Why Ogun will attract investors – Dr. Adeduntan, First Bank GMD

Governor Dapo Abiodun

The Group Managing Director of First Bank
Plc, Dr Adesola Adeduntan, has said that Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo
Abiodun will be a major reason for investors to choose the state for their
businesses.

Dr. Adeduntan, who led his management team on a
visit to the governor said, “His pedigree as a private sector player will
inspire confidence in other private sector people to come. We trust you
and will do everything to drive investment to Ogun state under your watch. We
know you will protect investors and ensure profitability of ventures brought to
the Gateway State”.

Governor Abiodun commended First Bank for
rebranding itself and moving from the analogue it used to be known for to a
digitally compliant bank.

The governor, who gave the commendation in his
Oke Mosan office, Abeokuta, while playing host to the management team of the
bank, said he believed that if his administration could live up to its vision
of creating an enabling environment for public private partnership, it could
lead to the economic prosperity of the state, adding that: “if the state
prospers, the people would also prosper”.

He noted that his administration would require
the support of the financial institution at repositioning and rebranding its
security network, stating that, in order to ensure the economic progress of the
state, security must be looked into.

“We take the issue of security very serious
and therefore, we are going to require your support and partnership. We cannot
say we want to increase the ranking of Ogun State on the global list of doing business
index if there are kidnapping and armed robberies all over the place. We need
to have a peaceful and secured state and we are deeply committed to that.

“Government is committed to rebranding our
security trust fund which will be dominated by people like you. There will be
trust, and corporate governance issues will not be questioned, so that
they will function independently and spend the funds contributed
judiciously,” he said.

The governor noted that his administration wants
to ensure adequate access to the state and also be able to move people
between Ogun state and other states, noting that the state intends to make use
of its proximity to other states and provide services that Lagos, Oyo, Osun,
Ondo and Ekiti need.

Abiodun also disclosed that his administration
was looking at constructing and rehabilitating roads that share border with
neighbouring states, adding that the government would soon award the contract
for the construction of the Ijebu Ode and Epe roads.

“We are looking at how to immediately begin
reconstruction of roads that are between us and the adjacent states. Very soon
we are going to award the contract for the expressway that will take us from Ijebu
– Ode to Lagos via Epe which had been half built.

“We are looking at other border roads; we are
looking at parallel roads to the expressway because we believe that if we can
increase the relative ease with which we move between Lagos and Ogun, people
will be more likely inclined to live in Ogun and work in Lagos,” he said.

Earlier Dr. Adeduntan, had hinted on the
centrality of Ogun State to the bank’s operations. He disclosed that out of the
over 28,000 agent network the bank has in the country, 1,800 was
registered in the state, adding that the financial institution was ready to render
its services for the state and its people.

Adeduntan disclosed that the bank, which
currently has 13 branches in the state, was poised to taking the people out of
poverty, adding that with economic empowerment comes hope and reduction in
criminal activities across the country.