Ogun soars in World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking for states
When the World Bank in 2014 ranked Nigerian states based on ease of doing business in each of the states, Ogun State clinched 3rd position, climbing several steps up from its 35th position in 2012.
This tremendous improvement in the state’s position should not be a surprise to anybody in tune with the massive infrastructure development in the state that has seen the rise of many roads and fly-over bridges not only in the city centres, but also in the suburbs.
The state has also, in a very significant way, enabled the environment for investors and it is to its create that Ogun today has the most flexible and friendly land administration processes which is reason for the influx of real estate investors, companies and sundry industrial concerns.
“Infrastructure deficit in Nigeria as a whole and in most states of the federation is alarming. The country is virtually run down in terms of infrastructure. What we have been doing since 2011 in Ogun State is re-orientating and redirecting that deficit. One basic thing we have given more than a passing attention in Ogun is infrastructure. Today, we have a success story to tell. We have created hundreds of kilometers of roads”, Taiwo Adeolu, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), said in Lagos recently.
Taiwo, who spoke in an interview with journalists on the sideline of the Real Estate Unite Conference organized by 3Invest in Lagos recently, cited Agbara as one area in the state where the largest single investment have been made in roads infrastructure.
The SSG said the state recognized that there were many industries in that axis that required roads infrastructure, appealing however,to these industries to see infrastructure as not government business alone. “We expect them to lend support because they are the main beneficiaries of this effort”, he said.
He assured that the state’s Home Ownership Charter, an initiative of the state government that aims to encourage real estate investment tn the state, was very much on course.
“Only last week, we distributed over 1,000 C of Os under the scheme. We have a way of implementing that scheme that a lot of people do not know it is on course. Our state has done so well in terms of infrastructure provision and we are not relenting”, he assured.
According to him, “we are improving on our economy and we are also encouraging public private participation. We have moved from number 35 in 2012 in the World Bank ranking of states to number three state for ease of doing business in 2014”.