Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has promised that his government would offer all necessary supports to Total Nigeria Plc in its efforts at acquiring 17 hectares of land for developmental activities in the state.
He also said that the cost of the land would be substantially reduced, subject to the positive impact of the company on the socio-economic development of the state in the next six months.
“If we review what you are doing and we can have an impact assessment on the socio-economic activities of this state, then we will use that as a point to reduce substantially the cost of the land,” the governor said.
He also restated his administration’s commitment to addressing the problem of unemployment in the state through the encouragement of skill acquisition and human capital development.
Ajimobi stated this on Thursday while speaking at the inauguration of the Truck Drivers’ Training School and Inspection Centre built by Total Nigeria Plc in Ibadan.
He expressed the belief that it was by being skilled and knowledgeable that youths could contribute positively to the development of selves and the society.
Ajimobi, however, lamented that some youths in Nigeria were not only unemployed but also unemployable because of lack of necessary knowledge and skills that could qualify them for gainful employment.
“If you look around today, most of our youths who are unemployed, by the time you discuss with them, they are seriously unemployable.
“Basically, for you to be intellectually supportive and contribute to the environment, you should be trained and you must acquire skills. These we will provide for people to be the best that they can through training, knowledge and intellectual capital development,” he said.
While stressing the need for safety and security consciousness among the people, the governor said that his administration had, since its inception, made safety and security its Number One priority.
“In Oyo State, since we came into government, we have paid particular attention to safety and security. In fact, it remains our No. 1 priority. Our approach to safety and security is a developmental one,” he said.
Ajimobi commended the initiative of Total Nigeria Plc, saying that the training school had not only added to the index of development of the environment, but that it had also contributed to the socio-economic development of Oyo State.
He added that the training schools would not only reduce accidents on roads, it would also improve the driving habit of drivers, safety of lives and property, reduce the cost of doing business and provide.
He stressed: “I believe that what Total is doing today is the most important thing that should be done in any organisation, that is, encourage, develop and nurture safety and security.
“Part of these is to train people, educate and re-orientate them and to ensure that they constantly think of safety first in everything they do because if you are not safe, you cannot do anything. The foundation of anybody is safety.”
In his address, the Managing Director of Total Nigeria Plc, Mr. Francois Boussagol, attributed the setting up of the training school to part of his organisation’s crucial fight towards the reduction of road accidents, pointing out that “today, more fatalities are cause by road accidents than by malaria or AIDS, and young people are the principal victims.”
The school, according to him, has three classrooms and an auditorium with a combined sitting capacity of 140 students, adding that it would be opened to drivers from other oil companies.