We’ll provide food for the South-West – Aregbesola

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, yesterday said the state will provide food for the South-West states and capture a sizable chunk of the N3 billion daily food market in Lagos State.
The governor said with more than 60 tourism sites in the state, his government is poised to provide food for the South-West states. Governor Aregbesola said this while delivering his address at a Trade, Investment and Culture Conference at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding in Osogbo.
He said in his two and a half years in office, his administration has done its best to promote the tradition and culture of the Yoruba.
“Our goal therefore is to provide food for the South-West and capture a sizable chunk of the N3 billion daily food market in Lagos. By a stroke of fortune, our natural endowment also includes solid minerals, especially gold. “In our development drive, we have focused mainly on four key areas.
These are culture and tourism, agriculture, information technology and solid minerals. We assure you that the South-West states will rely on us for their needs very soon.
“Osun is indisputably the custodian of the cultural heritage of the Yoruba people, who are mainly domiciled in and originated from the South-West of the country.
“Ile-Ife, which is in this state and just about 30 minutes drive from this podium, is the cradle of Yoruba culture and civilization,” the governor told investors and others in the gathering.
He also added that Osun occupies a central place in Nigeria’s cultural tourism map, stressing that besides Ife, there are numerous other centres of cultural and tourism significance across the state.
“We have gold deposits in commercial quantity in many parts of the state that are waiting to be fully exploited. It is our goal to develop this in partnership with willing and capable partners,” the governor said.
He added that his administration will ensure that the interactive platform will be a continuous one to demonstrate the seriousness of its commitment to the path it has chosen.
NATIONAL MIRROR