Amosun assures prospective investors of safety

Abeokuta - Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun has assured local and foreign investors interested in locating their business concerns in the state of a secure environment for their investments.

He gave the assurance on Wednesday in Abeokuta at a stakeholders’ sensitisation workshop on the Ogun State One-Stop Investment Centre.

The centre is an initiative of the state Department of Trade and Investment in collaboration with GIZ of Germany.

Amosun, represented by Taiwo Adeoluwa, Secretary to the State Government, said the government had embarked on the development of infrastructural projects across the state to make business transactions easier.

"For the people to go about their lawful and legitimate activities without fear, molestation or threat to their lives and property, we have ensured adequate arrangement and facilities to guarantee a secured environment.

"We are determined to ensure that individuals and groups maximise their potential while investors are assured that their investments are safe," he said.

Amosun said OGSIC was established with the mandate to facilitate 'sufficient and effective’ service delivery and ease the burden of regulatory compliance by private domestic and foreign investors.

He said that government had also intensified its investment drive by restructuring both the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Bureau of Lands and Survey.

He said that these efforts had yielded dividends as no fewer than 80 companies had signified interest to domicile their concerns in the state.

Adenike Aboderin, Special Adviser to the governor on Trade and Investments, said the centre would strive to meet the yearnings of would-be investors by providing information on investment opportunities in the state.

In his presentation entitled "Urban and Regional Planning Reforms in Ogun State", Gbenga Otenuga the Commissioner for Urban and Physical Planning, said the government had undertaken various reforms to reduce delays in building plan approval.

"The urban and regional planning law no 20 of 2005 and building plan regulations of 2010 has been modified to address unnecessary delays and bottlenecks in building plan approval processing.

"A fall out of this is the empowerment of Local Planning Authority and Zonal Town Planning offices to approve simple applications at local level within a maximum of 14 days.

"The offices have also being empowered to approve special applications within a maximum of 21 working days," he said.

Otenuga said that e-payment and point of payment machines, among others, were now in use in the state.

He said that the use of these machines had reduced the time wasted in going to banks for payment.