24th May, 2016
Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta: Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, southwest Nigeria has admitted that times are hard for Nigerians due to the present economic situation in the country.
He said all the 36 states of the federation were affected by the downturn in the economy.
Amosun spoke with journalists shortly after a meeting he had with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday.
Amosun declined to disclosed his discussion with President Buhari but advised every Nigerian to start thinking outside the box on the way out of the present economic logjam.
Amosun said that his administration’s efforts in boosting the internally generated revenue of the state has been the secret behind his success.
“Yes, I know things are tough and I am saying this with all sense of responsibility. All the states in Nigeria are affected. We are part of the larger context called Nigeria and because of the challenges, people must think outside the box.
“I am happy to report that in Nigeria today, maybe not in the quantum of what we generate, but we (Ogun State) are number one.
”If you check the indices that have been released, we doubled our revenue with about 97.8 percent. The next state to us, I think was 41 percent. We are working hard and we are doing well, but there is still a lot more to be done,” Amosun stated.
He said one of the ways the state government was planning to move the state forward was through the recent investors’ forum which focused on agriculture, environment and transportation.
The governor said his administration decided to focus on the three areas because of his belief that there is no alternative except for diversification from the oil sector.
He explained that before the current crisis, the government had realised that the only way to go is to diversify into agriculture, which he said was capable of employing people and creating wealth for them.
“Those nations that have got it right, if you see them, you will discover that they have their cottage industries, they are the enablers. That is why we believe that if we zero in on these three grey areas, of course, we will get it right.
“I am happy that we got several investors, particularly those that are not even from Nigeria and so many people that are in Nigeria, that operate here and that is why we showcased everybody.
“I know within the next, maybe two years, you will begin to see results. Ogun state is the industrial hub of Nigeria. There is no state that has the kind of resources we have in terms of numbers and value.
“We are not limiting it at that, we want to take it forward. Not agriculture alone, we want to take full advantage of the full value chain that agriculture offers.
“What do I mean by that? I mean that whatever we grow, we must process; whatever we have processed, we must package; and whatever we package, we must market. We must transport it to the final consumer. You know everybody is working, that is what we are trying to do”, the governor said.
Amosun said his administration would be working hard on roads, rails and waterways as a strategy to improve transportation in the state.
On the environment, the governor said his administration was committed to the reduction of carbon monoxide.