January 02, (THEWILL) – Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has stated that his administration is working towards ensuring that the state takes advantage of its oil rich deposit and becomes an oil producing state.
Abiodun disclosed this during the Convocation Lecture he delivered at the 2nd and 3rd Convocation Ceremony of the Mountain Top University.
He spoke on the topic, “Quest for Excellence: The Nexus of Faith, Knowledge and Resilience”.
The governor expressed regret that Ogun lost a $16b Dangote refinery to Lagos after a break in discussion between the immediate past administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Dangote.
He recalled that he had the privilege to work as the chairman of the Olokola Free Trade Zone that was meant to have the refinery cited in the state, noting the project was also to take advantage of the mining lease that had been awarded around the corridor.
“we are working assiduously on that, so, I accept this challenge, we will further strengthen our resolve to ensure that we bring Ogun State to oil producing status in the very near future”.
“I worked as chairman of Olokola Free Trade Zone that was meant to have the Dangote refinery cited in Ogun Waterside, however, discussion broke down between Dangote and the then administration which led to the loss of that project to Lagos state; a sixteen billion dollars was lost to another state.”
“That project was conceived with the aim of not just refining petroleum in Ogun, but also take advantage of the mining lease that had been awarded around that corridor that has even not begun to be exploited,” he added
Abiodun also disclosed that the state has very rich oil reserves in Tongeji Island, hinting that the state is situated in the Dahomey Basin, which stands for the Niger Delta that goes all the way to Ghana
“Everyone of the states in that corridor are oil producing today, even Ondo and Lagos states”, he stressed.
In a related development, the Federal and Ogun State Governments have also taken a step further to reduce the high incidence of zoonotic diseases that are being transmitted from animal to human.
This was disclosed at a day training organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), for Ogun State abattoir workers on Bio-security and Bio-containment Protocols, at the Veterinary Hospital Complex, Ita-Eko, Abeokuta.
Speaking, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, said the training was necessitated by the need to curb the recurrence of zoonotic diseases and correct the wrongs in the abattoirs, so as to ensure production of healthy and quality food.
Abubakar, represented by the Zonal Director, FMARD, Engr. Ganiyu Oseni, noted that most diseases that ravage mankind were contracted from animals, especially livestock that lack proper bio-security.
He enjoined operators of abattoirs and slaughter slabs in the State to imbibe hygienic practices towards ensuring healthy livestock and safe meat consumption for the people.
The Director of Veterinary Services, Ogun State Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Taiwo Jolaoso, said the training was initiated to ensure that meat from slaughter slabs across the State meet standard and safe for human consumption.
Jolaoso charged butchers to take proper care of their tools and animals slaughtered for human consumption, saying meat processed under hygienic conditions would prevent diseases that are transmitted from animals to man.
In his presentation, a resource person, Dr. Tayo Mokuolu, highlighted the importance of safety and hygienic methods of slaughtering animals, saying personal, environmental and animal hygiene, as well as sterilisation of tools, would go a long way in bringing down all kinds of microbial diseases.
Speaking on behalf of other participants, Mr. Tijani Muhammed commended the effort of the government, assuring that abattoir and slaughter slab operators would work in line with the stipulated guidelines.
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