Key stakeholders and political players from the southwest states must come together to build on existing relationships to further develop the region.
Ondo state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa gave this charge at the closing ceremony of the maiden edition of Osun State Industrial Investment Summit held in Osogbo, at the weekend.
Represented by his deputy, Olayide Adelami, the governor said the common ancestry of the people of the region, and the efforts of the founding fathers should propel the leaders to work more in developing the states in the region.
According to him, “the founding fathers of our region saw industrialization as the quickest means to rapid development and most of their policies were channeled towards this goal. The free education programme that propelled our region to the forefront of development was for the purpose of providing skilled labour for the envisaged industrial development.
“We are not here today to teach Osun how to go about investment drive, but rather, to share some of the ideas we adopted in our determination to encourage investment activities in Ondo state, and some of the successes we have enjoyed as a result. We are on the same journey and that is one of the reasons I was committed to being here today.
“In addition, from the deliberations in this event, we too can gain some lessons that will be of use to us in the course of our own ambition to further industrialise Ondo State. So it is no competition. The more economic nodes we can create in our country, the more the prosperity of our people and our country as a whole”
The governor urged the Osun state government to look into the advancement of tourism through the promotion of the rich cultural heritage of the state.
“Osun is not any less endowed, with your potential in gold deposit, railway, agriculture, etc. but I will just mention an aspect where you stand tall, namely arts and culture” He submitted.
In his address, Osun state Governor, Ademola Adeleke, who was represented by his deputy, Prince Kola Adewusi, assured investors of an enabling environment once they meet the requirements needed to invest in the state.
He thanked Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for his industrial drive to turn around the fortune of Ondo state and the Southwest, stressing Osun state’s commitment to industrialization.
“I want to assure investors that we will continue to provide enabling environment for investors. Getting your C-of-O, if you meet up the requirements, is quite easy now. Within 90 days, you would get it and you are free to invest in Osun state.
“Osun state is a land of diverse economic opportunities, and we are hopeful that the dry port, cargo airport, special economic zone, agro-processing zone, and free trade zone will be fully operational, benefiting our incoming investors.
“I believe that after this summit, Osun will emerge as one of Nigeria’s economic giants. As I conclude, I assure you that the state government will implement and utilise the outcomes of this summit to accelerate the industrialization of Osun state for the benefit of its people,” Adeleke added.
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