Epe traditional monarch confers chieftaincy titles on two US investors operational within his kingdom

OLOJA of Epe Kingdom in Lagos State His Royal Majesty Oba Kamorudeen Animashaun has conferred chieftaincy titles on two Caucasian American investors who have created jobs within his domain.

As part of a plan to encourage investors to create jobs within his kingdom, Oba Animashaun has made two senior officials of property developer Rendeavour, Epe high chiefs. Frank Mosier, the chairman of Rendeavour has been made the Amuludun of Epe Kingdom, while its founder and chief executive Stephen Jennings, has been conferred with the title of Bobatuluse of Epe Kingdom.

One of the fastest developing parts of Nigeria today, Epe is enjoying a massive injection of capital and Rendeavour has been central to this, pumping money into Alaro City in the Lekki Free Zone of Epe. Oba Animashaun handed out the awards yesterday as part of activities to commemorate his 20th anniversary on the throne.

Mr Mosier is also a member of the United States Presidents Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa. This body provides analyses and recommendations to the US government on strengthening commercial engagement with Africa.

For his part, Mr Jennings is a serial investor in Nigeria. He launched Renaissance Capital, currently a leading investment bank in the country in 2006 and also launched RenMoney, a leading consumer finance bank, in 2012.

Rendeavour, in partnership with the Lagos State government, is building Alaro City, a mixed-income city-scale development in the Lekki Free Zone. Alaro City is planned as a 2,000-hectare development with industrial and logistics locations, complemented by offices, homes, schools, healthcare facilities, hotels, entertainment and 150 hectares of parks and open spaces.

In January, Ariel Foods, the largest ready-to-eat therapeutic food factory in Africa, launched the completion of its facility in Alaro City. Oba Animashaun said he decided to honour the investors for showing an example of how foreign direct investment can impact positively on communities and the state.

“We need people to invest in our community like these people behind Alaro City, who because they have already showcased their investments, we want to reciprocate their good will. We need to show good relationship as a mark of support of what they are doing.

"Alaro City is in my domain. The builders have shown to be good investors, not like some people who will acquire land and abandon it for years," Oba Animashaun added.

Oba Animashaun also used the occasion to call on the state and federal governments to support these investors by building supporting infrastructure needed to ensure full realisation of the potentials of the Lekki Free Zone. He added that when the Dangote Refinery, also located in the Lekki Free Zone, takes off, there will be a lot of traffic in the area which will require good road infrastructure.