The Ogun State Government and DP World MEA FZE have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) covering the development of the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone.

The projects are expected to attract more than $7 billion in initial investment and generate over 50,000 direct jobs.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu witnessed the signing ceremony in Paris, France, alongside the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Director-General of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko.

The agreement involves the Federal Government, Ogun State Government, DP World, financial advisers and other private-sector partners under an investment framework designed to ease trade bottlenecks, improve logistics and expand Nigeria’s manufacturing and export capacity.

Tinubu said the two projects would help tackle longstanding infrastructure and logistics challenges while providing an integrated platform for industrial production, maritime commerce and access to African and global markets.

According to the President, the 28-kilometre Ogun section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would serve as a critical connection between the port and industrial zone, among other links.

He also said the emerging corridor would connect with other strategic investments, including the proposed Nigerian Navy Operating Base and Dockyard and the OK LNG Project. The links, he added, would strengthen the relationship between maritime infrastructure, industry, energy and trade.

Tinubu said the projects represented an initial investment of more than $7 billion and were projected to create over 50,000 direct jobs, in addition to further indirect employment opportunities.

He described the investment as a practical expression of economic diversification and industrialisation under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, speaking earlier, described the signing as a defining moment in the economic history of Ogun State and Nigeria’s engagement with the global economy.

Meanwhile, residents from communities across Ogun State, under the aegis of Make Ogun State Great Again (MOGA), staged a peaceful protest yesterday at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The protesters called for urgent government action over poor infrastructure and worsening socio-economic conditions across the state.

Representatives drawn from the 20 local councils converged on the government complex with a list of demands that included road rehabilitation, a reduction in multiple taxations, improved healthcare services, employment opportunities and greater access to resources at the grassroots.

Convener of MOGA, Olawoye Kayode, who spoke for the protesters, said the group represented artisans, market women, youths, elderly people and other residents who, according to him, were struggling with the rising cost of living and inadequate public infrastructure.

Responding on behalf of the state government, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, AIG Olushola Zubair (rtd), commended the protesters for maintaining a peaceful conduct and presenting their grievances in an organised manner.

Source: The Guardian