Oyo To Partner British Govt On Economic Devt

…As Makinde Hosts British Deputy High Commissioner

Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, on Thursday, said that his administration will continue to collaborate with development partners and the private sector to promote economic growth.
The governor, who stated this while receiving the British Deputy High Commissioner, Ben Llewellyn -Jones, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Ibadan, added that government alone cannot develop the state’s economy.

He said “For us in Oyo State, we recognise the fact that government alone cannot sort out the challenges we have.
“I am glad to have you here to also discuss business opportunities.
“We have to look at development partners, which is a big part of what we are doing. We also encourage private sector participation.
“This afternoon, we will be flagging off a project on gas infrastructure, in collaboration with Shell Nigeria Gas.
“I know of an administration that tried to carry out same project using government resources but it failed. Now, if you have a business case where the private people can come in to invest, definitely such a project will be a go.
“So, we are always happy to sit down to discuss opportunities with development partners and the private sector.”
Earlier, the British Deputy High Commissioner, Ben Llewellyn-Jones told the governor that the essence of the meeting was to talk about some areas his country and Oyo State could collaborate for development.
He said: “Thank you your Excellency for making time to see me. I know how busy you are.
“It is my sixth year in Nigeria and third year in Lagos. My role is to promote UK trade, investment and economic growth across Nigeria.
“I have come to see your Excellency to talk about some of the possibilities here in Oyo State.”
He also said that his team will be meeting British Companies as well as officials of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and will also spend some time to discuss partnerships with the University of Ibadan.
The event had in attendance the Head of Prosperity, British Deputy High Commission, Kris Camponi; Senior Political Adviser, Wale Adebajo; Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun; Chief of Staff, Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi; Head of Service, Alhaja Ololade Agboola; Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Niyi Adebisi, among others.

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Makinde flags off construction of Oyo Govt, Shell Nigeria Gas Project
…says we’re building infrastructure for economic development
Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, on Thursday flagged off the construction of the Oyo State Government (OYSG)-Shell Nigeria Gas Ltd (SNG) project to create a new gas distribution infrastructure network in the state.
The governor while performing the groundbreaking ceremony of the Gas Infrastructure Development and Distribution Project, held at the Kilometre 10, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ibadan, said that his administration realised early enough that in order to engineer a modern Oyo State, it needed to engage the private sector and development agencies.

He said he has been running an inclusive government focused on building infrastructure that targets economic growth.

He added that projects embarked upon by his administration deliberately cut across all zones of the state, while having direct impact on all strata of the society.
According to the governor, when completed, the gas infrastructure project will deliver gas to industrial, manufacturing and commercial companies, adding that it will also serve new emerging industrial corridors and industrial parks/zones, Independent Power Projects, and provide stable power generation for industrial and residential use within the state.
He said: “Yes, we promised Omituntun(breath of fresh air) and we are delivering Omituntun.
“Back in 2019, when we came into office, four years seemed like such a long time to many people. But we knew how short four years would be because of how much work we had to do. Our infrastructure deficit was huge. At the same time, resources were dwindling.
“Yet, we kept in clear focus the task of ensuring that Oyo State lived up to its moniker, ‘Pacesetter State.’
“We knew that to engineer a modern Oyo State, we must engage the private sector and development agencies.
“And now, look how far we have come. We have run very inclusive governance. Whether in Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun, Oyo or even Ibarapa, you can point to state government projects in your zone.
“In fact, I have made it a point that when I meet people who say they are from Oyo State, I ask them where in Oyo. Once they name it, we can match their zone with a project.”
The governor, who stated that he was glad that another milestone was being added to the numerous achievements already recorded by his administration, added: “We will soon officially flag off our campaign, and then we will talk about all we have done to change the economic landscape in Oyo State.
“Today, we are here to add another milestone to our achievements as we flag off the construction of the Oyo State Government (OYSG) and Shell Nigeria Gas Ltd (SNG) Gas Project. This project is for constructing a Pressure Reduction & Metering Station (PRMS).
“Through this project, we will create a new gas distribution infrastructure network in Oyo State. This infrastructure will deliver gas to industrial, manufacturing and commercial companies. “It will also serve new emerging industrial corridors and industrial parks/zones, Independent Power Projects, and provide stable power generation for industrial and residential use within the state.
“People might ask, how much is Oyo State spending on this? Well, the project will be funded by SNG on a Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer (BOOT) basis. SNG will transfer the infrastructure to Oyo State after 15 years.
“One thing we have always done is to ensure that all our projects are interconnected. For example, when we said we would drive our economy through agriculture, some people thought we would start buying fertiliser and other inputs and distributing them to phantom farmers.
“But that was the old way of doing things. We chose instead to take the infrastructure approach. Instead of handing money to people, we built the roads they needed to link our farming communities to markets.
“We also attracted big businesses willing to work with our farmers as off-takers. While at the same time subscribing to donor-assisted agricultural programmes. And so, we linked agriculture to road construction and rural development.”
He explained that the gas infrastructure project is linked to the state’s ‘Light up Oyo’ project, saying that he is confident that he would commission the project, because the people of Oyo State will re-elect him for another four years of sustainable development.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Barr. Temilolu Ashamu, said the state will use gas to drive large scale development and get Oyo State ahead of the curve.
The Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Gas, Mr. Ed Ubong, told the gathering that the project will pump the first gas in the first quarter of 2024, adding that the company has already developed a gas master plan that will take gas to all corridors of Oyo State.
“I was just discussing this with the governor that there is a chance that, by next year, that first gas will start flowing here in Oyo. It will be in phases. We would carry out what we call an early phase where gas will be delivered virtually,” he said.