Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has pledged to do more to attract investors to the state.
Makinde made this promise barely a week after the first wide-bodied aircraft landed at the upgraded Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport, Alakia, Ibadan.
Speaking at The Jagz Hospitality Conference, held to mark the first anniversary of the hotel, the governor said the airport’s upgrade had rewritten its 43-year history, but his administration’s vision was to transform it into the most investor-friendly facility in Nigeria.
According to him, the state’s business-friendly policies have continued to attract investors, adding that the government would raise the bar to ensure more businesses find Oyo State attractive despite Nigeria’s current economic challenges.
Weighing in on the economy, Governor Makinde criticised the theory of “import substitution” as a path to growth, stressing that no country has prospered by focusing solely on its local environment.
Instead, he argued, Oyo must open its doors to global investors, pointing to the airport’s expansion as a key driver for tourism and economic growth.
“It was a thing of joy when the first wide-bodied aircraft landed at Ibadan Airport last Friday. The airport, commissioned in 1982, had to wait 43 years for this.
“Within one year of getting approval, we extended the runway and made it possible. But we are not stopping there. Our goal is to make Ibadan Airport more welcoming than any other in Nigeria, a hub where people from across the world will want to come, feel welcome, and return,” he said.
