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Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, New York
Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has informed foreign investors in New York that his administration’s drive to secure more investments is on course with plans to enhance the ease-of-doing-business in the state.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on the side-lines of the 74th United Nations General Assembly, Abiodun who expressed confidence that his trip would achieve the desired result for the people, added that everything was being put in place to make business environment stress-free for investors.
According to him, although a first-timer at the United Nations meeting, he has been able to convince prospective investors that Ogun is set for business.
Abiodun who said that the prospective investors were more comfortable meeting the chief executive themselves to discuss plans to enhance investments in their states, added that with his private sector background, he was able to win their trust.
The governor said: “More importantly, coming to Ogun State which is the biggest industrial hub in Nigeria, it’s been an opportunity for me to meet a lot of potential investors who insisted on seeing and meeting with chief executives in person. They want to have a feel of how and what you are thinking.
“And also because I come from the private sector and our vision is that which is to provide a focused and qualitative governance while creating an enabling environment for a private-public sector partnership which we believe is fundamental to the economic growth of the state, and individual prosperity.”
Abiodun told reporters that the state had since passed the Ogun Investment law, which allows the state to create the Ogun Investment Agency, disclosing that he was in the process of appointing an investment banker as the chief executive in government’s commitment to increasing the ranking of the state in the ease-of-doing business.
He added: “These, I shared with them and all the plans that Ogun State has in terms of increasing our ranking in the global ease-of-doing-business index.
“What does that call for? It starts from being able to apply for land in Ogun State. How do you resolve disputes in Ogun State? How do you transfer land in Ogun State, do you have to go to multiple windows if you want to build? And so on and so forth.
“So, all that, I was able to address in person with international investors and I am glad to say that quite a few people are so anxious to come to my state because it is the Gateway State.”
