•Commissions WEMPCO Steel Mill
…Amosun seeks Presidency’s support
By Bimbola Oyesola
President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday that the Federal Government would not allow any state government to erect toll gates on any of its roads, even as he commended Ogun State for providing investors conducive atmosphere for the tranquity which is a boost for investment.
The President, who spoke while commissioning Wempco Steel Mill at Magboro, Ogun State, also stressed that the Presidency would soon come out with a clear blueprint on toll gates.
President Jonathan who was reacting to the Ogun State Government’s request on the Federal Government to allow the state build its own part of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and probably toll it because of its economic potentials, rejected the demand outrightly. “If some state governments want to give out Federal Government roads to private persons for the purpose of tolling we say, No!,” he said.
The President noted further that any state governments that have money to fix roads within their domains could as well go ahead and do so provided they are not considering any refund from the Federal Government. “But if the road is to be given out to a private person for tolling, then the Federal Government can also give it out to such person.
There is no need why the Federal Government will hand over the roads to the states, then the states in turn will hand over to the private person, No! We don’t accept that,” he maintained. President Jonathan who pleaded with Nigerians to bear with his government on the deplorable state of roads across the country, explained that the present government has commenced massive intervention on the roads and with the pace, may fix all of them in the next two years.
He said that the Federal Government would also not stop any state who wants to fix the federal roads within its territory, provided it follows due process.
His words: “There is no controversy at all about a state or local government intervening in any infrastructure. Anything owned by federal, state or local governments belongs to the people. I will emphasise that the ordinary Nigerians do not want to know whether it is the federal, state or local governments that did a road, all what Nigerians want are good roads.
“All what we are saying is that if you want the Federal Government to participate in terms of cost, then you must tell us, for us to pay, the procurement process must follow our due process law.”
President Jonathan, who commended the Ogun State Government for providing the enabling environment, which has made the state attractive to investors, said such would soon pay off in the area of gainful employment for the indigenes. On the conducive environment, the President said: “ If they have not made it all attractive, we wouldn’t have been here today, probably before coming here, armoured vehicles would have been patrolling everywhere, people would have been screened and movement would have stopped because the President is coming.”
Earlier, Governor Ibikunle Amosun urged the President to support the state government through infrastructure development to further give the investors all they need for their business to grow.
He called on the big manufacturers in the state like Dangote, Lafarge and others to join hands with the government to build good roads to ease the movement of their goods. On Internally Revenue Generated (IGR), Governor Amosun said that the state is now next to Lagos, raking in N4 billion in February this year.
The Group Managing Director of Wempco, Mr.Lewis Tung, who commended the Federal Government for supporting his company since its 54 years sojourn in Nigeria, pleaded that with consistent policy from the government, more investors may soon find their way into the country.
“Our tradition is manufacturing and we will continue to do so and presently, we are sourcing 95% or more of our raw materials in Ogun and neighbouring states, steel is crucial and important to any development and that is why we are adding this to our investment, as a support to national growth,” he said.
…Amosun seeks Presidency’s support
By Bimbola Oyesola
President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday that the Federal Government would not allow any state government to erect toll gates on any of its roads, even as he commended Ogun State for providing investors conducive atmosphere for the tranquity which is a boost for investment.
The President, who spoke while commissioning Wempco Steel Mill at Magboro, Ogun State, also stressed that the Presidency would soon come out with a clear blueprint on toll gates.
President Jonathan who was reacting to the Ogun State Government’s request on the Federal Government to allow the state build its own part of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and probably toll it because of its economic potentials, rejected the demand outrightly. “If some state governments want to give out Federal Government roads to private persons for the purpose of tolling we say, No!,” he said.
The President noted further that any state governments that have money to fix roads within their domains could as well go ahead and do so provided they are not considering any refund from the Federal Government. “But if the road is to be given out to a private person for tolling, then the Federal Government can also give it out to such person.
There is no need why the Federal Government will hand over the roads to the states, then the states in turn will hand over to the private person, No! We don’t accept that,” he maintained. President Jonathan who pleaded with Nigerians to bear with his government on the deplorable state of roads across the country, explained that the present government has commenced massive intervention on the roads and with the pace, may fix all of them in the next two years.
He said that the Federal Government would also not stop any state who wants to fix the federal roads within its territory, provided it follows due process.
His words: “There is no controversy at all about a state or local government intervening in any infrastructure. Anything owned by federal, state or local governments belongs to the people. I will emphasise that the ordinary Nigerians do not want to know whether it is the federal, state or local governments that did a road, all what Nigerians want are good roads.
“All what we are saying is that if you want the Federal Government to participate in terms of cost, then you must tell us, for us to pay, the procurement process must follow our due process law.”
President Jonathan, who commended the Ogun State Government for providing the enabling environment, which has made the state attractive to investors, said such would soon pay off in the area of gainful employment for the indigenes. On the conducive environment, the President said: “ If they have not made it all attractive, we wouldn’t have been here today, probably before coming here, armoured vehicles would have been patrolling everywhere, people would have been screened and movement would have stopped because the President is coming.”
Earlier, Governor Ibikunle Amosun urged the President to support the state government through infrastructure development to further give the investors all they need for their business to grow.
He called on the big manufacturers in the state like Dangote, Lafarge and others to join hands with the government to build good roads to ease the movement of their goods. On Internally Revenue Generated (IGR), Governor Amosun said that the state is now next to Lagos, raking in N4 billion in February this year.
The Group Managing Director of Wempco, Mr.Lewis Tung, who commended the Federal Government for supporting his company since its 54 years sojourn in Nigeria, pleaded that with consistent policy from the government, more investors may soon find their way into the country.
“Our tradition is manufacturing and we will continue to do so and presently, we are sourcing 95% or more of our raw materials in Ogun and neighbouring states, steel is crucial and important to any development and that is why we are adding this to our investment, as a support to national growth,” he said.
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