Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has said his administration is working towards ensuring that the state takes advantage of its oil rich deposit and becomes an oil-producing state.
He delivered the convocation lecture at the 2nd and 3rd convocations of the Mountain Top University, with the topic: “Quest for Excellence: The Nexus of Faith, Knowledge and Resilience”.
The governor lamented the loss of $16b Dangote refinery to Lagos by Ogun State, following a break in discussion between the then administration of Sen. Ibikunle Amosun and Dangote.
He, however, hoped Ogun would become an oil producing state, saying: “We are working assiduously on that. So, I accept this challenge. We will further strengthen our resolve to ensure we bring Ogun State to an oil producing status in future.”
Abiodun, noting that he had the privilege to work as the chairman of the Olokola Free Trade Zone that was meant to have the refinery sited in the state, said the project was not just conceived with the aim of refining petroleum products only, but also to take advantage of the mining lease that had been awarded around the corridor.
“I worked as the chairman of Olokola Free Trade Zone that was meant to have the Dangote refinery sited in Ogun Waterside. However, discussion broke down between Dangote and the then administration, which led to the loss of that project to Lagos State; $16billion was lost to another state.
“That project was conceived with the aim of not just refining petroleum in Ogun, but also taking advantage of the mining lease that had been awarded around that corridor that has even not begun to be exploited,” he said.
The governor said the state had very rich oil reserves on Tongeji Island, adding that “Ogun State is situated in the Dahomey Basin, which stands for the Niger Delta that goes all the way to Ghana.
“All the states in that corridor are oil producing today, even Ondo and Lagos states.”
