Sometime in 2012, Rotimi Ogunleye, Gani Mohammed and yours sincerely spent a night with the late former Ondo state governor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, at his Ijuodo country home. The encounter was intellectually engaging and rewarding.
We spent the night pondering the future of the state. Being a geologist, Agagu made us realize the exhaustibility of crude oil as a natural resource. According to the erudite scholar, oil wells in the country would dry up one day. Even if they didn't dry up, the value of petroleum would be seriously eroded by the discovery of alternative sources of energy.
Nigeria relies largely on petroleum for revenue. The natural resource is the strongest pillar of our economy. The state of health of the economy depends on the existing international prices of the product. If the prices rise up, the economy will be in good health. But if they plummet, the economy will be terribly sick.
As at today, only four of the thirty six states in the country are said to have the capacity to run their affairs without receiving allocations from the federation account. And the federation account is mainly fed by oil money.
The envisaged drastic reduction in the role of crude oil in the economy of the world in the nearest future, according to Agagu, informed the industrialization drive of his government. The government initiated Olokola Free Trade Zone.
The multi billion naira project promised to be a path that would lead to self-reliance and prosperity for Ondo state and her people. But it became moribund after Agagu exited the stage of governance. It was abandoned. Therefore, Olokola became a victim of the abrupt discontinuity of the forward-looking government.
The present government in the state revisited the project in 2017 when Governor Akeredolu set up a nine-man technical committee to reactivate the free trade zone. The committee was headed by Engr. Funso Kupolokun, a renowned Petroleum Engineer and one time Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
It takes visionary leadership to envisage the future and plan for it. We cannot continue to rely only on fossil oil revenue to run our affairs.
That's why every indigene who genuinely professes love for the state and concern for her development must support the industrialization efforts of the Akeredolu government. The Ondo-Linyi Industrial Hub, Ore, established by the government has become a success story. No fewer than six industries are already operating at the hub. More are coming.
But the biggest industrialization effort of the government is the proposed deep seaport in Ilaje Local Government Area. This is a project that will open up the economy of the state. It will create more than 20,000 job opportunities. The building of the port alone is expected to bring about N500billion economic activities to the coaster region of the state.
With the seaport, a glorious and prosperous future will be assured. The state will be self-reliant economically. It will exit the club of states which go cap in hand to Abuja for fund.
As at today, all the studies required for the implementation of the seaport have been carried out. The studies were conducted by reputable local and international consultants. Hundreds of millions of naira have been expended on the required studies by the state government.
In November, last year, the Project Implementation Plan for the Deep Seaport was received by Governor Akeredolu from the project Consortium comprising a Spanish firm, Ocean Infrastructure Management (OIM) and Franchise and Business Solutions Limited (FBS), its Nigerian partner. The plan spells out milestones and timelines for the completion of the project.
Also in February, Governor Akeredolu met with traditional rulers and representatives of the area where the seaport will be cited to solicit their support for the project. At the stakeholders' forum, the governor spoke on the Environmental Site Investment Assessment (ESIA) and Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for the deep seaport.
What remains now is to obtain Port Declaration from the Federal Government. Governor Akeredolu is passionately pursuing it. It is hoped the declaration will be obtained after the scourge of Covid-19 stops ravaging our world.
The state needs prayers from all her indigenes, especially the people of the coaster areas. The continuity of the Akeredolu government should be given serious consideration. The government should be allowed to realize its lofty vision for the state. It is about the future. It is about the generations yet unborn.
***Ojo Oyewamide is Senior Special Assistant to Governor Akeredolu on Media and Publicity
