Odu’a plans oil exploration

The Chairman, Odu’a Group, Bimbo Ashiru, said on Tuesday that it was planning to partner with the governments of the six South West states on power generation and distribution to improve power generation and distribution in the region.

Ashiru also said the group would soon begin oil exploration and production as part of efforts to boost the potentials of the group, reposition it and as well sustain the legacies of the founding fathers.

The Odu’a boss, who spoke in Ado Ekiti during a visit to Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, also assured that the board and management were working round the clock to revive the group’s investments and establishments which had been abandoned.

He said that the decision to partner the South West governments on power followed President Bola Tinubu’s signing of Electricity Law, which authorised states, companies and individuals to generate, transmit and distribute electricity.

This, he said, was to boost electricity supply to the South West and by extension, enhance the commercial activities in the region.

Ashiru said, “Odu’a won the marginal field OML 95 on Ondo State. That is one of the things we are working on.”

According to him, the group had entered into partnership with an oil company for deeper and marginal exploration and production of oil with the aim of boosting fuel supply in the country.

He said, “We are here to let you know what we are doing. Our focus is to be the engine room of the business in the Southwest. We are here to support Ekiti State. Thank you, Mr Governor for approving the Certificate of Occupancy of our land in Oke Ako.

“We have taken all the complaints made by the governor. We are going to work on them. In the next few years, Odu’a presence will be felt here in Ekiti State.”

Oyebanji, in his remarks, expressed displeasure about the way Ekiti was being treated like ‘second class citizen’ among Odu’a Group member states.

He said all member states, as shareholders, must be treated equally in the scheme of things.