PHENOMENAL things happened in Ogun State this week. Fresh from inspecting 11 road projects targeted at opening up Ogun East for business last weekend, Governor Dapo Abiodunreceived Africa’s wealthiest man and president of the DangoteGroup, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, on his investments-laden return to the Gateway State. Dangote, fired up by the Governor’s investor-friendly disposition and policies focused on business, could not help luxuriating in his return to the state after crass politicking forced him out, and Ogun State lost the 650-000-barrels-per-day, $20 billion refinery currently nestled in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. Hear the business mogul, speaking at the OkeMosan Government House: “Our factory at Itori was pulled down twice. When we started the second time, they not only demolished the factory but also the fence, so we left. But right now, because of His Excellency, our governor, Prince DapoAbiodun, we are back. When you visit the factory, you will be surprised at what we have done.” His gratitude was heartfelt: “I would especially like to commend, in a special way, my good friend and brother, His Excellency, the Governor of Ogun State, for his vision and deliberate policies that focus on attracting enterprises through immense support for the private sector, which is now attracting investors.”
Dangote wasn’t being flippant. When he conceived the world’s biggest refinery now located in Lagos State, his mind was on the Olokola Free Trade Zone, the natural location of such facility. When the news broke, the excitement among the Ogun citizenry was palpable. Apart from generating thousands of jobs, the refinery would attract big business, massive housing development and other perks to the zone and further solidify Ogun State’s status as Nigeria’s industrial capital. Alas, allegedly for reasons of pecuniary gain, the government led by the same individual whose failure recently led to international embarrassment for Nigeria through the seizure of presidential jets, aborted that epic move that would have made Ogun the envy of other states. It would have been bad enough if that was all it did, but as Dangote himself said, “Our factory at Itori was pulled down twice.” The man took to his heels with his rich portfolio of intended investments! Who wouldn’t? In a country where the likes of former Governor Segun Oni literally forced legal luminary, Afe Babalola, to locate his university, now frequently rated as Nigeria’s best, to Ekiti from the original Ibadan proposed site, the government of Ogun State chose to abort a multibillion dollar investment!
All of that, thankfully, is history, as insane belligerence, perfidy and arrogance no longer have any place in Oke Mosan, completely gone with the stench of the investment-killing government. Ogun State, Nigeria’s top investment destination after Lagos, is on the brink of an industrial revolution as Africa’sforemost industrialist revives investments in Olokola and targets the expansion of cement production in Itori and Ibeshe.
