Governor Abiodun
Industries and companies operating in Ogun State will soon have access to the cheapest power supply in the country as the state is embarking on its own power generation and distribution, the state helmsman, Prince Dapo Abiodun has said.
Governor Abiodun made this known while giving a brief about the State to JBS of Brazil which is poised to invest about $2.5b in the livestock subsector of Nigeria’s economy with particular emphasis on Ogun State.
Delivering the brief entitled “Unlocking the Future of Livestock Processing and Other Opportunities”, the governor said the Ogun State, with more than 16,000 square kilometers, offers an ideal location for investments as it provides unique connections to the 17 Southern States as well as the Northern parts of the Country.
“The State has gold, silica, bitumen, and others which are too numerous to mention. We have gas reticulation more than any other States. There are two major gas pipelines that crisscross our State,” he stated.
On the acquisition of land, the Governor said it has been made seamless as land title documents would be made ready within 30 days, assuring that his administration had invested significantly in security to guarantee the safety of lives and property of those who live and work in the State.
Responding, the Controlling Shareholder of JBS, Mr. Wesley Batista who was in the team of the firm to the state assured Governor Abiodun in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta that Ogun State, Nigeria’s top investment destination, is set to reap huge benefits from his company, the largest protein producer in the world as it is ready to invest about $2.5b in the livestock subsector of Nigeria’s economy.
Mr. Batista, described Nigeria as the hub of Africa with the largest population, with enormous potentials in terms of human and natural resources, revealing that, their organisation was ready to bring their knowledge and expertise in the area of livestock to bear in the nation’s economy.
“We are serious about coming to Nigeria to invest in beef, pork, chicken, among others. We see growth prospects in Nigeria and what Nigerian leaders are doing in encouraging investors to come and make significant investments here. We can bring our knowledge and expertise to bear in Nigeria’s economy,” Batista said.
Batista revealed that, the organisation currently has a revenue of about $75bn and 280,000 direct members who operate hundreds of facilities across Brazil, USA, Mexico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France, among others.
According to the Controlling Shareholder, the company processes 80,000 heads of cattle, 15 million chickens, about 25,000 heads of lamb per day, and also produces packaged products like sausages and bacon, while they also hold interests in other sectors like energy, the paper-producing industry, banking and finance, as well as soap and toiletries.
In his own remarks, the leader of the delegation, John Conmantaros, applauded the Governor for opening up the State in the area of infrastructure, which he noted has pushed up investments and brought more development to the State.
He said President Tinubu’s administration had embarked on changing the macro conditions of the country where everything works properly, by keying into development of infrastructure corridors from East to West and North to South, adding that the JBS group was in the State to assess its viability for investment.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Aisha Rimi, on her part, said the meeting was a follow-up to the technical team sent by the Company to assess the potentials of the State for investment, adding that the company was ready to invest $2.5bn in the next five years in livestock, and Ogun State would be one of the States to benefit.
