Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has set up an evaluation committee for the establishment of a Naval Base in the state.
Receiving the naval team from the Naval headquarters in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Governor Abiodun noted with delight the zeal exhibited by the Chief of Naval Staff in setting up the team, saying the establishment of a Naval Base would help to further secure the state.
He said, “A few weeks ago, I held a meeting with the new Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command and in that meeting, I shared a vision of Ogun State Multi-modal Transportation Master Plan made up of road, rail and Water transportation.
“We have implemented that of road and rail except that of water transportation. It is important that ahead of the implementation of the water transportation of our Multi-modal Transportation Master Plan, we have a feasible presence of the Nigerian Navy beyond the Navy School that have been here for many years.”
“I want to assure you that the benefits will be mutual. We will complement this committee with people from our state who are competent and will add value to the committee,” the governor noted.
He said the state in the past had been longing to have a dry port and airport until his administration succeeded in building the airport, adding that the seaport, which has been in the drawing board for long, would also see the light of the day.
The governor said though operations have not started at the Gateway Agro-Cargo International Airport, many institutions and corporate bodies have indicated interest to take over and run the airport.
Speaking earlier, the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Mustapha Hassan, expressed the need to beef security in the state as the result of slight increase in crime rate in recent times.
