Governor Builds N7.4 Billion Shopping Mall In Benin City Edo State

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has laid the foundation stone for a N7.4 billion ($45 million) ultra-modern Shopping Mall in Benin City, with an assurance that government will continue to create a conducive atmosphere for businesses to thrive in the State.

Oshiomhole said government's investment in infrastructure and the urban renewal programme is to make Edo State attractive to investors from within and outside the state.

The governor said: "our investment in urban renewal and our investment in other infrastructure by way of road expansion and building new ones in both urban and rural areas, the provision of electricity, procurement of transformers, building health centres and all of the other things we have been doing is to make Edo State so attractive not only for the people here also to attract those who are not here."

"I like to recall that six years ago, during my campaign in 2007, anytime I was coming from Lagos to Benin, there was only one old aircraft with about fifteen or twenty passengers seat, house rent in Benin was very low, many houses were abandoned. This is to make the point that as we speak today, we have two or three airlines that now fly to Benin."

"...more people are coming to Benin to do businesses."

"Today we are witnessing the ground breaking ceremony of a facility that would be the very first modern shopping mall anywhere in Edo State under a group that has built a reputation for itself that is popularly known and referred to as Shoprite."

"...Today, God in his infinite powers has used us, your stewards, to attract to Edo State a company that has international reputation to build a shopping mall. We agreed to allocate this government land to them, demolish whatever is left of the building, so that in its place we will have a modern facility that both the rich and the poor can patronize..."