15/09/2012 (The Nigerian Observer) - Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole yesterday said that to sustain the urban renewal programme of the state government, focus will shift this second tenure to expanding the economy of the state and its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The governor who disclosed this when the new management of the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) paid him a courtesy visit at the government house in Benin City, said the first tenure was used to deal with the infrastructural decay in the state public schools, roads and the provision of basic amenities for the people.

“In this second tenure we are going to sustain the urban renewal efforts made so far in the areas of erosion control, the building of more schools. We are going to shift focus to expanding the economy of the state and the GDP,” he noted.

According to him, “to get full value of the rural roads we have constructed agriculture must be taken seriously and I have directed the Commissioner for Agriculture that we have to be more active.”

While noting that the state government is ready to collaborate with NIFOR, Comrade Oshiomhole disclosed that every institution in the state are part of the corporate citizen to the government.

“We are happy to oblige farmers land to farm. The Dangote group has indicated interest to invest about a billion Naira investment in oil palm in the state when land is provided and we are working to keep the people busy by planting cassava not only for domestic consumption but for export,” he noted

The governor assured the NIFOR management of government’s assistance towards the provision of a school in the first quarter of next year and not later than March. The Rapid Response Agency will move the industrial drilling machine to ensure that they have water..

The Executive Director, NIFOR, Dr. Omorefe Asemota commended the efforts of the state governor at repositioning the state within the last four years and promised to collaborate with the state government especially in the agricultural sector of the state economy.

“We would like to congratulate you on your efforts at rejuvenating agriculture in Edo State. This is as it should be because agriculture is very profitable and could be a major pivot to sustainably rebuild and diversify the economy of the state. In particular, the mandate crops of NIFOR are commodities with proven economic potential at home and elsewhere, oil palm in Asia, date palm in the Middle East, Coconut in Asia and Shea in Africa,” he noted.

He maintained that focusing particularly on oil palm, a crop for which Edo State has considerable economic advantage, its contribution to economic growth has been demonstrated again and again in many countries of the world and happily, it has been given recognition in the state agricultural programme, as enunciated in the Edo State Agro investment profile.