The former governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has debunked claims made against him by his successor, Dapo Abiodun, regarding the relocation of the $19bn Dangote refinery project from Ogun State to Lagos State. Amosun spoke on Wednesday through his media aide, Bola Adeyemi, dismissing the allegations as lies and saying it was uncharitable for anyone to churn out such falsehood.
Amosun further stated that the Olokola Free Trade Zone project, where the refinery was planned to be situated, was a joint venture and not solely owned by Ogun State. The federal government of Nigeria owned the majority share of 51%, Ondo State Government had 14.5%, Ogun State Government had 14.5% and strategic core investors with 20%.
According to Amosun, Alhaji Aliko Dangote later bought and took over the 20% equity of the strategic core investors. Therefore, Amosun clarified the point that as Governor of the State, he appointed two carefully chosen stakeholders to represent Ogun State’s interests in the joint venture enterprise. Dapo Abiodun and Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, former commissioner for finance, represented Ogun state from their respective local government areas.
Amosun added that 75% of the entire National FDI in the real sector was birthed in Ogun State, with President Goodluck Jonathan commissioning significant private sector-led projects at least five times. He also said that during his tenure, over 200 local and multinational industries were established in the state.
In conclusion, Amosun challenged Governor Dapo Abiodun to provide evidence to back up his claims that Amosun was responsible for allegedly scuttling the Olokola project. Amosun hopes that his statement would help to give clarity to the subject of the Olokola Free Trade Zone and Dangote Refinery’s relocation controversy.
