Phillips Consulting (pcl.), an indigenous management, business and digital technology consulting firm, has tasked states across the country to begin to enter into strategic alliances in order to support the federal and state government initiatives that will help tackle unemployment and create jobs.
Speaking at the monthly meeting of Nigerian-South African Chamber and Commerce (NSACC) in Lagos at the weekend, which had Lagos and Ogun States, formed a strategic partnership, the Managing Director of Phillips Consulting, Mr. Robert Taiwo, said: “In 2020, to support the Federal and State government initiative of addressing unemployment and creating jobs, Phillips Consulting will work in collaboration with its content partners to deliver free online training worth N75 million on specialised IT Certifications to 500 Nigerian youths across the country”.
In Nigeria, Taiwo said, there have not been many such strategic partnerships both in the private and public sector. As a result, “we rather have several siloed businesses and short-lived enterprises. However, the current challenges in the business community and the lack of fund accruing to States, has created the imperative for collaboration in both public and private sectors.”
In the quest to kick start such strategic collaborative partnership between key States in Nigeria, Phillips Consulting (pcl.), used the monthly breakfast meeting of the NSACC as a platform to announce the birth of a strong alliance/partnership between Lagos and Ogun State Government.
During this event, the Governors of both States participated in a panel session moderated by Foluso Phillips, the Chairman of pcl.
This Lagos/Ogun Partnership Alliance (LOPA) model is the first of its kind in Nigeria and is targeted at addressing the following issues; decongestion of Lagos State, development of a Land Port, rail and water transportation between both states, Private Public Partnership (PPP) funding for infrastructural development, a grand masterplan for the integration of both states and extension of their vision by working closely with the development agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission; a ‘Lagos /Ogun Integration Summit’ organized in collaboration with DAWN will be a good start.
At the meeting both governors identified several quick wins, which include signing of the already prepared agreement by both states to set up a Lagos/Ogun Commission that will handle all issues that are of common interest to the states.
Others are to execute the Joint Resident Registration Scheme to tackle insecurity, completion of an ongoing rice mill in Lagos that will receive and process most of the rice input from Ogun State and expansion of trailer park in Ogun state to help ease the Apapa traffic congestion in Lagos
The partnership also seek to address the conclusion of agreement with the Federal government to take over the completion of several Federal roads bordering the two states such as the Lagos – Sagamu Express Way which is only at 20 per cent completion.