Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has announced that construction of the over $7 billion Gateway Deep Sea Port and Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area will begin in November.

Abiodun said the project would move into the construction phase immediately after its groundbreaking ceremony, with substantial completion expected within two and a half years.

The governor disclosed this while speaking to All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Ijebu East and Ijebu North Local Government Areas, shortly after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with DP World MEA FZE in Paris, France, in the presence of President Bola Tinubu.

“By November, we will perform the groundbreaking and the construction will start immediately. In two and a half years, that port will almost be completed 100 per cent,” Abiodun said.

The Gateway Deep Sea Port is being developed in partnership with DP World, a major global port operator, as part of efforts to expand Ogun State’s maritime infrastructure and create new opportunities for investment and economic growth.

Abiodun said the port had remained largely unrealised for more than 30 years despite its potential, but his administration had revived the project as part of its broader plan to attract investments and strengthen the state’s economy.

He described the project as an example of his administration’s focus on turning development plans into completed projects.

“Governance is about vision and implementation,” the governor said, adding that the project would position Ogun as a major maritime destination in Africa.

“Ogun State will become the marine capital of Africa, the marine hub of West Africa, meaning that the biggest ships in the world, when they are coming to Africa, will first come to Ogun Waterside.”

“Ogun State will become the marine capital of Africa, the marine hub of West Africa, meaning that the biggest ships in the world, when they are coming to Africa, will first come to Ogun Waterside.”

Abiodun also pointed to crude oil resources in other parts of Ogun, including Odogbolu, saying the state government would continue to pursue ways of converting its natural resources into opportunities for economic development. (Nigerian Tribune)