Oyo government resuscitates quarry and asphalt company
By Olubunmi Osoteku, Ibadan
In an effort to boost the economy, the Oyo State government has resuscitated the Pacesetter Quarry and Asphalt Limited, located at the Ijaiye area of the State.
Governor Seyi Makinde made this known when he paid an on-the-spot assessment visit to the site of the Firm, in company of a former Governor of the State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja.
Governor Makinde said that the revival of the Firm, which is now back to full production, is an indication that his administration’s economic expansion agenda is working.
Makinde, who stated that he was pleased to see that production is ongoing at the Plant, said the Company was already contributing to the economy of the State by generating revenue, providing jobs and raw materials needed to construct roads.
He said: “It is a Public-Private Partnership model. They are fully in charge. They are planning on expanding the facility so that they can do more. We don’t want pot-holes on our roads. So, this will assist us to achieve that objective.”
Earlier, the former Governor, who had started the Plant during this tenure, lauded the Makinde administration’s resuscitation of the Company, which had been abandoned by two successive administrations, as heartwarming and commendable.
He stated that the effort, which, he noted, would boost the economy of the State, had made his dream for the project and the State come true.
Ladoja stated: “It is a dream come true. The work of the Governor is to dream, get people around him to execute the dream. We dreamt and it came into fruition at that tenure and it was working. Now that this administration came in, and they made it work, what do you think I should do? How do you think I will feel? I am very happy that my dream did not die.”
The former Governor affirmed that the Plant had contributed to the economy of the State and helped bring down the cost of road construction materials, which enabled the construction of more roads in the State, during his tenure.
“The people in this area are benefitting. The State is benefitting, because the cost of road construction must have gone down. 100 or 200 people are working and getting their daily meals from there. When we are talking about unemployment, this is part of the solution to it,” he said.
Ladoja expressed his gratitude to Governor Makinde for making sure that the Company is working again and pledged support for the continuation of the success of the Company.
The State government had handed over the Pacesetter Quarry and Asphalt Plant to Carboncor International Technology Limited, under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.
Confidence Okwuchi
