Former Ogun state governor, Gbenga Daniel, has said his administration laid the foundation for the present Ogun oil exploration status.
DAILY POST reports that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) had on Friday declared Ogun State as a frontier state for oil exploration.
The former governor in a statement on Sunday, congratulated Governor Dapo Abiodun on the development.
According to the statement, Daniel noted that the declaration of the state as a frontier state for oil exploration was a fulfillment of the vision started by the establishment of the Gateway Oil and Gas Development Limited in 2003, by the his administration.
“The recognition of Ogun State oil production status by NNPCL is especially heart-warming as it signposts the fulfilment of the vision kickstarted by the establishment of the Gateway Oil and Gas Development Limited in 2003 by the Daniel Administration, with immense support from former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“In pushing for the recognition of Ogun State as an oil producing state, the Daniel Administration undertook three-dimensional seismic study of oil and other minerals deposits in the state. The seismic survey covered a vast stretch of the water body in Ode Omi in Ogun Waterside Local Government, all through the Laogo Island, Imobi, Itasin riverine areas in the Ijebu East Local Government and Tongeji Island in Ipokia Local Government Area.
“The study then sparked a $50 million investment pledge by PGS Exploration Nigeria Limited in April, 2004. Also, a large deposit of Phosphate was also discovered around Olusosun in Ifo Local Government area which necessitated the siting of the Gateway Fertilizer Company at Olusosun.
“The Ogun State Agro-Cargo Airport in Iperu/Ilishan and the Kajola FTZ in Ifo were conceived to provide Transport logistics hubs to support all these initiatives,” he said.
The Senator representing Ogun East thanked Abiodun for seeing through the vision and urged him to revisit the situation of the Gateway Industrial & Petro-Gas Institute (GIPI) established in 2006, in order to take advantage of these underused developments.
He also appealed to the governor to see the pending construction of the Makun Omi Bridge via Efire, which his administration planned but failed to be realize.
