Ogun State Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe has revealed that the Ministry had been granted permission to host the South West Agricultural and Solid Minerals Trade Fair.

Longe made this known while defending the Ministry’s 2023 budget estimate before members of the State House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation led by Hon. Olakunle Sobukanla at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The Commissioner said the hosting right for the Fair was approved by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, adding that the event would help promote Ogun as the country’s leading agricultural and solid minerals State, towards enhancing the businesses of stakeholders involved in the two sectors.

“The DAWN Commission has permitted us to host the South West Agricultural and Solid Minerals Trade Fair. The Fair will support the private sector, especially the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. This will enable investors to set up businesses in Ogun State, employ people and start paying taxes. It will also expose the State to investors and stimulate the economy. We will get foreign investors to come and be a part of the Fair”, she said.

The Commissioner said the Ministry plans to expend N556,910,063.36 as recurrent expenditure representing 57.04 percent of the Budget and N419,397,958.27 for capital expenditure representing 42.96 percent while it has an Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) target of N2,100,000,000.

Speaking on the plans of the Ministry to actualise its revenue target, Longe noted that machinery had been deployed to enhance registration of businesses on the Business Premises Permit Portal to increase the database of the State government, adding that the Joint Tax Board’s automated process would also aid the Ministry’s revenue drive.

On his part, the Chairman, Ogun State Market Development Board, Hon. Razak Daddah, said the intervention of the Ministry in the challenges affecting the Yewa International Market, Ajilete/Owode-Yewa had helped to operationalise the market and improve revenue, adding that with the support of the Assembly, the facility could become a good reference point in the State.

Daddah appealed to the lawmakers to intervene and address the challenge posed by people who had hindered the completion of the phase two project of the Sagamu International Market, Sagamu.

In his remark, Hon. Sobukanla enjoined the Ministry to continue to contribute its quota and exceed past achievements, assuring that the Assembly would continue to support its activities.