South West governors urges FG to tackle Apapa port gridlock
The Southwest Governors’ Forum has expressed concern on economic and security challenges posed by gridlock in the Apapa port and thereby called on the Federal Government to find solution to t by creating alternative routes.
The forum said the planned alternative routes linking Tin Can Island through Tomoro Island to Ibafo in Ogun State should be revived urgently. In the interim, it suggested that government should enhance the capacity of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to evacuate goods from the port to alternative terminals.
The position was contained in a statement the group issued at the end of its meeting in Osogbo, the Osun State capital on Monday.
The forum reiterated its commitment to regional integration as a key to sustainable development in western Nigeria even as it urged the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) commission to initiate processes to tackle decline in critical sectors in the region.
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and his Ondo State counterpart, Rotimi Akeredolu were absent from the meeting and were not represented. Lagos State governor, Akinwumi Ambode, was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Idiat Adebule. The Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, was also represented by his deputy, Moses Adeyemo.
The forum said the recent report by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) on out-of-school children in Nigeria should be addressed properly. It urged the Odu’a Investment Group to champion food security in the region. The forum also asked the DAWN commission to engage institutions and development partners in accessing soil features in the region to boost agriculture.
“A realistic balance between governance, competing local interests and profitability must be of utmost consideration in factoring Odu’a Investment Group’s presence in states. Regional integration as a model for sustainable development is in the enlightened interest of Western Nigeria and the people should eschew divisive elements and actions,” the forum said.
The host, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola urged the forum to show greater commitment to regional integration. He said this was key to creating a formidable front to enhance development.He re-echoed calls for restructuring of the country and urged member states to remove barriers to quick development. His deputy, Titi Laoye Tomori, urged the forum to use agriculture as a means to engaging youths and women in the region.
Photo caption:
Oyo State Deputy Governor, Otunba Moses Adeyemo (left); his counterparts, Idiat Oluranti Adebule (Lagos); Otunba Grace Titi-Laoye Tomori (Oyo); Osun State Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Osun State Governor-elect, Gboyega Oyetola and Secretary to the State Government of Ekiti, Abiodun Oyebanji, during the Western Nigeria Governor Forum at the Government House, Osogbo on Monday.
