By Adeyinka Adeniran
The Oyo State government has reached out to Ogbomoso sons and daughters in North America to key into the various investment opportunities in the state by taking advantage of the landmark developmental projects across the state.
Governor Seyi Makinde made the appeal while delivering a keynote address at the Ogbomoso sons and daughters North America Convention, held in Atlanta Georgia, USA.
He was represented by the state commissioner for information, Prince Dotun Oyelade.
Oyelade said the Seyi Makinde administration has continued to lay lasting infrastructural legacies across all the geopolitical zones of Oyo State which has made the State an haven for many private investors.
He stated that from agribusiness to over 200km good interzonal and intrazonal road network, laudable investment in effective security structure, ongoing upgrade of the Ladoke Akintola International passenger and cargo airport, formerly known as Ibadan airport, among other projects will be beneficial to potential diaspora investors and the Ogbomoso sons and daughters should play their part in the development of their home state.
He said, “The Seyi Makinde administration is investing a lot in the agricultural sector and one of its areas of concentration is in the provision of road Infrastructure to link all the economic zones in the state.
“Lack of good roads to connect to agricultural areas had been the bane of taking full advantage of our God-endowed farmlands.
“In this regard the state government has strategic roads linking all agribusiness zones in the state. We have the 65km Ibadan/Iseyin road completed for the Ijaye Agribusiness Industrial Estate.
“We have the 38km Oyo, Fasola/Iseyin road for Fasola Industrial Estate.
“Also the Ogbomoso-Fapote-Iseyin road linking the LAUTECH School of Agriculture, Iseyin.
“We have the ongoing 48km Ido-Eruwa road and the Apete-Awotan-Akufo road targeting the Akufo Farmers market.
“The Ladoke Akintola International airport will serve also as a cargo airport for farmers produce.
“And Investors are guaranteed an improved Western Nigeria Security Network otherwise called Amotekun which has the largest number of personnel and facilities in the Southwest.
“The Fasola industrial estate is completely fenced with drone surveillance, tarred roads, tennis court, housing facilities for investors, crèche for children and accessibility to raw materials through good roads in agrarian communities.
“I boldly invite my kinsmen to take advantage of this facilities which are mainly for anything processing in agriculture including Shea butter, cashew and mango from Ogbomoso area, cassava processing to confectionaries and ethanol and establishment of vegetative and generative seed system.”
Oyelade equally praised Governor Makinde for his love for Ogbomosoland and his commitment to the growth of Ogbomoso as well as other zones of the state.
He said history will remain kind to the governor for achieving the feat of the Oyo State sole ownership of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso.
“That institution, now fully owned by Oyo state, thanks to the efforts of the State governor Seyi Makinde, remains the best State university in Nigeria as I speak.
“LAUTECH enrols over 30,000 students and almost 4,000 staff. The institution has radically turned around the economy of Ogbomosoland and commercial transactions run into hundreds of millions of naira every month.
“The Institution has equally expanded to Iseyin where the Agriculture Faculty is located”, he added.
The information commissioner, who took his Ogbomoso tribesmen and women down the memory lane of the beauty of life during the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s in Ogbomoso said the efforts many heroes and heroines of Ogbomoso descent who rose to the pinnacle of their chosen paths have contributed in one way or the other to the development of their homeland, the defunct western region and Nigeria at large.
“The first Chief of Air Staff during the Nigerian civil war of 1967-70 was from your town, Col. Shittu Alao.
“Throughout the world the pint-sized General Benjamin Adekunle (the black scorpion) became known as the terror during the Nigerian civil war and he was to the Nigerian military what General Westmoreland was to America during the Vietnam war.
“Also Maj. Gen. Oladayo Popoola (a two-term military governor).
“The head of the Nigerian Navy during the war and second in command to Gen. Yakubu Gowon was Rear Admiral Akinwale Wey. He was from your hometown.
“Inspector General of Police Sunday Adewusi. Air Commodore Iyiola Alao (one of the best pilots NAF ever produced who is still being engaged years after retirement). Deputy Inspector General (Mrs) Bisi Ugowe (the first female DIG in Nigeria).
“Because of our bravery and valour as you have known, many communities came to Ogbomoso for protection in the 19th century. I can report that to this day those traits are still embedded in our gender.
“Not less than three of the past 15 Aareonakakanfo are from Ogbomoso. We had Toyeje, then Ojo Aburumoku, Toyeje’s son and Samuel Ladoke Akintola, the 14th Areonakakanfo of Yoruba land. So we have a fortified city.
“It is not for nothing that we have the popular song: Adenu oko asinmi, adenu oko asinmi, ogun o jaja kokogbomoso, adenu oko asinmi”, he noted.
The event had in attendance the Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandhi Afolabi Olaoye among other notable indigenes of Ogbomosoland.
