Tinubu Backs $7bn Ogun Port, Industrial Zone Projects, Targets 50,000 Jobs
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to policy stability and economic diversification as the Ogun State Government and DP World MEA FZE signed agreements for the development of the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone.
The Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), signed in Paris, France, are expected to attract more than $7 billion in initial investment and create over 50,000 direct jobs, with additional employment opportunities projected across related sectors.
President Tinubu witnessed the signing alongside the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Director-General of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko.
The agreements bring together the Federal Government, Ogun State Government, DP World, financial advisers and other private-sector stakeholders in an investment framework designed to address trade bottlenecks, strengthen logistics infrastructure and expand Nigeria’s manufacturing and export capacity.
Speaking on the significance of the projects, Tinubu said the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Blue Marine Special Economic Zone would help tackle longstanding infrastructure and logistics challenges while establishing an integrated platform for industrial production, maritime commerce and access to African and global markets.
The President noted that the 28-kilometre Ogun section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would serve as a critical link between the proposed port and industrial zone.
He added that the emerging corridor would connect with other strategic investments, including the proposed Nigerian Navy Operating Base and Dockyard and the OK LNG Project, thereby strengthening the relationship between maritime infrastructure, industry, energy and trade.
Tinubu described the projects as an initial investment of more than $7 billion, with the potential to generate over 50,000 direct jobs and additional indirect employment opportunities.
According to him, the investment reflects the objectives of economic diversification and industrialisation under the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Earlier, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, described the signing as a defining moment in the economic history of the state and Nigeria’s engagement with the global economy.
Meanwhile, residents from communities across Ogun State, under the aegis of Make Ogun State Great Again (MOGA), staged a peaceful protest at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, demanding urgent government intervention in the state’s infrastructure and socioeconomic challenges.
The protesters, drawn from the 20 local government areas of the state, submitted a list of demands, including the rehabilitation of roads, reduction of multiple taxation, improved healthcare services, employment opportunities and increased access to resources at the grassroots.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, MOGA Convener, Olawoye Kayode, said the group represented artisans, market women, youths, elderly people and other residents affected by rising living costs and inadequate public infrastructure.
Responding on behalf of the state government, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, AIG Olushola Zubair (rtd), commended the protesters for conducting themselves peacefully and presenting their grievances in an organised manner.
