Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun on Media and Strategy, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, has said inter-state rail system is strategic for the development of Southwest.
He made this known at the weekend when speaking on the topic: ‘Regional Integration and Development: The case of Ogun State’, at the Western Post 2024 annual retreat in Abeokuta.
Akinmade said upon assumption of office of Governor Abiodun in 2019, he came up with the idea of speedy development through the concept of Multi-modal Transport Management System, which connects the state with others in the region through air, water, rail and road and as well gives access to the rest of the world.
He noted that with railway interconnectivity, development in the Southwest will be faster, as the movement of people and goods is made easier.
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“The inter-state rail system that cuts across the states in the Southwest has been efficiently explored by Ogun State for effective connectivity in the region. Presently, the state has more rail stations than any other states; there are five stations within the stretch of Lagos and Ibadan alone.
“With an efficient rail system, an indigene of Ado-Ekiti can secure employment in Ogun State, get to office everyday from Ekiti and return at the closing hour around 5pm, and before 7pm he will be back in Ado-Ekiti.
“That is the type of regional integration we are institutionalising in the state so that individuals in any of the states in the region can interact, transact and relax in the state without hindrance,” he said.
The special adviser said oil exploration would soon begin in the state, adding that it would put the region on a more viable economic footing.
He reassured that the Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport would be inaugurated soon, noting that it would be the best in West Africa corridor with the largest runway and apron.
Akinmade said the airport would bring great relief to thousands of manufacturers operating in the state to get imported materials with ease and also transport their finished goods to the rest of the world without facing the traffic snarl in Lagos.
He said the airport would serve as a potent regional development tool and means of connectivity among the states of the region and with the rest of the world.
“Our government is working on a dryport at Kajola, which will complement the Agro-Cargo Airport in the area of importation and exportation of raw materials and finished goods by manufacturers, and by implication serve as a better alternative to the Lagos Port that is often characterised by heavy congestion,” said Akinmade.
The special adviser said the government had built over 500km of roads across the state to make mobility easier and connect other states more effectively, adding that the roads had made regional integration possible, considering the strategic location of Ogun State in the region.
