Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has solicited the partnership of Chinese investors in its current drive to explore the numerous mineral resources that abound in the state to boost its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and sustainable growth.
Abiodun made the call on Tuesday when he hosted the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Yu Dunhai, during the envoy’s courtesy visit to his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
He maintained the Ogun State was endowed with abundant natural resources, making it the largest contributor in the non-oil sector of the nation’s economy, hence the need for the State to partner with Chinese investors for more coordinated exploration.
The governor said: “Ogun State is blessed with a lot of mineral resources; we have gold, clay, bitumen, limestone, kaolin, glass sand, granite, among others.
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“Ogun State is number one in cassava, eggs, poultry, and fish production. Our land is fertile for the cultivation of cocoa, rubber, and cashew. We are the number one producer of cement in Nigeria and the third in Africa behind Egypt and Morocco.
“We have huge human resource potential because we are the education capital of this nation. We have more educational institutions than any other state.
“We look forward to partnering with Chinese investors in the area of exploring our natural resources because some of your people have connived with the locals to explore our mineral resources illegally without paying attention to the environment”, he added.
Abiodun, who acknowledged the exploits of Chinese investors in the global economy, noted that his administration had since inception focused on how to attract more investors by creating an enabling environment and promoting the idea of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to galvanize the State’s economy.
To achieve this goal, he said the administration had established relevant agencies aimed at making business seamless by eliminating bottlenecks and putting in place a multimodal transport system that connects air, rail, and road transport together.
The governor also spoke on construction of a world-class airport whose license to operate commercial flights was recently approved by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) by his administration; and the commencement of the construction of a Dry Inland Port at Kajola, even as plans for the construction of a deep seaport at Olokola are underway.
He maintained that the state needed more investment in the transport sector as the government is making plans to connect the blue rail lines on Lagos to the State, adding that Chinese investors should take advantage of the huge arable land to invest in agriculture to transform the state into the food basket of the country.
While calling for the strengthening of bilateral relationships between Nigeria and China, the governor accepted an invitation to visit Shandong Province during its roadshow exhibition to showcase the state’s potential and attract more Chinese investments to it.
Earlier, the Chinese Ambassador, Yu Dunhai, said Ogun State had about 160 Chinese companies investing more than $1 billion at the Ogun-Guandong Free Trade Zone, assuring that about 100 more firms are targeting the state for investment.
The envoy attributed the influx of Chinese investors to the conducive business environment, the good weather, and the friendly nature of the people as the core attractions.
Dunhai noted that Nigeria remained China’s biggest trading partner on the continent, adding that the signing of a bilateral agreement between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, was to reposition Nigeria-China relations for the mutual benefit of both countries.
During a post-visit chat with newsmen, the Ambassador said the Chinese Government encouraged Chinese companies to come to Nigeria as it is the largest market in Africa.
He said: “They have provided job opportunities to the locals and contributed to manufacturing, trade, and investment in Nigeria. This is very important cooperation that we have.”
The envoy cautioned Chinese doing business in the country on illegal activities, including illegal mining in Nigeria, and charged them to operate within the ambit of the laws in their host country, as the Chinese government and its Nigeria Embassy would not tolerate its nationals flouting the laws of the host country.
The Chairman of the Ogun-Guandong Free Trade Zone, Hajia Hafsat Balewa, disclosed that the Chinese Government, through the free trade zone, had contributed significantly to the GDP of the state and the nation, adding that the visit is to strenghten the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Photo Caption
L-R: A Diplomat from the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Mr. Cai Xinfa; the Chinese Ambassador, H. E. Yu Dunhai; Governor Dapo Abiodun; Chinese Consul General, Ms. Yan Yuovuing; and Mr. Zhao Liang, during an investment tour on Tuesday by the Chinese team to Ogun State
