By Our Reporter
The Governor of Ogun State, Mr. Dapo Abiodun on Tuesday disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved Ogun State Special Agro Processing Zone as Free Trade Zone.
The governor also disclosed that the State owned Ogun Agro- Cargo International Airport will soon begin scheduled and non-scheduled flights in the next few weeks noting that approval to that effect is at an advance stage.
Governor Abiodun made these disclosures when he was addressing captains of industry, entrepreneurs, investors and stakeholders at a breakfast meeting on the 13th Gateway International Trade Fair breakfast meeting held at the Mitros Residences, GRA, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
On the Agro International Airport, he noted that the approval process to get the airport running has reached an advanced stage, with the approval expected in few days’ time.
His word: “Our newly built Gateway International Airport which will soon be commissioned, I believe as a matter of fact, this week, that airport will get an approval to begin to operate non-scheduled flights, meaning that private planes can now fly flights and come to that airport, just like they go to any other airport.
“I believe within the next two weeks or less, we will also get the approval for scheduled flights to begin to operate out of that airport.
“That means you can attend to your business, bring in raw materials by air into the state.
“A neighbouring country has indicated interest, taken a decision that they will not build a cargo airport in their country. They would rather drop all their agro produce from that country to Ogun State and export their produce from our airport.
“That airport is in a Special Agro Processing Zone. That zone has now been approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a Free Trade Zone, so we have another Free Trade Zone.”
The governor added that his administration would soon be flagging off the Kajola Inland Container Terminal, adding that when fully operational, the terminal would allow investors situated within the state an opportunity to pick up their containers, process their raw materials and also export their goods efficiently.
“We will soon be flagging off the Kajola Inland Container Terminal, called a dry port, and this we are particularly determined to see through because we understand the plight of most of you. What you have to go through by importing your raw materials into Tin Can or Apapa and incurring unnecessary expense in demurrages before bringing them by road, struggling through the bottleneck and the traffic out of Lagos.
“On completion, this Kajola Inland terminal dry port will serve your purposes, meaning that you can now ship your goods from anywhere in the world, destined to Kajola and just go to Kajola, pick up your container, process your raw materials and also have the opportunity of exporting efficiently through the same channel,” he said.