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Why Many Companies Are Moving To SAGAMU & ILISHAN
Have you noticed that the Sagamu interchange area, in the remo area of Ogun State, is fast becoming a new booming community for Real Estate. It has become a beehive of activities, as more and more industries are opening up there right now.
That is not the only place that is fast opening up. Many remo towns in Ogun State are opening up fast.
We can reveal to you that the Remo axis of Ogun State has become a hot bed of real estate. activities. Over the last few years, prominent remo towns like Sagamu, Iperu, Ikenne, Ilishan, Simawa, Mowe-Ibafo, Ode, Isara & co. have all become the focus of property developers who have moved towards that direction to develop projects and take position for the boom to come.
So, as you read this, the Sagamu interchange has become a big hub for industries as the whole area has become developed. Many industries have sprung up at the interchange, it has also attracted a huge expatriate community, mainly made up of Chinese nationals.
Activity there has also impacted positively on the demand for accommodation for Staff and Workers of these companies. To cater to the needs of the expatriate community, some Chinese have set up restaurants, Spas and even Casino’s for relaxation.
Chief Oluwole Ogunbayo, is one of the real estate players who are playing big in that axis. He is the CEO of AMBA Properties Ltd which has become a big name in that sector, with speciality in Facility management, Land Sales and Property Development.
What has also helped the pace iof development in that area is the Agro Cargo Airport in Ilishan, which will soon be ready for take off. Already a flight landed there few months back. The project has attracted real estate players to that area, and the price of land and houses in that axis has gone up. The cargo airport was conceived by Otunba Gbenga Daniel, The former governor of Ogun State in 2007 to attract business and investment. And to also take full advantage of the proximity ofthe state to Lagos and to avoid the terrible nightmares industry owners and importers had to go through as a result of the congestion of the 2 seaports, and International Airport, both in Lagos.
With the necessary approvals from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Daniel then settled for llishan-Remo, as his preferred location and he did the groundwork. But could not commence the project before the expiration of his tenure.
Gov. Dapo Abiodun came in and reactivated the project. For him, the construction of the airport was top priority. He commenced in March 2021 and the project is due for Commissioning this November/December. It would probably be the fastest constructed facility of such dimension on the continent.
Essentially, the Ogun State Government plans to develop the Agro Cargo Airport to an economically viable aerotropolis, that is a sub-region within the state. It will be provided with Infrastructure, land use, and economy that will all be centred on an airport to move essentially, agricultural cargoes and passengers.
Ogun State’s Execuitive Council had resolved that a well-planned aerotropolis would provide the boost needed by most of the flourishing enterprises in the state to get national and international exposure and possibly provoke the kind of patronage that could earn the enterprises foreign exchange thus further enhancing the state’s economy.
The airport city shall be situated in the middle of the agro processing zones in the state and partnership from well-meaning agro investors locally and internationally would be appreciated. The construction of the airport is being prioritize to enhance the prompt movement of agro products. The state government is very much interested in collaboration with private organizations with requisite expertise. Governor Abiodun who himself came into government from the private sector, put the leadership of the Nigerian Stock Exchange on notice that, the state government would be willing to bring the airport City project for listing on the nation’s Capital market.
He said when the preliminary aspect of the proposed Ogun State Airport City is completed, the Nigeria Stock Exchange, NSE, would be consulted for advice to ensure that Nigerian investors acquire stake in the noble project .
Once it becomes operational, the Agro-Cargo Airport will have positive effects on hotels and warehouses being constructed in the area. Also, the Nigeria Customs and the Nigerian Airforce are coming there. It is estimated that in the first 18 months, we will create a minimum of 25,000 jobs in that Airport. This is not a power point airport. In addition to employment creation, the project will also open up the state, deepen the development process, and also provide an alternative to the congested Lagos port facilities. In the same vein, it will also shore up the state’s revenue generation base, which is the right step towards financial self-sufficiency.
It will also boost housing schemes, industrial projects, and other investments that could ordinarily have been located elsewhere because of its centrality along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on the Southern Front, and towards Epe and Ijebu Ode on the Eastern axis.
The governor, while recently negotiating for N83.5 billion facility from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RAMFAC, under the 1.68 per cent Development of Natural Resources Fund, DNRF, of the agency, made an allusion to this, declaring that the loan would assist in diversifying the state’s economy by boosting agriculture, tourism potential and other relevant sectors aside from the completion of the Agro-Cargo Airport in lIishan-Remo.
Justifying the N83.5b loan request, he said Ogun State has the highest number of reserves of cocoa, kola nut, palm oil and rubber in the country, while producing the largest cassava and poultry products in Nigeria.
To date, the first phase of construction including the Runway, control tower, fencing and gate among others are at various stage of completion. Leveling of the ground for flight safety, control tower and administrative blocks are also ongoing. They are also of world class standard and will be delivered in record time of June and July this year.
The airport project sitting on 8500 hectares of land has a 16km fence, while engaging over five thousand manpower directly from the local communities. It promises to change the narrative of the state economy and serve as the spring board of economic transformation. The construction has no doubt gone beyond the starting point and inching towards the finishing line to meet up with delivery date. To ensure that the first airplane lands on the airport by December this year, the construction of its second phase has begun with the construction of the safety zone, Apron, Taxiway, internal roads, fire fighter roads, lighting, pavement Friction test, Airfield marking, Passenger Terminal building, Navigation systems among others has also commenced.
Other gains include:
While receiving the Executive Officers of S.I.A.O Partners, independent professional service and accounting firm in his Oke-Mosan Office in Abeokuta, in November, 2021, Gov. Abiodun noted that the airport would also be a hub forthe aviation industry. “We are confident that by the end of the fourth quarter of next year (2022), we should commission the airport. Construction has gone very far; we are looking to turn that airport to a hub of agro cargo activities in the West coast of Africa,” he said.
In January, 2022, the Ogun State Governor at a meeting towards signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Development Bank (AFDB) on the establishment ofthe Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone Programme (SAPZ). The SAPZ would be located at the Gateway Agro-Cargo Airport, llishan-Rerno in Ikenne local government area of the state. SAPZ would not only support smallholder farmers and other value chain actors for increased agricultural productivity, but would also enhance food security and nutrition security activities.
The programme would ensure job creation through agricultural value chain development in crop, aquaculture, core livestock sectors as well as service provision initiatives in the agricultural sector. “Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) development,fagro industrialisation
through innovative linkages of primary producers to the industrial process, export promotion/diversification and leveraging on local, national, regional and international trade advantages including African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) will also receive a boom via this programme,” Abiodun noted.
“With our Agricultural Transformation Centres and Aggregation Centres, proximity to Lagos market, close proximity to raw materials, expanded primary production and youth engagement In key SAPZ crop-Cassava, Rice and Livestock (Poultry) – with a total of 44,541 registered primary producers, including youths, highest concentration of agro Industries/processors requiring exceptional high number of primary products (raw materials) on daily basis, with over 80 Agro Industries/Processors in Cassava, Rice and Livestock, complementary project activities through the IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) and CBN Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), with over 75,000 registered interested applicants and 13,000 beneficiaries linked to input and credit to the tune of over Two Billion Naira in Cassava, Rice, Maize and Cocoa Commodities, Ogun is good to go.
“The World Bank/Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) which targets 40,000 smallholder farmers in Nine (9) priority value chains (cassava, maize, rice, soybean, tomatoes, pepper, sesame, fishery and poultry); as well as government policy of mandatory support to agricultural value chain actors and I support to smallholder farmers for productivity and inclusiveness in the new focus for agriculture, I have no doubt that the AFDB programme will yield the desired result,” he added.
Gov. Abiodun, has assured that his administration would further deepen its commitment to supplementary support for SAPZ infrastructures for the Agro-industrial hub for land and related facilities in addition to the Cargo airport in the vicinity of the hub.
“Infrastructural support will be extended and enabling environment will also be provided to Agricultural Transformation Centres (ATCs) and Aggregation Centres. “There have been mobilisation of existing, emerging and upcoming private sector facilities either already on ground ortargeting SAPZ facilities. There have been recent surge in requests for information and request for space in participation for SAPZ/opportunity or taking part or request to be a player in Ogun SAPZ by stakeholders, farmers’ group, community, local, national and international level since the news broke out in 2020 of AfDB’s intention and Ogun State’s request to participate in the AFDB SAPZ Programme,” he added.
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