon proudly join the comity of oil producing states in Nigeria,” Abiodun said in the New Year message titled “The Promising Future is Here”.
Apart from that, the governor said his administration would, through its rural electrification programme, provide solar-powered lighting systems for underserved communities in the state.
“We will continue investing in the provision and supply of water. We already started this by carrying out a major overhaul of the Arakanga water works gates, which has provided for the adequate storage and supply of potable water to the people of Abeokuta and its environs.
“We will also commence laying new pipes across the state to replace the old ones laid over fifty years ago, alongside the implementation of other creative initiatives which, on completion, will solve the perennial shortage of water in any part of our state,” he said.
Abiodun further said his administration was determined to provide a statewide steady supply of electricity through the implementation of its Light UP OGUN Project, which, according to him, would allow for the generation of uninterrupted power to major towns and cities in the state from an Independent Power Project through a PPP Joint Venture.
“We believe this will free up more power supply to our smaller towns and villages thereby improving the overall supply to the entire state,” he said.
“We will also soon be implementing our e-mobility and Gas Mobility projects through which all our motorcycles will be battery-powered and our mass transport system will be powered by compressed natural gas,” he said.
The governor further assured that the new year would see the completion of the 250-bed hospital at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, in partnership with Afreximbank. The facility, he said, would be a Medical Centre of Excellence.
Abiodun said the Mother and Child Specialist Hospital at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, would also be built in partnership with the Abdul Samad Rabiu Foundation.
He noted that urban renewal and regeneration programmes that would focus on major urban centres such as Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode, Mowe Ibafo, and Ota would be aggressively pursued, while the state would leverage on the Lagos Blue and Red rail lines for the efficient transportation of goods and passengers especially to Kajola and Agbara axes of the Slstate.
While assuring the people of their security, Governor Abiodun maintained that his government would continue to be proactive and invest heavily in security infrastructure through capacity building and training of security personnel, adding that the provision of conducive learning environment for school children and the quest to achieve the 2,500 affordable houses would equally be intensified in the new year.
