₦airaland Forum

Anambra Signs MoU to Develop 20,000 Shops

Feb 9, 2015

AMAECHI PERCY ONYEJEKWE, Awka

ANAMBRA government and Bukham Group yesterday signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) to develop 20,000 units of shops at the Anambra International Trade Centre, Oba.
In the agreement, Bukham Group would build 20,000 shops, which includes 2,000 warehouses and hotels as well as a primary school, a cinema, police post, health centre, fire station; while the project would be completed in five years.
After the signing Gov. Willie Obiano, who was represented by Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Commerce, Mr. Ifeatu Onejeme, said that the government would build access roads leading to the centre from the Onitsha-Owerri road and within Oba community.
Obiano noted that the centre would attract social infrastructure; boost the economy and continue to generate employment opportunities for Oba community and its environs.
“Trade and commence development is one of the core pillars of the APGA-led administration and what we have done today speaks volume of the strong desire to make Anambra State the major commercial hub in Africa. The government had undertaken to fence the market centre; connect it with electricity as well as ensure adequate security.
“With the agreement, the developer (Bukham Group) has assured that the market centre would be officially opened by March with 1,700 shops placed on offer to the public already,’’ Obiano said.
The governor revealed that N3 billion had been set aside for infrastructure development meant for the centre.
The Chairman of Bukham Group, Mr Bukham Hassan, said that the Phase 1 was nearing completion would kick-off as a market centre in March this year.
“The project would gulp about N100 billion and it’s been bankrolled by Bukham Group and Enterprise Bank Plc.We already have up to 1,000 youths employed and working to construct the centre to meet the time duration of the project. And when the project is fully completed over 100,000 people would be directly engage here and it multiplier effect would be felt by over a million families,’’ Hassan said.
The President-General of Amalgamated Market Traders Association of Anambra State (AMATAS), Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, lauded Anambra government for attracting the investment to the state for the betterment of trade and commerce.
“However, I wish to appeal to the government and the developer that the price for the shop should be reviewed for the benefit of budding traders”, Ezenwankwo said.

http://www.championnews.com.ng/anambra-signs-mou-to-develop-20000-shops/

FG to Build Power Transmission Stations in Ebonyi state.
by admin on Feb 15, 2014 • 8:12 am 6 comments

The Federal Government said it would build two transmission stations in Abakaliki to enhance power delivery in the area.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the General Manager (Transmission), Enugu Transmission Region, Mr Geoffrey Nwokoye, made this known when he paid a courtesy call on Gov. Martin Elechi, in Abakaliki.
Nwokoye said that the 2x 150MVA 330/132KV and 2x 60 MVA 132/33KV power stations would stimulate more economic activities in the state.
“When the stations are completed, it will create employment opportunities to the indigenes of the state and improve the overall well being of the Ebonyi people,” he said.
He said that stable power supply was pivotal to the socio-economic development and stability of any nation and people.
“At present, Ebonyi with some parts of Cross River state, are supplied electric power via a 132KV transmission line from Enugu and this is prone to interruptions.
“A 330KV system at the state capital would definitely guarantee a more stable and quality power at the state capital, even at the worst level of generation,” he said.
Nwokoye, therefore, appealed to the governor to allocate the company a suitable portion of land to construct the power stations.
He commended the cooperation and assistance of the state government to the company, adding that the company was poised to serve the state creditably.
In his response, Elechi said he was elated by the plan to build the power stations in Abakaliki to improve power supply in the state. He, however, said that the state government would give them a plot of cleared land for the project.
“I advise speedy completion of the project within the shortest time so as to avert the persistent problem of power supply, distribution and over billings of customers in the state,” he said.
- See more at: http://www.southeastnigeria.com/fg-to-build-power-transmission-stations-in-ebonyi-state/#sthash.j3QzlGF8.dpuf

I like the fact that you love and admire your state but that doesn't stop anybody from mentioning Anambra State. Don't make a big deal of nothing.

OdenigboAroli:
Thats where you get it wrong,the name "Anambra" is not a "mere" name. It carries alot of weight and pride...The mystic Omanbala river is the largest tributary to Orinmili Niger. Its a namr that depicts a people filled with beautiful culture,wealth and pride. Its the name of the river that enriches the agricultural belt around it. This river is where the legendary Eri settled and and beget his descendants...Alot of Omanbalas make their sacrifices at the River Omanbala and it hold a great destiny for them. So mr. emmysoft or whatever they call you it would be better you stfu than open it and spew nonsense.

Nature129:
Ndi Imo, pls less talk and more pics. The thread is about pics not a discussion class. Lol.
Bikonu, let's upload more pics of Imo State. Does anyone in the house have currrent pics of any of the universities: Jesuit, Imo-European and/or Imo Maritime Universities?

Udo Diri Unu.

Imo ga-adiriri nma whether the evil men in PDP like it or not

#Peace

Gov Rochas needs to do more in industrialisation, job creation and provision of quality infrastructures to all areas of Imo State.

May our Lord Jesus Christ lead you to and from Sambisa forest safely and bring you back in peace and good health to your family and friends.

investnow2013:
Buddamonk!, How about Catholic Owned Peters University Achina-Aguata lga & another University under-construction at Alam-Ozubulu,Ekwusigo lga by The Anglican Community!

Are you sure of what you are saying

Dana Air to commence daily flight operations to Owerri

on February 16, 2015 / in Business 12:23 am / Comments
Tweet

Dana Airline has indicated its readiness to begin its daily flight operations to Owerri airport in a few weeks time. Disclosing this development to newsmen, Chief Commercial Officer of the airline, Obi Mbanuzuo said that such move was part of the airline’s expansion plan to convey passengers to their various destination across the country.

*Dana

According to Mr. Mbanuzuo “Dana Air is prepared to commence daily flight operations to Owerri in the coming weeks as part of its expansion drive to make its unique services readily available to all” The Airline’s Chief Commercial Officer further pointed out that in the spirit of valentine season, the airline has introduced a promotional fare in its business class which was pegged at N27,000.

While unveiling the valentine promotional fares, Mr. Mbanuzuo stressed that with such fares in place, it would afford most of the airline’s guest to travel at ease and comfort with a lot of leisure during their trips. “We want to encourage our guests to travel for leisure and business in style and comfort this season and this initiative is part of our commitment to continually offer pocket friendly fares across our sales channels” he said.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/dana-air-commence-daily-flight-operations-owerri/#sthash.IzfFptUs.dpuf

Dana Air to commence daily flight operations to Owerri

on February 16, 2015 / in Business 12:23 am / Comments
Tweet

Dana Airline has indicated its readiness to begin its daily flight operations to Owerri airport in a few weeks time. Disclosing this development to newsmen, Chief Commercial Officer of the airline, Obi Mbanuzuo said that such move was part of the airline’s expansion plan to convey passengers to their various destination across the country.

*Dana

According to Mr. Mbanuzuo “Dana Air is prepared to commence daily flight operations to Owerri in the coming weeks as part of its expansion drive to make its unique services readily available to all” The Airline’s Chief Commercial Officer further pointed out that in the spirit of valentine season, the airline has introduced a promotional fare in its business class which was pegged at N27,000.

While unveiling the valentine promotional fares, Mr. Mbanuzuo stressed that with such fares in place, it would afford most of the airline’s guest to travel at ease and comfort with a lot of leisure during their trips. “We want to encourage our guests to travel for leisure and business in style and comfort this season and this initiative is part of our commitment to continually offer pocket friendly fares across our sales channels” he said.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/dana-air-commence-daily-flight-operations-owerri/#sthash.IzfFptUs.dpuf

FG signs MoU for 500 MW from coal

on February 17, 2015 / in News 1:18 pm / Comments

The Federal Government on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with One Nation Energy Platform Ltd. for the production of 500 megawatts coal-fired power plant in Enugu. The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, signed on behalf of

File Photo

the Federal Government while the Chairman of the company, Dr. Uzoma Obiyo, signed on behalf the company.

This is contained in statement signed by Mrs Grace Njoku, on behalf of the Deputy Director, Press, Mr Timothy Oyedeji in Abuja on Monday. The statement described the agreement as a welcome development for government’s quest for a robust energy mix that would support the nation’s aspiration for development of the power sector.

It noted that the coal-power project will also provide stable power, devoid of challenges of sabotage from vandals determined to frustrate the present administration’s effort at providing adequate and reliable power to all Nigerians. According to the statement, citing the coal powered plant in the Enugu axis was a welcome development as Ugwuaji, one of the settlements in Enugu State, houses one of the biggest transmission sub-stations in the country.

The statement described the coal deposit in Nigeria as very clean, and that the processing of the mineral resource for energy delivery would not be a cumbersome process. It further said that the South East zone alone had enough coal deposits to deliver 5,000 megawatts of coal fired power to Nigeria.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/fg-signs-mou-500-mw-coal/#sthash.PfsIf4NR.dpuf

Imo State have private universities under construction. Some of them are : Imo European University Ogboko, Layola Jesuit University, Ngor Okpala, and one other in Mbaise

BuddahMonk:
I don't if its because of the too many institutions, even if that could be the cause why not site it at Orlu since Owerre and Okigwe are both university communities.

Enugwu State have as much higher institution as Imo but they still have like 3 private univ

Abia have many govt higher institutions as well but got private univ likewise Anambra.

The only thing is the concentration of development in Owerre while other sides are neglected, Imo deserve atleast 2 private univ to start it

Congratulations !!! More to come

Abagworo:
Horizontal

https://s26.postimg.org/jq2u9lc7t/0000central2.jpg

This looks good

Coal power stations to begin operation in 2015

Nigeria’s first power stations energized by coal sources under the current dispensation is expected to begin operation next year, the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo has said.

The Minister who dropped the hint during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and Atlas Petroleum Corporation in Abuja said, with the abundance of coal and other renewable energy sources like biomass, solar, wind, hydro and thermal, the country has the wherewithal to deal with the menace of power shortages.

Accordng to the Minister, Atlas Petroleum has shown readiness to build the country’s first ever coal-fired power plant.

Nebo said Nigeria had to harness all its potential in order to build a robust energy mix, adding that this development would contribute its quota in the eradication of power outages in the country.

He promised to help fast-track other licences with various agencies, beginning with the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.

“We will also assist with the design of appropriate mining, as we must ensure everything works. The coal-fired plant should start next year. The coming into coal to power by Atlas Petroleum is a welcome development as history is about to be made today. While others are doing the talk, Atlas will do the action and the promoter of the firm is determined to put all the required funds for the development of this dream. Atlas will be the first to deliver more megawatts from coal,” he said.

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/11/coal-power-stations-begin-operation-2015/

200 Foreign Firms to Attend Enugu Trade Fair

09 Feb 2015

By Isiguzo Christopher

Despite the increasing spate of insecurity in some parts of the country, no fewer than 200 foreign firms from India, United Kingdom, United States, China and other parts of the world have indicated their readiness to take part in the 26th Internation Trade Fair being packaged by the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), this year.
Briefing journalists on the activities lined up for the annual event, President of (ECCIMA), Dr Ifeanyi Okoye said this would be the highest number to the recorded since inception.

He appealed to the federal government to give the chamber approval to partner the private sector in the development of facilities at the permanent site of Enugu International Trade Fair Complex.
He said the trade fair slated for March 27 to April 6, 2015 and will be declared open by President Good-luck Jonathan.

Okoye stated that there is still infrastructure deficit at the permanent site even though the state government has been of great help in maintaining internal roads and general environmental status of the complex.

He said the essence of the fair was to get business minded people, researchers and innovators together to interact and then go back to develop themselves.

Okoye said ECCIMA was aware of the general elections slated for this month, noting that already, the association has started preparing for the fair and is working with the current time table of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He said there could also be room for necessary adjustment if desired.

Okoye stated that Enugu International Trade Fairs have impacted positively the economy of
Enugu, South East and Nigeria in general.

“The results are there, we have a lot of companies in Enugu state and they have gained a lot from the past fairs. I can mention a company like Innoson, which all of you knows; he manufactures vehicles now.

"They have been coming to participate in the Trade Fair, manufacturing plastics, now they are manufacturing vehicles,” he added.

He expressed the optimism that this year’s fair would be a great success adding that it has been packaged very well.

The ECCIMA boss announced that the group is collaborating with banks and marketing communication firm based in Lagos to boost the level of participation and that visitors to the Fair would be encouraged through a unique introduction of gift presentations to lucky visitors to the Fair.

He said the theme of this year’s Fair is, “Engineering the Nation’s Business Climate for Enhanced Industrialisation, Investment Inflow and Empowerment Generation”, even as he announced that the opening ceremony would be chaired by Prince Arthur Eze, chairman of Oranto Petroleum and Atlas Petroleum International Ltd.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/200-foreign-firms-to-attend-enugu-trade-fair/201323/

God bless Owerri

Abagworo:
Clearer view of marbled Imo ecumenical centre.

Nice Structure

Collynzo9:
If the continue at the rate I saw them yesterday, they will finish before the rainy season kicks in.

Thats good. I guess they should have less than two kilometers to cover.

Where is this place ?

ROYALD:
hi

Collynzo9:
Serious work is being done on the PH - Owerri road, the journey time has already been reduced to 1hour with the job done so far.
By the time the work is finished, PH - Owerri will be a 45 minutes journey.

ARE THEY CLOSE TO COMPLETING THE ROAD OR THEY STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO

FG to Concession Ports to Private Sector

By Andrew Airahuobhor, Correspondent, Lagos

All the river ports being constructed by the federal government will be concessioned to the private sector upon completion, minister of transport, Idris Umar, has said. Government developed five river ports, along with the controversial dredging of lower River Niger. While the Onitsha river port has been completed and commissioned, the development of river port at Baro, Oguta and Lokoja are now 90 percent, 73 percent and 50 percent completed, respectively, according to the Transport Ministry.

Meanwhile, the procurement process for the construction of a river port at Makurdi, Benue State, is in the final stage. The minister, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the fourth edition of the Nigerian Maritime Expo (NIMAREX) 2014, noted that the processes for the giving concessions for the completed Onitsha River Port was in progress with a transaction adviser appointed to oversee the process that would lead to the invitation of expressions of interest from investors.

“Towards this end, the Federal Ministry of Transport and National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) held a stakeholders conference with the theme “Putting Onitsha River Port into Economic Use Before Concessionning,” in order to produce a robust road map on how to maximize the use of the port for the entire region,” Umar said.

Arising from the conference, the ministry of transport would constitute a project delivery and inter-ministerial steering committee to ensure early and optimal utilisation of the port. All the other river ports would be concessioned when completed.

‘With regard to inland waterways development and in order to sustain the dredged lower River Niger channel, I am happy that the contract for the dredging of River Benue is currently being processed to the Federal Executive Council for consideration and approval. This will further guarantee the sustainability of the lower River Niger channel and expand our inland waterways,” he said.

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/03/fg-to-concession-ports-to-private-sector/

otipoju:
Hmmmn. There is a God in heaven that watches over the affairs of men...Nigeria is precious in his eyes, he will nullify their schemes by sending confusion into their midst.

Obasanjo saw a fine and capable leader from the south south in Donald Duke, he don't bring him up..it is this wolf in sheep clothing that he fostered on Nigeria.

YOU GUYS ARE FUND OF PROPAGATING MALICIOUS FALSEHOOD WITH THE AIM OF RAISING UP TRIBAL AND RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS. BUT BY GOD'S GRACE YOUR PLOY AND PLANS HAS FAILED AS WE WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE IN PEACE IN NIGERIA DESPITE THE ELECTION TENSIONS AND PROVOCATIONS.

Abagworo:
Good environment

WHAT IS THE CAPACITY OF THIS CHAPEL ? CAN THIS CHAPEL ACCOMMODATE UP TO 200 PERSONS ? I ask because the chapel appears beautiful but small in size

How we turned Anambra into Nigeria’s investment destination of choice –Ekwunife, ANSIPPA boss
0
By Our Reporter on February 9, 2015 Business

BY AMECHI OGBONNA and MERCY EZEANOZIE

Mr. Joe Billy Ekwunife is the managing director of Anambra State Investment promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA.), a special purpose vehicle established by the state government to facilitate the industrialization process of the state through helping prospective entrepreneurs overcome the hurdles of infrastructure and land title constraints.

In less than ten months of its establishment, AN­SIPPA under Ekwunife has attracted over $1.7billion investment in various sectors of the state’s economy, a development officials believe will raise its internally generated revenue to about N2.5billion per month over the next few months from about N1bilion cur­rently as well as facilitate job creation for Nigerian youths.

He explained that recent survey had shown that the state moved dramatically from occupying the 32nd position in business friendly environment ranking to about 15 per cent, assuring that the steady rise was bound to continue until it becomes the number one in­vestment destination in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

This is because, ahead of the full implementation of the Federal Government’s Economic Trasnsformation Agenda and the automotive policy, the state is already home to several huge investments in automobile assembly plants and a couple of other investments in the agricultural value chain.

Ekwunife stated that ANSIPPA which came into being through a law passed by the state House of Assembly, achieved the feat of getting land titles for investors coming to set up businesses in the state within 6 to 8 weeks, as opposed to over two years in parts of the country.

In this interview with Daily Sun, the ANSIPPA boss explains the philosophy behind the agen­cy and efforts being made by the Obiano administration to achieve its lofty objectives.

Excerpts.

Our history

ANSIPPA was inaugurated by Governor Willy Obiano in May 2014. We started in a one-room office in a hotel but later moved to its present location in October after it was commissioned by the Governor.

As a special purpose vehicle, (SPV) the law establishing ANSIPPA was passed by the Anambra State House of Assembly in April 2014. That was about the first assignment the Governor undertook because we believe the agency is a very strategic and key component of our administration’s 4 pillars of eco­nomic development, comprising Agriculture, Industrialization, Trade and Commerce and Oil and Gas with other enablers like education, security and all that. If you observe, the Gov­ernor on coming on board tackled the state’s security challenge and within weeks and months, Anambra became relatively free of criminals and hoodlums. At least people who visited home from other parts of the country for last Christmas holidays all testified to this. As a matter of fact, Obiano doesn’t even want to take credit for that because he believes that was what a governor should do ordinarily.

But what makes it worthy of mention is that hitherto, security was so bad in Anambra State that even sons and daughters of the state were afraid of coming home because of all manners of criminal activities plaguing it.

However, we have now seen that this singu­lar achievement has boosted what we are do­ing in ANSIPPA, which is to attract, promote, manage and protect investments in the state.

We have been effectively in operations for about seven months and through the active leadership of the governor, ANSIPPA has been able to attract investments to the tune of $1.7 billion which cut across various sectors of the economy.

If you want to break it down, I can tell you that we had about $600 million in investment in agriculture, and close to $400 million in industrials, while oil and gas and power sector accounted for close to $350 million. In other sectors like hospitality, real estate, we have attracted close to $300-$400 million.

Today we are signing two major Memoran­dum of Understanding which will bring about $150 million in investment in vehicle assem­bly plant and liquefied natural gas distribution. We believe this will help industries bring down their cost of production. If all these projects are implemented, it then means the industrial clusters will reduce the cost of powering their plants by at least 30 percent. So, we appreciate the governor for his vision which is also in tandem of the vision and mission to make Anambra the first choice investment destination in the country which is now beginning to materialize.

It is very important to note that beforeA N­SIPPA came into being, Anambra was number 32 in terms of investments destinations among the 36 states of the federation. But lately though not fully confirmed, unofficial reports indicate that since the onset of Governor Obiano’s administration, we have moved probably to number 15 from 32. This is more so because ANSIPPA has a board that is made up of world-class economic council. It’s an 11- man board but the beauty of it is that within , we have five key commissioners and ministers on the board. We have Commissioner for Lands, finance, trade and industry, economic planning and budget and the Attorney General as members of its board.

It was deliberate and very visionary of the governor because all these sit to appraise all the projects and all of them have had to make input into whatever we are doing. We have what I call one-stop shop agency where all the relevant to project approval are done really quickly without the inhibition of any bureau­cratic bottleneck

For instance in other states or prior to set ­ting up of ANSIPPA, it takes an average of 18 months to get a Certificate of Occupancy, but now, if you come here and you want your C of O that will enable you bring investment to the state and employ our youths, if you have a piece of land and it passes the generic assess­ment in ANSIPPA, it will take 6-8 weeks for you to get your C of O. It’s unprecedented in Nigeria. This is because the governor has the vision of a private sector operator to improve the state in all ramifications and has decided to set up ANSIPPA to fasttrack the processes. You can see where we are, that we’re not in the secretariat where people carry files about without achieving tangible results. That is the image of the new Anambra State we are building.

Number of projects on ground

I can count them. It’s between 10 and 15 so far but I can tell you that I receive an average of 120 proposals every day. I can also tell you that we are so professional that sometimes, we have 120 proposals and 111 of them are not good, which means we are very selective. But once you meet our policy requirements, we can tell you that it will be given express treatment.

Some of the MOUs we’re signing today, we made first contact with those involved in December and we’re signing it in late January. That is the speed with which we pursue these proposals because my board meets twice a month, largely to consider proposals and review the ones we have. So, I can say that we have handled between 12 and 15 projects with total amount ranging from $400 million to $300, 200, 50 and so on. When you add all of them up, it’s over $1.7 billion.

Message to potential investors/allaying fears on security

Governor Willy Obiano has done a marvelous job in the area of security and he took it for granted and said that’s what he ought to do. So, what he has done here in just seven months will be celebrated for over three or four years in others states. But we are excited that the confidence of the busi­ness community is back in the state. Most of the investors, that is Ndi Anambra have now developed enough confidence to bring their partners from overseas to come and invest locally. So, the assurance is there. I Just spoke with some friends a short while ago, people brought their families for the yuletide celebrations last year, stayed for many weeks and there was no single incident of kidnap­ping or criminality in the entire state because the criminals know that the government will always go for them and dislodge them. If you pass through Onitsha for example, you see the beauty of that commercial city. You’ll see the cleaned up environment which has helped rebuild the peoples’ confidence in the state and government. So, what am I telling people the world over is that Anambra is safe. Anambra is secure. Social media and internet is now busy telling the whole world what is happening in Anambra State. I get a lot of mails, calls, SMS about what is happening in the state. We have a governor whose paramount interest is to safeguard the lives and property of the citizens. In fact, people are scrambling to see how they can join the fray. So, the state is secure and safe and I’m telling them same too.

Power

I’ve just told you we signed MOU about seven weeks ago on a power plant that will produce 80 megawatts of electricity. Re­member the entire country is running on about 3,000 megawatts. The 80 megawatts will be spread around the industrial clusters. All these will soon happen. It’s a question of time. All the MOUs have between 18-24 months imple­mentation time. We’re doing another power project that is going to run on gas. Some will run on solar. These will be put at the farms to irrigate them, and around the clusters. It may take a while but once they come onboard, power issue will be a thing of the past. It will be available, full and affordable. Nigerians are willing to pay for services that are good and so if you give them uninterrupted electricity, they will be willing to pay. Where it becomes a problem is when you don’t provide the service and you try to charge them. We believe our government is on the right path which is also the treason it has been able to attract investments covering sectors like power, oil and gas and agriculture which is one of the main pillars of the state’s eco­nomic development. Anambra today produces about 60,000 metric tons of rice annually and we consume over 370,000 metric tons of rice, so there is a gap of almost 300,000. So, with the three major rice produc­tion MoUs we’ve signed, once they come on stream, we’re going to produce about 320,000 metric tons. With that, the gap is already closed and the state will become a net exporter of rice to other states in the next one or two years.

So, the governor chose his pillars very well and is pursuing them vig­orously and that is why I can assure you that the power challenge will eventually be solved. It has to be solved through IPPs. If we rely on government, we won’t do that and because of the confidence potential investors are having on Anambra, they are beginning to come and look at power, oil and gas, putting infrastructure in place because power is key to optimal performance of these projects and lower the cost of production.

Location of the projects

There is one of the projects at Ozubulu focusing on industrialization while the agricul­tural projects are located towards Awka North, Ayemelum where we have massive land. To do a major agriculture project, we’re talking of about 1-2,000 hectares of land. You’re talking about 4 million plots. One thing the governor has done is that through the agricultural implementation, they have mapped out these areas. We now have them partitioned. The areas that will grow rice, the area that will grow tomatoes, the area that will be used for industrialization have all been mapped out. If you come to trade and industry, they are building a major market in Ogbunike. It is a very hi-tech modern market that will gulp up to $350 million. That way, you don’t have to fly to China. The market is so developed and computerized that everything you want is there. The clusters are spread all over the senatorial zones because there is committee that mapped out the areas suitable for certain crops or projects. So the locations are Awka, like Awka Capital Development Au­thority; another location is Ozubulu, Nnewi and all that. The ACDA is charged with ensuring standards in building development. They have mapped out the areas that will be for highrise, the areas for low buildings, areas for commercial purposes, schools and other development stan­dards. So you can’t come now and start developing in Awka. All these are in progress and in the next one or two years, if you come to Anambra State, it will be total transformation entirely.

Why we’re expanding into auto industry

Yes! The state is a leader in auto related activities in Nigeria mainly by being importers of vehicles. Apart from Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Limited that is into production, we don’t have much in production. In any case, this company we’re signing MoU with today is not doing only production of cars and buses but in fact it is doing tractors that will serve in agricultural projects, that is talking about earth-moving equipment used for road construction and other com­mercial activities. So they will be producing those heavy duty machin­eries that we normally import into the country, when they commence operations full blast. With that, they will be helping other companies and business interests. At the end of the day the aim of all these efforts is Jobs! Jobs!! Jobs!!!.

We have discovered that job creation is paramount to engage our youths so that they can disengage from crime. These projects will also grow the state’s socio-economic fortunes.

For instance during the construc­tionphase, we are going to hire at least 200 direct employment for the Ndi Anambra. When it has fully ma­tured, we’re going to create at least 2,000 direct jobs and you know that for every direct job you create, you created at least four indirect jobs. Look at the agric sector for example, at the end of the day, we’ll create at least 150,000 jobs for the youths. Part of the plans is to make you (the investor) commit to the commu­nity through the Corporate Social Responsibility. You devote certain percentage of your profit to the de­velopment of schools, provide bore­holes and all that for the community where you operate. It is part of what I do here. If you’re not going to do that, then it won’t work because I won’t put your structure into place. The host community where you are operating, you’ve taken their land. You must have some form of deal to compensate them. For instance, if they are producing cassava, pro­vided that they met your standards, you must buy all that the cassava they cultivate. You must give them seedlings where necessary, you must encourage them. So, with this plan, you give everyone a sense of belonging, create employment in the process and develop the economy.

Next investment plan

The governor has the plan to build a cargo airport in Anambra around Umuleri. The land is there already. Remember Orient Petroleum is located there as well. They have oil wells. We are looking at having refineries. Those are the areas in oil and gas. If Orient Petro­leum is producing oil, gas and then aviation fuel, that will be a good development. Remember some international airlines go to Ghana to refuel but when ours is operational, they can come here to refuel. So, we are looking at various areas of investment and development. We’re looking at introducing value chain in agriculture. One thing is to produce but another is to provide the storage so that after the season of the crops, you still have the goods fresh to consume and sell. The usual challenge in agriculture in Nigeria is poor storage facilities. Two or three months after the harvest, we don’t have the means to preserve the farm produce and soon they go out of season and we start afresh again. So, we’re looking at value chain in all these sectors that investors are com­ing into. By value chain I mean that you’re producing cassava which you are converting to starch. We are also looking at waste management and recycling. So, the waste from the cassava and the farm generally are going to be collected and converted into cheap sources of energy or power. These are some of the things that will come in the second stage of our investment plan.

Orient petroleum

They are producing at low capacity at the moment. They are refining about 2,000-2,500 bar­rels a day. They have the capacity to push it up to 55,000 barrels per day and you know Anambra State has a very tiny equity. Besides, it’s a pri­vate investment. Through ANSIPA, we’re looking at ways of cooperat­ing with them, see how funds will be attracted from either international donors or sources or other outlets so that they can expand. They have good potentials. They have many oil wells and they have tapped only less than 1 percent. They have full gas reserve and all these are going to be exploited. They are looking at so many options. The governor inau­gurated a committee on oil and gas recently headed by a well known oil man. They are looking at ways of helping Orient Petroleum live up to its potentials.

Incentives to investors

Aside giving them lands, we do all documentation about perfection of the land and all that. All investments in Anambra via the PPP comes with Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that drives that transaction. When you acquire a plot of land in a good location say at about N1.5 million and you require 20,000 plots which is 1,000 hectares. We’re not going to give you at the rate of N1.5, multiplied by 20,000 because that is over N2 billion. Some of these things are weighed and reduced or waived. They are part of Anambra’s contribution to make these projects a reality. We also assist in tax relief where necessary and all that. Like I said, we have a one-stop shop where you come in and sit in the comfort of this office, I will do all the leg work and documentation that within days, all the paper work is ready. That will save weeks and months of tracing and carrying files from office to office or from ministry to ministry. These are the things that make Anambra unique in terms of investment attraction. If we tell you that we’ll conclude in 60 days, we try to even deliver in 50 days.

State’s equity in the projects

Yes our equity is the land we have provided because in some places we have taken 5 per cent and in others 10 per cent equity.

We look at the infrastructure we have provided in these MoUs because it takes about N90million to N100million to do one kilometer of road and if you do about three kilometers you would have invested about N300 to N400milion. Those are the things we value in addition to other intangibles the state govern­ment is providing to come up with the actual equity the government is putting into these projects.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=103845

IgboDelta:
HD MODEL VIDEO OF THE PROPOSED NATIONAL HYDROCARBON LABORATORY, OWERRI.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyefbG2-mFE

I Love this !!! I hope it comes to realisation.

Chiwude:
Iheanacho is just being mindful of spending extravagantly. He knows he stands no chance against Rochas in this election and is only coming out just to test his popularity. And truly, he seems popular among Imo electorates. I think his industrialization manifesto is something Imo youths admire. Hence, The 2019 election will be his best bet to emerge victorious as Governor.

I don't know why Rochas is paying lip service to industrializing Imo State. All he care about is how to build poor quality roads that wash out easily and buildings that are not of priority to Imo people. WE NEED JOBS, INDUSTRIES AND INFRASTRUCTURES. Iheanacho seems set to achieve this.

Collynzo9:
They are campaigning to those who will actually vote.
No need for flamboyant media campaign.

Iheanacho should up his game if he wants to win the Imo State governorship elections.

IMO STATE

Collynzo9:
Nonsense.
Rochas should be kicked out for a more serious governor.
Enough of the government house, round abouts, conference center and guest house development.
Imo needs real development.

VOTE APGA FOR INDUSTRIALISATION

Charlesdonald:
Odenigbo guest house owerri

Who are these nice guest houses meant for ?

Forbes Billionaire, Orji Kalu, Set to Launch Hotel Chain
0
By Our Reporter on February 5, 2015 Business

Founder of Slok Group and former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, is expanding his busi­ness empire into hospitality. Kalu, who was recently rated by Forbes as the fourth richest Nigerian and one of the 50 richest Africans, is said to be working tirelessly to en­sure the boutique hotels are completed on schedule.

The brand named Sun Heavens Hotels and Resort with the motto: “Try our heaven, feel the difference” is of international standard.

The hotel chain is being managed by a seasoned ex­pert from Turkey, Ms. Elis Seval, among other award-winning professionals in the hospitality industry.

According to Seval, the target market will include business visitors and tourists who appreciate topnotch hos­pitality services.

Daily Sun learnt that the Victoria Island facility billed for inauguration at the end of this month will attract celebrities, top business ex­ecutives, professionals and diplomats.

Other locations including Lekki, Ikoyi, Asokoro, Gudu, Umuahia and Enugu will be completed soon.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=103370

Gov Orji tampers with INEC adhoc staff list in Abia
0
By Our Reporter on February 5, 2015 COVER

PDP members posted as election supervisors in LGAs

As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares to start the training of adhoc staff recruited to conduct the general elections across the country, there’s apprehension in Abia State, fol­lowing the substitution of people ear­lier penciled down for the job with other names.

Daily Sun gathered that following INEC advertisement asking Nigerians to apply as adhoc staff, some people in Abia State sent in their applications and were listed for recruitment and training.

It was gathered that on the day slated for the intending adhoc staff to report, Abia State officials, acting on the instruction of Governor Theodore Orji, brought a fresh list as the authentic adhoc staff.

Sources revealed that the list from Abia Government House was submitted to the Electoral Officers (EOs), who accepted it and told the earlier listed candidates that they would no longer be hired.

Following the development, candidates of other political parties are alleging that with Governor Orji nominating INEC adhoc staff, this has set the stage for the rigging of the elections.

They also alleged that the state government has influenced the appointment of election supervisors in all the 17 Local Government Areas.

According to them, the appointed election supervisors are card-carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The delegates’ election of the PDP in Abia was dogged by controversies, as the state government listed people without holding any congress.

This had paved way for the delegates to return only candidates the state governor wanted.

The governorship primary election in the state is still a subject of litigation, with some aspirants going to court to challenge the emergence of Okezie Ikpeazu as the candidate.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=103307