Ogun to Create Ministries of Energy, Mineral Resources, Digital Economy

James Sowole in Abeokuta

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has said machinery was in place for the establishment of Ministries of Mineral Resources, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy, and Energy.

Abiodun disclosed this during a meeting with permanent secretaries held at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The governor also disclosed that the Ministry of Youths would be separated from the Ministry of Sports in preparation for the setting up of the Ogun State Sports Commission.

He noted that the establishment of the new ministries would avail his administration the opportunity to focus more on the development of those critical sectors.

Abiodun said it is imperative to have full-fledged ministerial status for those sectors for the administration to achieve the objectives set forth in those areas.

The governor noted that the prospect of Ogun becoming an oil-producing state during his tenure is higher, adding that attention is also being paid to electricity generation following the unbundling of that sector.

On the idea behind the Ministry of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy, Abiodun described Ogun State as the education capital of Nigeria, with many youths in the state being ICT savvy.

The new ministry, he said, would take care of the needs of the youths in the state on terms of employment.

He said: “I had also mentioned in the course of the swearing-in of the commissioners that we are establishing new ministries.

“We intend to establish about three or four new ministries-the Ministries of Mineral Resources; Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy, and we are creating the Ministry of Youths.

“We are removing the Ministry of Sports from the Ministry of Youths because we want to set up the Ogun State Sports Commission. We are also considering setting up the Ministry of Energy.

“The reasons why we decided to set up this new ministries is because those areas are now going to be areas of focus for us, and we believe that for us to achieve the objectives that we are setting forth in those areas, it is important for them to become full-fledged ministries and have all the required administrative support that will allow them to achieve their objectives.”

Abiodun commended the permanent secretaries and  civil servants in the state for their prayers and support, especially after the tribunal judgment that was in his favour.

He called for synergy between political appointees and civil servants, adding that it is important to work together for the success of the administration.