…From Dele Ogunyemi, Ibadan…
All is now set for the commencement of an independent power project and the establishment of an Industrial Park and Light Rail System in Oyo State.
The deal towards the establishment of the projects was struck during the visit of a business delegation led by Mr Yuan Quan Jing and the Coordinator of the Nigeria-China Business Council, Chief Mathew Uwaekwe to Governor Abiola Ajimobi in his office in Ibadan at the week-end.
Governor Ajimobi, while receiving the delegation at the Executive Council Chamber of the Governor’s Office, said that the independent power project would put an end to the perennial power outage in the state and improve the development of small scale businesses in the state.
He also said that the light rail system would make the state more accessible for the people and ease the means of transporting agricultural products from rural to urban centres.
The governor added that an Industrial Park with an assemblage of manufacturing companies would give the state world exposure and consequently improve the economy of the state.
According to Governor Ajimobi, the state is ready to copy the development model of China which has placed the country (China) among the three leading economies of the world.
He explained that his administration, upon inception, had developed a blueprint for the development of the state based on a tripod of restoration, transformation and repositioning.
Governor Ajimobi said that the state had been adjudged as one of the safest states in the country with over 128,000km. sq. of arable land for agricultural development.
In his response, the leader of the Chinese delegation, Mr. Yuan Quan Jing said his business consortium was ready to share the development experience of China with Nigeria and Oyo State in particular.
The Coordinator of the Nigeria -China Business Council, Chief Mathew Uwaekwe, in his own remark, also said that the council had signed a MoU with many provinces in China for business development in Nigeria.