…says PPP yielding fruits

Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun has disclosed that construction work has commenced on the Sagamu-Papalanto-Ilaro Road under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement between Ogun State, the Federal Government and Dangote Group.

Governor Abiodun, who disclosed this at the commissioning of the Abeokuta branch of Providus Bank at Oke-Ilewo, said the dual carriage way which would be made of concrete, represent a successful story of how PPP could be used for the good of the people.

The road, the governor said, when completed, would ease traffic on the Abeokta -Siun- Sagamu road, which is currently providing a link from the Ota axis to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

He also said the influx of industries and other forms of investments to the state is a clear indication that the PPP vision of his administration is yielding positive results.

The governor noted that the various policies and programmes put in place by his administration through the ISEYA pillars and the buy-in by the private sector show that public private partnership could work if properly harnessed.

He said: “Ogun is blessed with mineral resources in abundance; two-thirds of our land is sitting on limestone. The gas pipelines that crisscross our state and the conducive environment have brought a lot of industries and businesses to our state.

“Ogun State is the largest producer of cassava in the world, number one producer of poultry and eggs in Nigeria. We are the industrial, religious, and educational capital of Nigeria.

“We have more universities than 3-4 states combined, which means that we are constantly incubating more students than any other state,” the governor said.

He said the state would soon commence the construction of a Dry Port at Kajola to enable manufacturers import their raw materials and route them directly to the state, saying this would increase the State’s ranking on the ease of doing business index.

“This administration has been very deliberate by turning the push factor to pull factor. We will continue to provide the enabling environment for people to come live, work, and play in our State,” he added.

The governor commended the Bank for its giant strides in just seven years of its existence, especially its programmes on the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise which he said is the engine room of the economy, attributing its success to the tenacity and indepth of the management in the banking sector.

The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Aremu Gbadebo, while commending the management of the bank for siting its branch in the State capital, emphasized the need for the bank to make loans available to its customers, as no bank could survive without granting loans, calling on all and sundry to patronize the bank for economic uplightment.

The Managing Director of Bank, Mr. Walter Akpani noted that the bank in the last three years, had organized Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises programmes that attracted about 4,000 people, saying the bank is poised to impart positively on the economic wellbeing of the State.

Akpani described the people of the State as commercial oriented, noting that Abeokuta has been a melting point for good things for long.

He added that his bank, which is one of the best financial institutions in the country, with several awards, is digitally inclined to make a positive impact in the lives of the people of the state.

The combined team of detectives from the Zonal Intelligence Department (ZID) in Zone 10 Sokoto has apprehended three members of a gang specialising in car theft between Sokoto and Kebbi States.

Spokesperson for the command, ASP Ahmed Rufa’i, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, on behalf of AIG Abubakar Lawal Daura, who oversees the zone.

“The police, with the support of the citizens in Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara States, have successfully dismantled criminal gangs that were causing havoc in the aforementioned states,” the statement reads.

“This gang specialized in car theft of various models within these three states and disposed of the stolen vehicles both within and outside our neighboring countries.

“Based on credible intelligence, a crack team within the Zonal Command located the criminals’ hideout in an unfinished building in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, resulting in the arrest of Muttaka Muhammad, a 29-year-old from Zauro town.

“Upon interrogation and thorough investigation, four stolen vehicles were recovered in Kebbi and Sokoto States, which led to the apprehension of two other gang members in Kebbi and Sokoto, namely Kasimu Muhammad, 33 years old from Dukki area in Bunza LGA, and Haliru Musa, 35 years old from Baiti Area, both hailing from Kebbi State.”

The vehicles recovered during the operation include a gray Toyota Corolla LE with the chassis number 211BR32E74124, another gray Toyota Corolla LE with the chassis number WVBR82F94Z649604, a blue Toyota Corolla Fish Eye with the chassis number JT15EEB103103294, and a second blue Toyota Corolla Fish Eye with the chassis number JT152EEB103134442.

The statement urges the general public to inform relatives or friends who may have lost their vehicles to come forward with proof of ownership for confirmation and recovery at the Zone 10 AIG Office.

The AIG has also called on the public to remain vigilant and security-conscious in their areas and to continue cooperating with the police and other security agencies, as security is a shared responsibility.