The Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Babatunde Ogunwusi Ojaja II, has stated that, the ‘OjajaMore’ retail outlet, unveiled recently, is one of many set up to create direct and indirect jobs.
The mall, situated on Ibadan-Ile-Ife Road, was constructed with 100 per cent local contents and will be a hub for 70 per cent made in Nigeria goods which will increase the demand for well-packaged Nigerian-grown organic farm produce.
According to the paramount ruler, the launch of the massive groceries and retail outlet has further rekindled his quest to key into the federal government and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s idea of “creating a viable economy that demystifies the teeming demand for dollar for commodity exchange transforming Nigeria from a consuming to producing economy where we can deviate from an oil driven economy to exploring other readily available options.”
OjajaMore, he stressed, will give special preference to homegrown commodities to help reduce drastically importation of foods by increasing investment opportunities and creating jobs for the youth demography.
In his remarks, Ooni disclosed that, the idea of OjajaMore, was conceived as a result of his burning passion driven by youth empowerment, technology advancement and economic prosperity.
“OjajaMore remains one of the profound, timeless initiatives that I envisioned for the modernisation of Ile-Ife, Osun State, and other Nigerian cities. It is a triumph and regeneration of retail economies, a reservoir of seamless opportunities for new agro-commodities markets significantly improving access to B2B value chains, a social sanctuary for groceries and other products, and an iconic global brand name that will leave indelible marks on young people through job creation, resolving commoditization issues, and harnessing the integration of locally built flawless novelty digital transactions,” he pointed out.
He also noted there was need for the country to invest aggressively in promoting local farming just like the Western regional government invested in Cocoa which became a massive source of income and proceeds made from it was used to fund education and some other capital project within the region.
The Ooni, however, noted that, his target is to expand beyond his kingdom with more outlets across Nigeria which will create a solid boundary of business growth, increase efficiency, and incorporate value-added elements that will span a remarkable experience and instill a deeper bond in customers.
