I was Chairman of Olokola FTZ when Ogun lost Dangote refinery to Lagos – Abiodun

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has revealed that he was the Chairman of Olokola Free Trade Zone under the former administration when the State lost the $16b Dangote refinery to Lagos.

Abiodun said he was appointed by his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun to oversee the Olokola Free Trade Zone where the said refinery was proposed to be sited.

He, however, expressed disappointment that the State could not achieve having the refinery sited in Olokola, due to what he called a break in discussion between the Amosun government and Dangote.

Speaking during the convocation lecture he delivered at the convocation ceremony of Mountain Top University, Ogun State, Abiodun made known his determination to make the State an oil-producing State.

Though the governor did not state the roles he played in the discussion between Dangote and the immediate past administration, he said, “I worked as chairman of Olokola Free Trade Zone that was meant to have the Dangote refinery sited in Ogun Waterside, however, discussion broke down between Dangote and the then administration which led to the loss of that project to Lagos State; a sixteen billion dollars was lost to another State.”

According to him, Dangote had conceived siting the project in Ogun with the aim of not just refining crude oil, but to also take advantage of the mining lease he said had been awarded around the area but yet to be exploited.

Abiodun assured that his administration was working towards taking advantage of the State’s oil rich deposit, especially at Tongeji Island, in Ipokia Local Government.

He added that the government was working assiduously to make Ogun an oil-producing State in the very near future.