“There must be an aggressive investment drive in manufacturing industries for sustainable economic growth in Ogbomoso and for overall economic development in Nigeria to be achieved, there must be a reduction in consumer taxes on all made-in-Nigeria products in order to help the downtrodden class.” This was made known by the former State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Prof. Raphael Afonja AbdulRahman at the recently held Ajilete Youth Summit.
Afonja, while speaking at the Ajilete Youth Summit as one of the panelists on Thursday, stressed the need for human capital development for overall economic advancement of Ogbomosho town.
He advocated for ongoing self-development among the young people, urging them to actively contribute to the advancement of Ogbomoso.
“I want to emphasize the importance of economic growth as a crucial factor in unlocking massive and comprehensive development in Ogbomoso,” he stated.
Afonja, who also highlighted the need for public and private organizations to collaborate in fulfilling this responsibility, however noted that Africa, Nigeria, Oyo state, and Ogbomosho don’t need loans and charity but jobs.
He said: “It’s time we encourage investors and manufacturing industries to come into Ogbomosho so that we aggressively build our economy, and create jobs for our indigene while we compete with other places like Ibadan.
According to him, reducing payroll and consumer taxes on all Nigeria-made products is very important to alleviate the burden on the poor.
“Africa, Nigeria, Oyo State, and Ogbomosho don’t need loans and charity; what our people need is jobs, jobs, and jobs.”
The former Commissioner emphasized the need to draw manufacturing industries and investors to Ogbomosho, as well as the need to envision rapid economic growth and job creation, calling for policies such as low taxes and reduced tenet rates to facilitate the ease of investment and foster healthy competition with other regions like Ibadan.
Afonja was presented an award of excellence by the Ajilete Youth, which is composed of representatives from each of the five local governments in the Ogbomoso zone, in recognition of his contributions to the town’s growth.