Ibadan dry port will begin operations quicker than expected, says Makinde

Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, says the Ibadan dry port project may come on stream quicker than expected.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the governor’s spokesperson, Makinde spoke during the inspection of ongoing projects across the state. 

The project sites visited include; Ibadan inland dry port; the College of Agriculture and Renewable Energy, Iseyin; a campus at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso; the Engineer Lere Adigun Housing Estate, Basorun;  and the Ibadan circular road.

Speaking on the dry port, Makinde said the project will soon be completed and operations would begin because the present leadership of the country under President Bola Tinubu, understands “the benefits of developing the economic value chain.”

He also said his administration will collaborate with the federal government, adding that the installation of the Tinubu leadership would not affect the progress of the project.

TheCable understands that the dry port has been one of the major projects in the current administration in Oyo, and has lingered for long.

“I think the change of government is even positive for Oyo state because we have a new administration at the federal level that understands what it is to develop the economic value chain,” Makinde said.

“So, we will even cooperate more with the federal government and that project will come on stream quicker than we were expecting.

“So far, so good, there is still a lot of work to be done but we are making good progress. You have seen it as well. 

“We were on that campus (LAUTECH campus, Iseyin) before the election and we have seen between then and now that a lot of progress has been made, and even here (Ibadan circular road), we have interested investors coming around to say, look, what exactly are we projecting in terms of the opportunities in Oyo state.”

Responding to questions on the benefits of the projects,  Makinde said his administration has been creating wonderful opportunities through infrastructure and other key developments, which have begun to attract investors.

“To the people, we have many opportunities around here, especially for our young folks. They should not ‘japa’ because if they are hardworking, they can contribute and get their rewards,” he added.

“So, I will say we are creating opportunities across the spectrum and people are paying attention to what we are doing.”