Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun State Governor, has said that Chevron and Shell, pulled out of the Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas (OKLNG) Project within the Olokola Free Trade Zone (OKFTZ) due to the expertise and quantum of investment Dangote Group and other indigenous entrepreneurs are bringing into it.
He said that the massive investment and expertise which the indigenous investors, such as Aliko Dangote, Jim Ovia and others, are planning for Olokola FTZ sent away the foreign investors away.
The governor who spoke with reporters in Abeokuta after a meeting with members of the Ogun Elders’ Consultative Forum that paid him a courtesy call at his Oke-Mosan Governor’s Office, Abeokuta Office, on Monday.
According to him, the Refinery and Petrol-Chemical project would soon commence operation there in full force.
Amosun noted that other local investors, including Jim Ovia, are planning to build fertilizer and amonia plants at the area and said about 90 percent of what is being done in Olokola FTZ, falls within the jurisdiction of Ogun state just as neighbouring Ondo state is also playing a role in the project.
Amosun: “may be you don’t understand this, not only Chevron, there are about four and five parties and because they realized that nothing was happening then and now, they realized, yes Alhaji Aliko Dangote and us as a State that some of the people that are there have actually been bought over, that I can confirm to you.
“And what will Chevron be doing there when of course, there are big players as well, the gentleman that is building the Refinery is not a novice; he will get the best in the world to come and build it and it’s like what he is doing is a direct competition with Chevron, so if he is doing it, so how?
“Look at the quantum of money being invested there; it is even far more than, probably more than ten times what Chevron wanted to invest there.
“Let me even be modest and say that almost all 90 percent of what is being done now in Olokola falls directly within Ogun state. If you look at the bigger picture, it is between Ogun and Ondo states, but not that probably we will still not go and may be do phase two with Ondo state.
“But as we speak today, the deep seaport, the fertilizer and amonia, everything that Dangote wants to do is in Ogun state and I’m sure by October, we should be there and the Refinery will commence. Dangote is partnering with us, but it is not Dangote alone, I am aware that Mr Jim Ovia is bringing in Amonia to the site, fertilizer is coming, some people are building; it is a whole lot of things that are coming.”
Earlier, the state’s Elders Consultative Forum lauded the efforts of Senator Ibikunle Amosun at rebuilding the state through urban renewal projects, clean environment, infrastructural developments and security of lives and property among others.
Prince Bola Ajibola, former World Court judge who spoke for the group, described Amosun as “hardworking, effective and performing Governor” whose “concern for Ogun State very much at his heart,” said the Governor’s “diligence” would surely enables him to be counted at surely end of the day among “kings and not among mere men.”
And drawing analogy from the experience of the old Roman empire and Emperor Nero who ignited the whole of Rome and subsequently burnt it down but another person – Augustus Caesar, emerged to rebuild Rome from its ruined state and Prince Ajibola concluded that Amosun remains the “Augustus Caesar” of the state following his commitment to rebuilding Ogun.
The International Jurist and University Proprietor, noted that the Elders’ Consultative Forum were impressed with the Governor and said a symbiotic relationship would be fostered to support him in further development of the state.