Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Friday declared that there would be no going back on the actualisation of the Ondo Deep Seaport Project embarked upon by his administration. The governor, however, noted that though arrangements had been concluded on the project, the approval and declaration from Federal Government was causing the delay in the takeoff of the project.
Akeredolu said this while speaking at a two-day retreat programme for political office holders and accounting officers in Owo, the headquarters of the Owo Local Government Area of the state.
The governor, who disclosed that many investors had shown interest in the project, said the seaport, when completed, would not only serve Nigeria but the whole of West Africa sub-region.
He said, “There is a contradiction in our federalism. We have a system where there must be a port declaration by the federal executive council before you proceed. I have always wondered about the port is in my state, and I have people who are prepared to invest. But the Federal Government is holding on to the port declaration. I believe that states should be left to determine their deep seaport and the investors. For us as a state, we have been at this since our first day in government. We found out that we have the deepest draft in Ondo State. Our port, we will go ahead. Nothing will stop it, it is a matter of time. It is a port, not only for Nigeria but for West Africa because of its deepest draft. How do we finance it? I travelled; I spoke to Dubai port. I spoke to China harbour. Dubai port has even written that they are interested. Our dream for this port in Ondo State is to serve as a conduit for our goods, agricultural produce and very soon, our bitumen. It is the goal of this administration to ensure that the potential of Ondo State is maximised and that all necessary infrastructure required to make this a reality is put in place to achieve this.”
In his remark, the former Group Managing Director of Access Bank and founder of Africa Initiative for Governance, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, commended the leadership style of Akeredolu, saying the governor had demonstrated enlightened leadership with the manner he continued with some projects and programmes of the past administration