OSOGBO-Mr. Adebisi Opejin, Executive Consultant, Osun State Living Spring Free Trade Zone, said in Osogbo that the first phase of the free trade zone would be ready for commissioning in December.

Opejin made this known when the Nigeria Governors‘ Forum (NGF) secretariat peer review team visited Ebere-Ede area of Osogbo, location of the free trade zone.

The team was in the state to inspect its completed and ongoing projects and witness how they were impacting on the lives people.

Opejin, who briefed the team on the state government‘s investment in the zone, said the first phase of the ongoing project would cost N1.5 billion.

He said out of the amount about N200 million would be spent on the establishment of a dedicated power plant and transformer to ensure steady electricity supply in the zone.

He added that the state was discussing with an American consortium to establish a medical centre in the zone on a 1,650- hectare of land.

According to him, the essence of the partnership is to stop capital flight from the state and to make healthcare delivery easily accessible to residents rather than going abroad.

Opejin, who described the zone as viable, revealed that the second phase would be private sector-driven, adding that it would generate 450,000 jobs when completed as well as boost the state‘s economy.

The NGF Director General, Mr. Asishana Oauru, said the peer review exercise was conceptualised by the 36 governors and the National Economic Council.

He added that the idea was to encourage healthy competition among the governors with a view to ensuring even development across the country.

He told the visiting team that the exercise was not to rate states but to institute unique best practices in areas of health, education and budgeting, among others, for the purpose of replicating them in states in need.

Reports say that the visiting team comprised consultants from different sectors of the economy, staff of the NGF secretariat and the media.

Osun was the 34th state the team had visited since the exercise began last year.