Ogun monarch laments inability of Free Trade Zone companies to assist his community

By Segun Ayinde

*Oba Akinde, Oloja of Igbesaland

The Oloja Ekun of Igbesa, Oba AdulAzeez Akinde, Ado-Odo/Ota, Ogun State, yesterday lamented how companies in Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone Limited and others have not been performing their Corporate Social Responsibilities(CSR) to aid the development of the community.

The monarch who spoke at his palace expressed regret that his people were not happy with the ways and manners companies in their domain had not been performing their CSR and giving out the employment quarters they were due to in the community, promising to look into the issue. 

 He said that he would meet with FTZ's Chairman Board of Directors, Mr. Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, GNI, to interface between the free trade zone and the community in order to review their past annual reports and accounts to know if they had been performing their CSR to the town or not.

  Oba Akinde maintained a draft Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) was already in place to be used as a negotiating tool between the community and management of companies in free trade zone, and other firms in the area to come to an understanding of how the issue would be resolved .

The king, while saying that he would endeavour to review the skills and academic qualifications required by people to work in the companies urged the firms to reconsider their agreement with the state government over the employment of indigenes to work for them as part of their CSR.

 He said" Over the time the community has not been happy with the performance of these companies as well as the free trade zone" 

 "So what i intend to do to ensure that they are carrying out their CSR, is to review their pasts annual reports and accounts and see what is contained in that report as to whether they are meeting this CSR if yes what is the proportion of their turn over to the community." 

 "As we speak i had an information this morning that a draft MoU is in place which is going to be used as a negotiating tool between the community and the free trade zone. 

So, i am going to review it. i had also been promised that they would give me a copy of draft the MoU" 

 "We are so happy now that the Ogun State government had appointed Goyega Nasir Isiaka, GNI, as an interface between the free trade zone and the community. 

I intended to engage the management of some of these companies to give us an idea of what is the situation and what they intend to give to us." the monarch added