OGUN STATE INFRASTRUCTURES: "WE NEED HELP". As Governor Dapo Abiodun Pleads African Finance Corporation For Supports

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has welcomed the plan by the African Finance Corporation (AFC) to partner with the State Government to reconstruct the all-important Atan-Lusada-Agbara Road in the country's biggest industrial hub located in Ado-Odo/Otta Local Government Area and Agbara-Igesa Local Council Development Area of the State.

Governor Abiodun also declared a state of emergency on flood-ravaged Isheri North on its border with Lagos State by the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and other affected areas in the State.

According to the Governor, the Isheri flood problem was beyond the State and the deplorable state of the Atan-Lusada-Agbara Road, which plays host to over 70 industries manufacturing various consumer goods being distributed across the country, “is worse than a nightmare whenever it rains.”

Notable industries in the axis include GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Unilever, Nestle Plc, Beloxxi Group, Procter & Gamble, Sunsteel Industries Ltd, Cometstar Manufacturing Company Ltd, GZ Industries, Drury Industries Limited among others.

"I stopped by at Isheri where we have lots of Estates and the state of road infrastructure is deplorable. Currently, the place is totally flooded, and the entire estates have been submerged. I told the flood victims that this place requires us to declare a state of emergency, and we are actually going to do that because the problem is beyond the State," the Governor said, when he received a four-man team from the AFC, led by the Senior Director, Mr. Taiwo Adeniji, in Abeokuta.

Prince Abiodun said that his government had since realised that the biggest issues for the people of the state was the state of infrastructures, especially the state ecology and bad road network.

"The area is mixed with industrial and residential estates. There is a lot of development going on there and people have abandoned their houses - beautiful houses. This is because the roads are non-existent, there are no drainages, houses are built on flood plains, so we need help," he pleaded on the flooded Isheri Estate.

He said the State had a lot of infrastructural challenges, being the as it was the closest to the biggest economy in the country, adding that the task now was how to provide water, electricity, good roads and other amenities to those who choose to live and invest in the State.

He commended the financial institution for showing interest in partnering with the State to address the deficiency in infrastructure, saying that he was happy with the choices of roads which the Corporation indicated interest in.

Residents, commuters and motorists plying the Atan-Lusada-Agbara route have for over six years been lamenting the hardship they are facing as a result of the poor state of the roads that spread across the areas.

Also, the industries in the Atan-Agbara axis noted that the deplorable state of the roads has become a major hindrance to productivity, which had not only become a nightmare but a threat to their existence as goods worth hundreds of millions of naira are lost to frequent accidents on the roads.

Efforts to get the Ogun State Government to do palliative works on the road had so far yielded no result. Transporters on the route also groan in pains, as the lifespan of the vehicles plying the route have been drastically reduced while human lives are put at risk as they travel through.

The Governor added that his administration was poised to make roads in the state motorable for ease of doing business and for the people and goods to move with relative ease.

"I am happy you have mentioned in particular, Agbara. It is the biggest industrial hub in the country, but the state of roads in the area is totally and unbelievably terrible. It is bad and I am glad the road is of interest to you. We have received a number of proposals on that road, but this is a credible offer coming from the African Finance Corporation (AFC)," Governor Abiodun stated.

By the new arrangement based on the State Government's Private-Public Sector Partnership, also to be fixed by AFC is the Ijebu Ode-Epe road.

The Governor noted that he was pleased that, “the Ijebu Ode-Epe Road is a road that is an alternative road to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. These two roads are of concern to us too. Once these roads are reconstructed, it will free up the volume of traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, especially with the population explosion in that corridor," he said.

In his remarks, the Senior Director, African Business Corporation, Mr. Taiwo Adeniji, said the Corporation in partnership with the private sector, focuses more on roads, power, telecommunications and heavy industry projects and was currently developing infrastructures in 28 African countries. He noted that his visit was to see how the Corporation could help in developing infrastructure that could assist in driving more development in Ogun State.

Throwing more light into AFC programmes, Adeniji in an interview said, "we focus on roads that have commercial viability, the roads that can pay for themselves. Atan-Agbara and Epe-Ijebu-Ode Roads are some of the roads that can be done on Public-Private Partnership basis.

"Africa Financial Corporation brings in its technical capacity and the finance to fix the roads and the users pay a token amount. We intend to engage with the industries within the industrial areas and discuss these roads with them. We will be transparent, we will let them know how much the roads will cost and how it is going to be paid for.

“We think that would be a better arrangement than the current situation where the roads are impassable. We have done similar projects in other African countries and the people there are better for it," he concluded.

E-signed 

Kunle Somorin

Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun

BUKOLA OLOPADE AND THE JAC MOTORS MARATHON: REPOSITIONING OGUN ON THE WORLD MAP THROUGH SPORTS.

Until this year after eight years, Ogun State has lost track on the progress made in Sports and Youth  Development. 

Here is a state that hosted the Youth World Cup, All African Games among many other world class events.
No doubt, not only that the state was able to develop it's sporting facilities, several talents were discovered both locally and internationally.
There is a man that has his name directly attached to the success recorded while registering the state on the Sport's  World Map Bukola Olopade

Bukola Olopade was able to administer the state ministry of Youth and Sports for good eight years (you can imagine what level of experience and exposure he would have gathered). It is safe to say, he has become the best Youth and Sport administrator Ogun State has ever produced using sport and other developmental activities to engage the youths.
As stated earlier, the gains recorded over these period went down the drain, the government refused to fund the ministries as expected, the facilities were abandoned to rot away, while the state owned contingents, including the Gateway Football Club (the state owned football club) were at their lowest performance.

Owning to the hostile sociopolitical environment that trailed the immediate past administration, Ogun State lost the best opportunities to have consolidated on previous administration's investment on sports as a catalyst to economic growth.
Thankfully, OZO (as Bukola Olopade in fondly called) didn't stay too far from home, he stayed just at the backyard (Lagos) helping the state to develop it's sporting activities.

As a seasoned sport administrator that he is, he rejected several offers to work on full time appointment from many states stating that he cannot "stay too far away from home".
One thing you cannot take away from him is his capacity and passion for Youth development through sports.
The organizer of Access Marathon in Lagos that is now worth several millions of dollars in investment has chosen Ogun state to organize yet another MARATHON RACE.

Come 2nd November 2019, THE JAC MOTORS ABEOKUTA MARATHON RACE 2019 will berth in Ogun state, kick starting another round of prosperity for the state and the people. Not less than 1,000 has registered to be part of this race. Doing the economic calculations of this singular events, apart from engaging people actively, the small and medium businesses in and around Abeokuta will definitely count their blessings. The hospitality industry and the tourism will be the major beneficiaries.
Undoubtedly, the wait is over as Ogun State is going back to its rightful position as Sports Tourism Destination in Nigeria and Africa at large.

God Bless JAC Motors
God Bless Nilayo
God Bless Abeokuta
God Bless Ogun State.

AN OPEN LETTER TO MY FRIENDS: NIGERIA TRULY DESERVES SPIRITUAL CLEANSING - By Adedamola Adetayo

A social media analyst Mr. Adedamola Adetayo has joined the fold of people calling for spiritual cleansing of Nigeria's many woes.

Adetayo in an "Open Letter" shared on his facebook page wondered how successive government has failed to position the country into glorious path.

The writer lamented  that the people should "be realistic enough to know all these problems didn't just pour down on us and they won't go away, not even if we gathered all our clergies to take over all the leadership positions in the country"


Read Full Text:


Dear Friends

Please allow me write just one of the things harassing my mind so I can go back to my hibernation in peace!

Those who know me personally know that I contend with a multitude of mind-bending pressures that task my supreme effort of Willpower. It has been very tough. But you see, even in my own personal struggles, excruciating as they are, they pale into insignificance when placed side-by-side the misery i see all around the society and the country as a whole!

I have always convinced myself that very surely, we have offended some people because what we are going through as a people can't be "ordinary eyes" as our people will say!

Dr. Reuben Abati, inspite of himself and his recently crooked history, once told us that there were demons in Aso Rock that kind of manipulate the occupants there and by extension our leaders at the various levels and tiers of Government!

I think that man can't be too far from the truth!

Yes, we have CORRUPTION!
Yes, we are grossly unruly and Indisciplined!
Yes, we have leaders who are blinded by greed and followers who are stupidly docile!
Yes, we even know very well that our country runs on poor political and fiscal structures!
Yes, these problems didn't start today!!!

But in all of these, have we ever attempted to be realistic enough to know all these problems didn't just pour down on us and they won't go away, not even if we gathered all our clergies to take over all the leadership positions in the country?

I think we need to ASK HARD QUESTIONS. We need to STOP and review. We are not heading anywhere!

Imagine!

In 1998, Obasanjo was just within inches of his life. He came out,  got installed as President and right under our noses he did exactly what Abacha did, may be even worse! He became an emperor and was going to do 3rd term. A man that was just lucky to be alive!!!

Jonathan came under uncommon Grace. It was Providence but he became the almighty and all powerful President and C-IN-C of this same Nigeria. An Ijaw man from the same long-suffering Niger Delta. What did he do. He was dancing in Kano and Ibadan hours after Nyanyan bomb blast in Abuja and about the same time news of Chinook came! What changed in Niger Delta or about the multitude of injustices in Nigeria?

The other day we saw the Bauchi state Governor importing a wife from God-knows-where and able-bodied family men, Exco of a State lined up at the airport to receive them!

One Governor was said to have appointed three separate SAs to his three wives.

Rochas Okoroacha opened a brand new Ministry of Happiness for his sister!

The one in Kogi is a complete story entirely

In Ogun and Lagos states, the Governors are practically missing!

Look at the effrontery of Bola Tinubu and Ibikunle Amosun. How can men be so blinded by material things???? These weren't even yours, you practically tool them off the common wealth of the same suffering people!!!!

The last time President Buhari visited that NASS, jokingly and playfully, he started the 4+4 sign and the thing went viral!

Yesterday, at the same NASS, the man has told you jokingly and playfully that he had caught COLD!

Right on cue, we have started to hear of one Madam Minister that will soon move into za oza room as it  has become cold room!

It's a rumour now of course but you can be sure it will soon be a reality right under our noses!

In all of the troubles of this country, does it even make sense at this troubled state of our National life?

If Buhari eventually does that at 75year of age shouldn't we then be convinced that truly snakes have hands as our Elders will say?

No, these things are so rampant, so regular, so consistent, so audacious and get so mind shattering, they can't be Naturally!!!!

Surely, no man or group of men can be so callously insensitive to millions of people!

There is something controlling these people and ultimately controlling our lives!

I tell you, OUR PROBLEM IS SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL!

We are a people that sold millions of slaves!
We are a people that broke faith with our ancestors!
We are a people disconnecting with our spirituality, culture, language and values!
We are a people with a confused identity, a people who have abandoned their familiar paths and taken to strange paths!

We are a people who have completely missed our way!!!

We are a people being expertly railroaded and manipulated into destruction!

We must realise this and we must STOP AND REVERSE!