Governor flags off construction of IT Centre, railway platform, inland port, others in Osun

*206-hectare International Trade Centre (ITC) comprises an Inland Dry Port, Industrial Hub, railway platform, car mart, mini residential development area, storage facilities and warehouse for goods manufactured locally or imported ones ─Governor Adegboyega Oyetola

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

As part of the current administration’s declared economic revolution, and in fulfilling its promise to ensure economic recovery and transformation in the state, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State has performed the groundbreaking of the Osun Dry Port Project, following the recent inauguration of the Osun Ethanol Bio-Refinery Factory.

ConsumerConnect reports the governor, while at the groundbreaking ceremony at Dagbolu, described the project as the first of its kind in the South-West region of Nigeria and one of the derivatives of the state’s Economic and Investment Summit held in November 2019.

Oyetola said: “As we indicated during the convocation of Economic and Investment Summit, collaboration with core international and local partners is one of our strategies for achieving economic transformation.

“To give vent to our strategy, we have resolved to let charity begin from home and one of the early dividends of the talk is the International Trade Centre/Industrial Hub and Inland Port that we are flagging off.”

The governor, who stated that the two feats are marks of economic revolution in Osun State, disclosed that his administration is fulfilling its promise to ensure economic recovery and transformation in the state.

He stated: “This project is central to the economic transformation of the state. It is designed to promote trade and commerce in the State and its environs; make all goods, manufactured locally or imported, for which traders in the State and neighbouring States hitherto had to travel to Lagos.

“The project will also facilitate rapid economic growth and development of the state, generate massive employment opportunities for the unemployed population in the State, encourage massive production of agricultural produce, especially food crops, and reduce broad mishaps through haulage of goods by rail.”

According to him, the International Trade Centre, which occupies 206 hectares, has as its components an Inland Dry Port, an Industrial Hub, an International Trade Centre, Railway Platform, a Car Mart, a mini residential development area ,  storage facilities and warehouse.

“The Inland Port  will open up the State to the International Shipping Community and in so doing, generate robust economic activities, create massive employment opportunities and boost the Internally Generated Revenue of the state,” said Oyetola.

The governor also appreciated the Nigerian Shippers’ Council for their involvement in the processing and acquisition of the Inland Container Deport (ICD) – Dry Port, and the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).

He urged to members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and other stakeholders to support the government towards making the state a great investment frontier and commercial hub.

Dr. Bode Olaonipekun, Honourable Commissioner for Commerce, on the occasion said that the project would create not less than 10,000 jobs for citizens of the state.