The Chairman, Oduโ€™a Group, Bimbo Ashiru, said on Tuesday that it was planning to partner with governments of the owner states on power generation and distribution to improve power generation and distribution in the region.

Ashiru also stated that the group would soon start oil exploration and production as part of attempts to increase the group’s potential, reposition it, and maintain the founding fathers’ legacy.

The Oduโ€™a boss, who spoke in Ado-รˆkรฌtรฌ during a visit to รˆkรฌtรฌ State governor, Biodun Oyebanji, also assured that the board and management were working round the clock to revive the groupโ€™s investments and establishments which had been abandoned.

He said that the decision to partner the South-West governments on power followed President Bola Tinubuโ€™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 commercial activities in the region.

Ashiru said, โ€œOduโ€™a won the marginal field OML 95 on Ondo State. That is on I’me of the things we are working on.

โ€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, โ€œWe 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 รˆkรฌtรฌ State. Thank you, Mr Governor for approving the Certificate of Occupancy of our land in Oke-Ako.

โ€œWe have taken all the complaints made by the governor. We are going to work on them. In the next few years, Oduโ€™a presence will be felt here in รˆkรฌtรฌ State.

โ€Oyebanji, in his remarks, expressed displeasure about the way รˆkรฌtรฌ was being treated like โ€˜second class citizenโ€™ among Oduโ€™a Group member states.

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