The governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, will in Friday, November 4, turn the sod of the $800 million Special Agro-Processing Zone, SAPZ, to be located at the Agro-Cargo Airport, in Ilisan-Remo.
Governor Abiodun disclosed this on Wednesday, November 3, at the Treasury Board meeting, which held at Obas Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The Ogun State number one citizen added that the project, which would be executed by Arena Integrated Company, would be the biggest Investment in Nigeria, as it would provide between 15,000 to 20,000 jobs for the people.
Explaining that the turning of sod, which would mark the beginning of the first phase of the multi-million dollars investment, would take place on Friday, this week, Governor Abiodun revealed that the construction of structures for the project would commence in the first week of December.
He said, “By the grace of God, we are going to do the ground breaking of the first Special Agro Processing Zone, SAPZ, in the country, the very first. The first phase is a $400 million investment and it is going to be in two phases. This has never happened before in this country.
“Construction is going to start first week in December. I am aware that the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, also wants to start construction immediately in the same aerotropolis.
“That place promises to employ between 15,000 and 20,000 people in the first phase.”
The governor averred that the citing the project is an indication of how viable the airport would be on completion, even as he expressed optimism that the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, the NCS, multi-nationals and investors that had indicated interest in the airport would soon follow suit.
In a related development, the governor expressed the readiness of his administration to resuscitate the moribund Gateway Hotel, Ota.
Responding to the presentations by the officials of the Ministry of Housing and related agencies at the Treasury Board meeting, Prince Abiodun described the current state of the once viable hotel as an eyesore, saying that something urgent must be done to address the situation.
Decrying the total abandonment of the hotel, despite its strategic location, the governor said that his administration was poised to rehabilitate and bring it back to its former state, as demanded by the people of Ota, during the town hall meeting on the 2023 appropriation budget.
Governor Abiodun, however, expressed displeasure that the hotel, which was once a pride of the state is now a den for criminals, even as he directed the Ministry of Housing to include the total rehabilitation of the edifice in its budget proposal for necessary action.
