Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi and his counterparts in Osun, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti will on Thursday inaugurate the Heritage and Cocoa malls in Ibadan. The twin malls are the largest in the five states. They are on a land mass of 12,000 square metres. They were built by the Odu’a Group of Companies, owned by Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Ogun states The malls are located beside the famous Cocoa House, on the premises of the Odu’a Group’s corporate headquarters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

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Speaking with reporters at the weekend, the company’s Group Managing Director (GMD), Adebayo Jimoh, said the malls cost N3 billion.

Jimoh said the malls were monuments that would strengthen the Yoruba heritage as envisioned by the company’s founding fathers.

He said the malls became a reality through his team’s Property Redeployment Project (PRP), which has redeveloped many of the company’s property into modern business complexes and residential estates across the Southwest.

Jimoh said the company was established as a catalyst for development in the region, as well as to create jobs and other opportunities.

Explaining why the group embarked on the project, GMD said it was to make life easier for expatriates and the elite living in Ibadan, who used to go to Lagos to shop.

He said there was also the need to build on the investments inherited from the founding fathers to ensure that “future generations continue to savour the great Yoruba heritage”.

Jimoh said: “Odu’a is committed to sustaining the dreams of our founding fathers in promoting economic advancement of Southwest states.”

He said the malls were named in line with previous projects, which promote the Yoruba culture, and cocoa, which is the mainstay of the Southwest’s economy.

http://whatsupibadan.com/2013/10/28/southwest-governors-to-open-n3b-shopping-malls/