₦airaland Forum

Sambo in Enugu, commissions Police Heliport

By John Emmanuel / September 25, 2014 / No Comments

Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has commended Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State for building a Police Heliport for the Police Command in the state, which he described as a feat that would step up efforts of the force in providing security and protection to the citizenry and ensuring law and order in the state.

Tweet ?

Namadi Sambo

Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has commended Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State for building a Police Heliport for the Police Command in the state, which he described as a feat that would step up efforts of the force in providing security and protection to the citizenry and ensuring law and order in the state.
The Vice President gave this commendation Thursday in Enugu, the state capital after commissioning the Heliport that was built by the State Government.
Sambo described the commissioning as significant milestone in the fight against all forms of crimes in the country. He called on other state governors to emulate the efforts of the Enugu State governor by also embarking on similar projects that would assist the Police and other law enforcement agents in combating crime in all its ramifications.
“Today we are faced with increasing challenges of the sophistication of modern-day crimes which have become more advanced in practical terms. These new forms of crimes require extra time and effort from our law enforcement agents to effectively tackle them. Indeed this investment will go a long way in helping to curb crime through regular security surveillance and aerial patrol.” He said
The Vice President added that with the commissioning of the heliport, helicopters would be deployed to the state to assist fight crimes and criminality in the state and other states in the south-east.
He called on the Police Command to ensure proper maintenance of the facility so that it would stand the test of time while giving them assurance of Federal Government’s support at all times towards enhancing their effectiveness.
Earlier in his remarks, the host Governor, Sullivan Chime stated that the major obligation of any government constitutionally was to provide for the security and wellbeing of its citizenry.
“I am happy that today Enugu state has been able to contribute to the nation’s quest to have a secured environment. This is our contribution to your efforts.” he said.
The Enugu State Governor called on the Police command to ensure that the heliport was put to maximum use and run effectively so that it would stand the test of time.
Also in his remarks, the Minister of Police Affairs Abduljelili Adesiyan said that the heliport commissioning as auspicious as it was a strategic infrastructure and a platform for the safe-landing of helicopters on aerial surveillance operations.
He added that the project marked an important watershed in the cooperation of the states with the federal government in the provision of critical infrastructure for the Nigerian Police Force and has opened a safe conduit for aerial surveillance operations of the Nigerian Police Force in Enugu State and in other south-eastern states.
According to the Minister, the project was in line with the reform agenda of the Federal Government for the Police force under the Transformation Agenda of the President.

He added that the present administration of President Goodluck Jonathan on the assumption of office in 2010, gave impetus to the reform agenda of the Nigerian Police Force with the approval of the implementation plan of the agenda.
“The implementation plan emphasizes partnership of the three tiers of government as well as added support of the private sector in the reform of Nigerian Police Force for effective an efficient security service delivery.” he said

He further stat that the present administration has provided over N100billion towards the implementation of the reform programme of the Nigerian Police Force. He however said that the enormous investment required in the provision of security for the citizens and the rather large and challenging geographical landscape of the country necessitated the need for constructive engagement with all stakeholders.
“In august 2013, through the instrumentality of the National Economic Council, governments commitment to supporting the funding of Nigerian Police Force in practical and organized manner because of the partnership was the consensus that the support of state government would be applied to execute projects of the Nigerian Police Force in their respective states.” He said
Abduljelili Adesiyan added that today’s commissioning of the helicopter landing port otherwise known as heliport was a landmark record in the partnership of Enugu state with the Federal Government of Nigeria.
He thanked the governor of Enugu State for his demonstration of an uncommon support for Nigerian Police force while also inviting other states of the federation to emulate the commendable initiative of Enugu State in order to enhance the security of life and property in the country while assuring the Governor of the effective utilization of the facility by the Nigerian Police Force in strengthening aerial security operations in the state and the nation.
The Vice President was accompanied by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Power Prof. Chinedu Nebo and the Special Adviser Political to the President Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali amongst others.

http://theeagleonline.com.ng/sambo-in-enugu-commissions-police-heliport/

ibedun: Paradise!!! Paradise!!! [size=14pt][/size] But the average igbo (Chuckwudi and Amaka) no fit live there!

Igboland is paradise compared with the huge slum called yoruba land

WELCOME TO ABAKALIKI POWER PLANT LIMITED (APPL)

Abakaliki Power Plant Limited (APPL) is a special purpose company formed for the implementation and the operation of the 5 MW cogeneration plant at Ikwo.
The major shareholders are:

Ebonyi State Government
Ebonyi Agro Company Limited
Bank of Industry Limited
Abakaliki Rice Mill Owners Association

Ebonyi state is a very peaceful state in Nigeria with modern hotels, restaurants, internet facilities, etc. and is connected with Lagos and Abuja by frequent flights from the nearby airports. Ebonyi state government is an active state with lot of modern infrastructure projects under construction.

APPL intends to go for international bidding for the selection of the EPC contractor on turnkey basis for the construction of the 5 MW cogeneration plant. In this regard, APPL has prepared tender documents and will be launching the bid in a short time. The plant will be located in Ikwo, which is about 60 km far from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State administrative headquarters. The plant will mainly use rice husk as fuel.

The net available electricity will be supplied to Ebonyi Electric Power Company Limited (EEPCL) at 11 kV level. EEPCL will supply the electricity to two large modern rice mills, a number of small rice mills in the cluster, other nearby customers including households and to a water treatment facility through a mini-grid. Steam will be supplied to the modern rice mills in the Ikwo cluster. Rice husk from all the above rice mills will go to the power plant. The power plant may use the other biomass fuel available in the nearby locality up to a maximum of 20%. Eighty percentage will be rice husk. The power plant intends to use steam thermal technology. Travelling grate system is the preferred technology for the boiler.

Ebonyi state is a very peaceful state in Nigeria with modern hotels, restaurants, internet facilities, etc. and is connected with Lagos and Abuja by frequent flights from the nearby airports. Ebonyi state government is an active state with lot of modern infrastructure projects under construction. Some of the key on going projects are:

The new city project
International market project
Water treatment facility for the new city and Abakaliki town
10.6 MW power plant
Rice industry modernization project
Various two lane road projects
Various other development project

http://applbiomass.com/

MeAndYou: Igbos are waking up! Prior to the fall of the north who would have told Amadi that his son, Uwadiegwu would not only come home to erect beautiful houses but also stay back to contribute immensely to the development and economic prosperity of their community?

@ RareDiamond thanks for the update.

Thanks my brother. Everybody should contribute in updating this thread.

Turkish Airlines to fly Enugu International Airport

Nigeria and Turkey will on Monday sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Turkish Airline to commence operation at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, Vice President Namadi Sambo said on Thursday. Sambo said this on Thursday in Enugu during the rally organised by a group known as the Enugu Movement for the Re-election of Jonathan, .

He said that five Turkish airlines would be joining their Ethiopian counterpart, the only airline currently operating at the airport. “This is going to be a big feat because five airlines from Turkey will be departing from the airport per week. “We are going to have all the world’s airlines here because we want to make Enugu the hub of business in the aviation sector,” he said.

The Vice President said that locating the International Helicopter Flying School in the state had given it the leverage to grow in the sector. “More workers will be deployed at the helipad built by the state government and this will boost the state’s economy.” Sambo said that the Federal Government had approved the sum of N220 million for Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.

He said that the Federal Government had also put modalities in place for the establishment of a gas pipeline to generate 1,000 mega watts of electricity in Enugu state.

“We are doing everything to ensure that the state is improved in terms of power supply to support economic activities of the people here.

“The Federal Government has also concluded plans to employ 12 million Nigerians in the next eight months,” Sambo said.

Earlier, Gov Sullivan Chime pledged the support and loyalty of the government and people of the state for President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to Chime, “all we do in Enugu, we owe to the President and PDP”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that dignitaries at the event included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani and Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra.

Others are former governors of the old Anambra and Enugu states, Chief Jim Nwobodo and Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo respectively, and the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Prof. Rufai Ahmed, among others


http://nigerianewsbox.com/turkish-airline-to-fly-enugu-international-airport/

Anambra Acquires 200,000 Hectares for Agriculture

Posted by: Daniel Essiet in Agriculture August 22, 2014

The Anambra Land Acquisition Committee said it had acquired more than 200,000 hectares of land for the state government’s agricultural transformation scheme.

The Interim Chairman of the committee, Igwe Chukwuemeka Ilouno, said this in an interview in Onitsha.

He said the governor, Willie Obiano, was committed to investing massively in agriculture and had gone ahead to procure some of the needed input in furtherance of the scheme.

“We have just too many lands and more; what is holding us back now is surveyors.

“We need a lot of surveyors to come and survey the lands that had been given so that we can sign MoU (Memoranda of Understanding) with various communities that have donated land.

“Because previously these lands were never surveyed. So this is exactly the situation we are in.

“And by the time we finish surveying, the governor can have hundreds of thousands of hectares of land available for cultivation.

“We already have more than 200,000 hectares.

“The governor has just waved his hands and said any land that is donated would be cultivated.

“He has already been able to secure 150 tractors, 15 million bundles of cassava cuttings and a lot of rice seedlings and fish fingerlings.

“So, he is ready to invest in agriculture.That is what he had shown.

“It is not only him investing, he is inviting international investors, local investors to come and he will give them land to bring in whatever they have to cultivate.“

The chairman, who is also Chairman of Anambra Central Traditional Rulers Council, appealed to all communities in the state to key into the scheme to wipe out hunger, unemployment, and crime in the state

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/anambra-acquires-200000-hectares-for-agric/

Ebonyi at the Dawn of Infrastructural Transformation
Posted on Monday, 16 June 2014, 12:05 am by The City Reporters in COLUMN with 0 Comments
By Jeff Amechi Agbodo

Ebonyi is one of the new generations of states which came into existence in October1, 1996. The State is generally well known for its agricultural and solid mineral endowments. Over the years, the famous Abakaliki rice has become an emblem of identity of the area following the commercial cultivation of local rice there which is in great demand all over the country. Ebonyi State took its name from the Ebonyi River which traverses the entire state like a troubadour.

Although Ebonyi State prides itself as “the salt of the nation”, time was, when many visitors to the state chose to call it “the dust of the nation” owing to the copious haze of dust which trails any movement through the bad roads across the state. Incidentally, bad roads were only a small part of the development challenges which confronted Ebonyi state at its creation. Like many other states in the country, Ebonyi state continues to grapple with the challenges of education, healthcare and water delivery and rural electrification among others.

Remarkably, 17 years after its creation, the State has greatly changed for the better. In particular, the last 7 years has witnessed a new burst of energy and activity especially in the area of infrastructural transformation of the agrarian state. The subsisting infrastructural rebirth of the state is the product of Governor Martin Elechi’s effort to match his words with action. It would be recalled that in his inaugural address to Ebonyi people in May 29, 2007 following his swearing-in, Governor Elechi had outlined a pragmatic development blueprint for the State anchored on infrastructural development and attitudinal change. After 7 years in the saddle, the verdict of the people is that the state government has kept faith with its promises with the following sectors in view.

ROADS AND BRIDGES:

If there is one sector where the government has made the greatest impact in the last 7 years, it is probably in the area of construction of roads and bridges. Following a comprehensive and ambitious programme of action, the Ebonyi landscape was virtually turned into a theater of construction with the construction of an initial 19 bridges and 164km access roads. The scope of the project, codenamed Ebonyi Unity bridges and access was later expanded to 36 bridges, and about 200 kilometer-access roads connecting all the 13 Local Government Areas of the state. The challenge of constructing roads and bridges in Ebonyi State is heightened by the topography of the state interspersed with undulating hills and valleys, crisscrossed by the Ebonyi River which traverses all parts of the state.

A remarkable feature of the infrastructural development drive of the state is that in many places, the construction efforts actually represent the very first time in history in which the people of those areas witnessed alphalted roads and concrete bridges since the world began.

Another significant feature of the infrastructural drive is that the state government is not limiting itself to the usual demarcation of duties in terms of state and federal roads. It is for this reason that the state government took the responsibility of constructing the 42 kilometer Abakaliki-Oferekpe road with 6 bridges. The state had undertaken the dualization of part of Abakaliki-Afikpo road and Abakaliki-Enugu expressway which recently extended to the gate of the state university which are federal roads.

Today, to the joy of the project communities and other road users, such roads as the Okposi-Uburu-Nkerefi road, the Onicha Igboeze internal roads, the Amagu-Nwezenyi road, the Abakaliki Urban roads and many others have been completed and in use. The bridges at Ezzama, Idembia, Noyo, Onuebonyi Echara, Agba, Akaeze, Unwana and Ukaba along with their access roads have been completed to mention only a few.

According to Governor Martin Elechi, “the emphasis on roads and bridges is borne out of the recognition that it is the primary condition upon which the development of other sectors depends”. There is no doubt that with the on-going infrastructural transformation of the state, Ebonyi is on the threshold of a new socio-economic era.

INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE:

One of the most outstanding feats of Ebonyi State Government in the last 7 years is the recovery of 948.7 hectares of former army land in Abakaliki capital city. Through a land exchange deal with the Nigerian Army, the state government acquired a new geographical space for the development of a modern satellite town known as the Ocho Udo city. The development of this new city is already in progress with the construction of an ultra- modern secretariat complex of 11 blocks of 4 storeys each. This gigantic project was awarded to a foreign construction firm Marlum Nigeria Ltd which has been completed awaiting furnishing. Also in progress at the Ocho Udo city, is an international market covering a land space of 54 hectares with 5,600 lock up stores. It is expected that when the project is completed which is currently at 90 percent completion, the old Abakpa main market will be relocated to this new facility to decongest the Abakaliki city centre.

Another vital institutional infrastructure undertaken by the Elechi’s administration is the construction of an ultra-modern Staff Development Centre in Abakaliki. The project is designed to take care of the training needs of all categories of the state workforce to enhance their capacity for optimum productivity; the centre had trained at least 4,000 workers so far while the training is ongoing in batches. The project which has been completed at the cost of N255 million and equipped with furniture, gadgets and multi-media appliances worth N200 million.

Furthermore, the state government also constructed a new Deputy-Governor’s lodge and new Chief Judge’s quarters in Abakaliki.

EDUCATION:

Upon its creation in October 1996, Ebonyi state was acknowledged as the only educationally disadvantaged state in the South-East geopolitical zone. Aware of the importance of education as a driver of development, successive administrations in the state have placed education at the commanding height of their priorities. The state government’s education drive received a major boost under the civilian administration of the former Governor Dr. Sam Egwu following the introduction of the free and compulsory primary and secondary education initiative.

Under the incumbent administration of Chief Martin Elechi, the free education scheme has been sustained in addition to the introduction of the return to boarding school programme. Under this initiative, 27 secondary schools were selected for the pilot scheme and were provided with academic infrastructure and requisite boarding facilities at the cost of over N800 million. These 27 pilot schools, spread in the 13 local Government Areas of the state, are further complemented with 3 technical schools including building of the Girls Technical School, Agba and vocational colleges located at the 3 senatorial zones of the State.

In addition to the extension of bursary awards to disabled students from the state, the government is also shouldering the sponsorship of undergraduate and postgraduate students in various foreign universities. Apart from the primary and secondary levels of education, tertiary education has also received serious attention from the state government. In this regard, the government has sustained the funding of Ebonyi State University and the state college of Education Ikwo. This has accounted for the smooth running and infrastructural development of these institutions. The state government provided 6 luxury buses to the state university to ease the student’s transportation problem. Also there is ongoing construction of pilot model hostels for both male and female students as well as the provision of faculty buildings and the security fencing and transmission of water into the campus at Ezzangbo in readiness of single campus system.

WATER AND HEALTHCARE DELIVERY:

In times past, Ebonyi State used to be associated with guinea worm and other water borne diseases. Such state of affairs has changed with improvements in hygienic water supply to the people through the provision of hand pumps and boreholes in the rural areas. However, upon his assumption of office, Governor Elechi adopted a holistic approach to evolve a long term solution to the problem of water supply. In this regard, the administration embarked on the rehabilitation of the existing Ezilo water scheme at a contract sum of N788.4 million.

The administration also initiated the establishment of additional 2 gigantic water schemes. These are the Ukawu water scheme awarded to an Israeli water Engineering firm and the Oferekpe water scheme awarded to another Isreali water Engineering firm. Each of these water schemes is designed to produce 100 million cubic litres of water per day and will be reticulated to all parts of the state to put a permanent stop to the problem of pipe borne water supply. The governor had said that the Oferekpe water reticulations to various local government areas and communities would be completed by his administration but will ensure that the water will be used in Abakaliki before his exit. While these new water schemes are on course, the state government is also maintaining existing water installations such as the old Abakaliki water-works and the Ogberehi and Unwana water schemes.

In the health sector, the Elechi administration has, in the last 7 years, demonstrated a keen understanding of the linkage between health and development. In pursuit of its policy of public-private partnership, the government initiated the programme of extending financial grants to selected non-governmental mission hospitals in the state. So far, the sum of N1.92billion has been disbursed to 6 of such mission hospitals viz: Mater Mesericordiae Hospital Afikpo, the Presbyterian Joint Hospital Uburu, Mile 4 Hospital Abakaliki, Sudan United Mission Hospital Izzi, St. Vincent Hospital Ndubia and Rural Improvement Hospital, Ikwo. Interestingly, the State Government’s stimulus package to these hospitals has breathed a new lease of life into the institutions whose operations were previously constrained by a combination of obsolete equipment and the dearth of skilled manpower.

These programmes are complemented by the efforts of the wife of the Governor of Ebonyi State Mrs. Josephine Elechi whose war against Vesico Virginal Festula (VVF) has been acclaimed nationally and internationally. Under the scheme, Mrs. Elechi constructed a VVF repair centre in Abakaliki, in which over 300 patients from across the federation have been repaired, free of charge. Other health intervention programmes of the Governor’s wife include the safe motherhood project, Orphans and Vulnerable Children programme, relief for people living with HIV/AIDS and the Breast and Cervical Cancer project. Indeed, the health sector has faired admirably in 3 years of Elechi’s administration.

While it is difficult to comprehensively itemize the achievements of Ebonyi State government in the last 7 years, its strides in the agricultural sector deserves special mention. Apart from floating a tractor Hire service with the procurement of 200 brand new tractors, the government has also maintained a regime of incentives for Ebonyi farmers by way of soft loans, subsidization of fertilizer and distribution of improved agricultural inputs. To boost youth participation in agriculture, the state government undertook the sponsorship of 73 Ebonyi farmers to a training programme in Songhai Benin Republic. The trained youths have been given financial assistance of N 266 million to set up their agricultural outfit of their choice.

In order to decongest the Abakaliki rice mill, the state government has established 3 modern rice mill cluster one in senatorial zone which has started milling rice in Ikwo, Izzi and Osso Edda respectively. The modern rice milling machines worth N1.4 billion were supplied from Satake Corporation of Japan.

With the numerous achievements of the present administration in Ebonyi State in all sectors of the economy including the establishment of a new stone crushing estate at Ezza Umuoghara at the cost of N650 million, the construction of new digital radio and television stations at the cost of N2.4 billion among others, it is safe to say that Governor Elechi has kept faith with his promises.

The former Senator representing Ebonyi Central District, Senator Emmanuel Onwe, said that this year’s democracy day was the penultimate in the tenure of Governor Martin Elechi and was a fitting occasion for him to essay out for the people of the State the status of his stewardship in the course of the 7 years that he has been at the helm, saying that Elechi is always a confident performer.

His words: “Unlike the past when lack of exposure and inexperience hampered governance, Chief Elechi brought experience, knowledge, seriousness and disciplined mind to his administration’.

“He avoided the cosmetic efforts of the past and focused on substance infrastructure, structural and systemic reforms and genuine education policy that will long endure and deliver statewide benefits. I doubt that he will abandon any elephant projects. He unlocked the door of genuine development with the key of imagination”.

The senator said of course there is room for improvement because resources are scarce and human needs are unlimited, adding that it’s only a fool that will come to the conclusion that everything that can be achieved has been achieved.

According to Onwe, “but in summation, he can handover next year and retire or embark on another endeavour in his life confident in the knowledge that he has truly done his best for his people. We the writers of history will take it on from there. This is just an interim assessment. We will do the full report card in one year to come”.

If the governor should be given another opportunity to serve the state in any other capacity after his second term in office in 2015 if he wishes, it is left for the people of the state to decide but despite all odds, the governor has delivered the dividends of democracy to Ebonyians.

http://thecityreporters.com/ebonyi-at-the-dawn-of-infrastructural-transformation/

Imo Govt pays N700m Compensation for Lands

The Imo Government said it had paid more than N700 million compensation for lands acquired by the government for industrial and developmental purposes in the state.
The Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Development, Mr Uche Nwosu, told newsmen in Owerri that the payment was made within three years.
Nwosu said that the sum of N200 million was paid as compensation in 2012, while more than N500 million was paid between 2013 and 2014.
About N200 million was paid to land owners in the state as compensation through the Ministry of Lands before 2012.
Nwosu said this was done through a N4.35 million cheque presented to the people of Awawom in Owerri in 2013.
He said the ministry, had in 2009, paid N4.69 million out of a total amount of N9.35 million to Umuororonjo people who shared the proceeds equally with the Amawom community.
According to him, the state government, last week, paid N280 million to the people of Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of the state for 2,000 hectares of land acquired to build a free trade zone. Besides, the ministry, last month, paid N69.3 million as compensation for lands acquired from the people of Nekede, Owerri West.
The commissioner said the amount was for 75.6 hectares of land acquired from Area `U’ and Area `UA’, belonging to the Umuhiadiagu and Umuekweme kindreds in Nekede.
Nwosu said the ministry also paid N32.12 million for 30.5 hectares of land it acquired from Umuakalielu Naze and Egbu Communities in Owerri Local Government Area.
He said the amount was used to purchase the Timber and Island Approach Layout for business purposes and would be shared among four families in the communities through their attorneys.
Other payments, he said, were to the people of area `T’ and `TA’ who received N42 million.
He said that these payments made the current administration of Gov. Rochas Okorocha “as the highest paying government in terms of compensation for lands”.
Nwosu said the ministry had surveyed 22 areas, including the 2002 Capitol Area (now Heroes Square), Central Market/Motor Park site at New Owerri, the Okohia Layout and Housing Area ‘T’.
Other areas surveyed included land designated as ‘B’ (2) for the Nigeria Immigration Service, Imo State Command at Avu, Parcellation survey of the Infill Layout within Housing Area ‘C’ New Owerri and perimeter survey of Core Services Project site within the Rescue Layout.
He said the ministry had printed new Certificates-of-Occupancy with enough security features to protect owners from forgery.
The commissioner called on all land owners in the urban and rural communities with the old certificates to ensure they revalidated them and get the new one.
He regretted that most houses in the state were built without building plans and advised affected people to desist from the practice or risked building demolition.
Nwosu said the aim of the ministry in demolishing some occupied government spaces were to restore the Owerri city to its original plan.
“We have a lot of open spaces in Imo State where people contravened and build. Open spaces are meant for small parks.
“We have stopped people from taking over open spaces to restore back the original Owerri city plan,” he said.
The commissioner said that the ministry had also carried out a large scale renovation of the entire structure of Owerri Capital Development Authority and procured five utility project vehicles to enhance their operational activities.
Nwosu advised members of the public to be wary of land speculators and ensure they verified the genuineness of lands before buying.
The post Imo Govt pays N700m compensation for lands appeared first on Nigeria pilot.

http://nigeria.gounna.com/show/show/134568/1

Commissioner Nwosu Meets with Applicants for Orlu Shopping Mall, Others

Posted by The Leader News Online on Sunday, August 3, 2014 · Leave a Comment

The Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Hon. Uche Nwosu recently met with those who purchased forms to own shops at the Orlu Shopping Mall, Building Materials Market Umuowa and the Electronics Market Okporo.

Addressing them at the Orlu Council Headquarters, the Commissioner thanked them for their patience and understanding towards Government’s efforts to ensure that the shops are allocated to the rightful people.

He expressed regrets over the former Committee that handled the affairs of the shops for not carrying out the agreement between those that paid for the shops and the State Government.

The Commissioner noted that the State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha is poised to develop Orlu into a modern city so that Imo citizens who are outside their communities can come home and invest in any sector of their choice as well as to attract foreign investors. He enjoined them to give their total support to the Governor to achieve more for the State.

Hon. Nwosu stated that a committee involving him, the Transition Committee Chairman for Orlu Local Government and the Mayor of Orlu Zone, Chief Goddy Esomobodo has been set up to resolve the issue. The Commissioner said that an office will be opened at the Council to enable the committee carry out its assignment and assured them that in less than one month, the shop will be allocated to those who have completed their payments, while those who have not will also be considered.

Meanwhile, Chief Nwosu has directed those who worked on or supplied any materials during the building of the Orlu Shopping Mall at Old Onitsha Park, the Electronics Market Okporo and Building Materials Market Umuowa to meet with the committee for further directives.

Speaking also, the Mayor of Orlu Zone, Chief Esowobodo said that though there was no official handover by the former Mayor, Ichie Uche Mbanaso, he has been able to hold a meeting with the affected persons and assured them that all efforts are being made to ensure that they own their shops, stressing that no one will be victimized in any way.

http://theleaderassumpta.com/2014/08/03/commissioner-nwosu-meets-with-applicants-for-orlu-shopping-mall-others/

Pictures of Umuahia ALA IGBO AMAKA !!!

Waltersmith Raises $50Million For Topping Plant in Ibigwe Imo State, Awaits Approval

Section: In the news · April 24, 2014 · No comments | Tags: featured
ftimg-waltersmith

Nigerian independent Waltersmith Petroman has raised $50Million, the entire funds required for the building of a 5,000BOPD refinery at its Ibigwe field in Imo State, eastern Niger Delta. It is awaiting the approval of the Nigerian minister of Petroleum Resources to start construction.

“It has become imperative for us to do it”, says Abdurazaq Isa, the company’s executive chairman. “If you aggregate the losses we have suffered from vandalism of the Trans Niger Pipeline (the crude export line) since we started production in June 2008, it comes to over one year of production”, Isa explains. “Last year alone, we lost 120 days of production”.

Waltersmith produces 4,300BOPD at full throttle, but average monthly production in January, February and March 2014 have been between 3,500-3,800BOPD, largely because of deferments. Waltersmith has a Flowstation capacity of 15,000BOPD on the Ibigwe field. It hopes to source crude from nearby fields to feed the topping plant.

“We may not make as much money from the plant as we do in exporting the crude, but we won’t run at a loss”, Isa, a former banker, insists. “Imagine producing diesel and kerosene from our plant and distributing them around (eastern Nigerian cities of) Port Harcourt, Aba and Owerri?”, Isa asks. “We’d run better figures than anyone importing and landing and paying charges and coming from Lagos”. Isa restates the fact that the proposed 400,000BOPD refinery by the Dangote group “cannot meet the country’s domestic demand of petroleum products”.

Isa also sees the project in terms of social investment. Beneficiation of natural resources is a “legacy that we indigenous companies should leave”, he says. “In Britain, refineries contribute $3.87Billion to the local economy. It’s our duty to make that sort of contribution to our own economy. We will not lose money”

http://africaoilgasreport.com/2014/04/in-the-news/waltersmith-raises-50million-for-topping-plant-awaits-approval/

Techno Oil Plans Energy City In Abia State

Written by Cynthia Nwankwo Tuesday, 28 January 2014 23:47
A Lagos-based oil outfit, Techno Oil Limited, on Tuesday said it would establish a multi-million dollar oil company in Abia in collaboration with the state government.

The Managing Director of the company, Mr Tony Onyeama, made this known when the company executive, visited Gov. Theodore Orji, at the Government House, Umuahia.

Onyeama said the energy city would be sited at Obuaku, Ukwa West Local Government Area, and would be a conglomeration of the company’s three other operations in the oil and gas sector.

He noted that the company had commenced discussions with the state government through the Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, Chief Don Ubani.

He said that the hope of completing government proposed seaport at Obuaku would facilitate greater growth in commerce in the oil and gas sector of the state.

“It would also position Abia as the nerve centre of industrial activities in the eastern states since ship would berth at the port.

“The future, indeed, looks bright for Abia,’’ Onyeama said.

Onyeama said that Techno Oil would partner with the government to achieve the fit, adding that the construction would begin as soon as the memorandum of understanding was signed.

The managing director, who said the project would take about three years to realise, commended the state government’s initiatives in the health sector.

He cited the establishment of a Diagnostic/Specialist Centres in Umuahia and Aba as instances of the robust health programmes.

Earlier, the Vice Chairman of the company, Mrs Nkechi Obi, noted that the construction of a seaport would attract indigenous and foreign investors to the state.

Obi further observed that the initiative would help to grow the economy of the state and create job opportunities for the people.

She commended government policies, which she said, had helped to transform the state, including the relocation of the Old Umuahia main market out of the city centre to Ubani Ibeku.

Responding, Orji assured the company of the state government’s readiness to collaborate with it to realise the energy city.

He expressed delight that his clarion call to indigenes of the state to join hands with his administration to transform the state had started yielding dividends.

“Abia has no oil company, but we have oil so we will give your company government backing to actualise its dream,’’ he said.

He noted that Abia had become a safe haven for investors because of the successes recorded by the government in the security of lives and property.

According to him, Abia indigenes at home and abroad no longer have reasons not to return home to invest because of adequate security.

“Insecurity should no longer be an excuse,’’ the governor said, adding that his administration was determined to open up the state for investors.

Developer Opens Enugu Centenary City to the Public

September 8, 2014 by Maureen Ihua-Maduenyi

As part of efforts to provide residential, commercial and industrial properties, Private Estate International West Africa, the developer of Enugu Lifestyle and Golf City, also known as the Centenary City, has said it is opening the estate to the public through the sale of plots of land.

The Managing Director, Private Estates International West Africa, Mr. Kingsley Eze, said the city was designed to offer a lifestyle of luxury, adding that the development of infrastructure and other related costs would gulp $300m and that the project was being executed through a public-private partnership between the Enugu State Government and his organisation.

“Significant progress has been made in infrastructure, while several off takers have commenced construction of their building units,” he added.

Eze said upon completion, the city would have modern infrastructure, including electronic security system, water treatment plants, telecommunication facilities, wireless network, recreational park, hospital and schools.

He said, “Enugu Lifestyle and Golf City is the premiere lifestyle city in sub Saharan-Africa. Covering about 1,097 hectares, the city is characterised by breath-taking vintage layout and a rare fine blend of functionality that impeccably connects living with sustainable grandeur. The residential development caters for a wide range of housing needs, including entry-level, middle-income, executive, and super exclusive homes.

“The community is located around an 18-hole golf course that winds itself around the entire stretch of the development. An additional exclusive nine-hole golf course is located within the Presidential Park Estate and opens to only residents of this super exclusive, ultra-secure community within a very secure Enugu Lifestyle and Golf City. A five-star clubhouse and hotel is planned to be the central meeting point for residents in the community and will be managed by the Marriot brand.”

http://www.punchng.com/business/homes-property/developer-opens-enugu-centenary-city-to-the-public/

Enugu Lifestyle & Golf City is arguably one of the most beautifully planned cities in Nigeria. It is set on 1,097 hectares of lush green savannah with the Udi Hills as a picturesque backdrop. Designed around the style and comforts offered by the most advanced cities whilst retaining broad African influences, Enugu Lifestyle and Golf City will be the best place in Nigeria to live, work, learn, play and shop. The residential plots present breathtaking views of the golf course, lakes and reserved green areas. Irrespective of the plot size (ranging from 300m2 – 3,000m2), the city delivers a lifestyle of luxury, serenity and security.

Imo Chelsea Industrial Park

About Us

The Imo Chelsea Industrial Park is the vision of the ever erudite Chairman of the Chelsea Group. It is born out of the necessity to have a self-sufficient Nigeria dependent on locally made produce as well as products thus reducing the need for unnecessary imports. It is also necessary in helping to develop the Igbo states in Nigeria and bring prestige towards the Imo state and Nigeria in general.

The Imo Chelsea Industrial Park Ltd was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (C.A.C.) on the 12th of February 2014 with RC No: 1170664.

Area:

10,000Hectares

Place:

IMO State

Resources near by:

Sam Mbakwe Cargo airport
Port Harcourt

It is a partnership between Chelsea Group and the Imo State Government.

The Industrial park will be situated in Imo state and is planned to span a total area of 10,000 hectares with the total area of 2,000 hectares of land having already been acquired and paid for. The Chelsea Group has embarked on a large amount of projects for the benefit of Nigerians in Lagos and Abuja and as this has reserved this mammoth project for the eastern part of the country so as to give back a lasting legacy.

We will promote local industries as well as helping diversify economy away from the over reliance on Oil production and Oil sales.
Infrastructure

POWER STATION

ACCESSIBLE ROAD

DRY PORT

SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS

RAIL LINK

WASTE MANAGEMENT

STAFF QUARTERS / OFFICES

To build a world class industrial area with a first class residential area that anyone from any part of the world would be happy to live in and work in. Therefore, we will make sure that we apply best practice and quality in building and administrating the Park.


Structure Plan

The park is to be sited in Ngo-Okpala local government where commercial and subsistence agriculture are already rife. The location is also very strategic as it is close to the Sam Mbakwe Cargo airport and also a link between Port Harcourt and Abia State (both key commercial hubs in Nigeria). It will span 5 communities in this Local Government Area.

http://www.imochelseaindustrialpark.com/about-us.html

It appears most capital cities in south east are expanding to new frontiers and areas. Imo state have New Owerri which is developed, Enugu have Independence Layout which is developed, Abia State have Ogurube Layout which is developing same with Anambra Greenwood City and Ebonyi Ochudo City. Some states like Imo and Enugu states have even gone further by moving to what i call the "second phase" of expanding their capital cities by commencing the building of 10,000 hectares Imo Chelsea Industrial / Free-trade zone layout in Ngor Okpala which is a new city to be built from the thick hinterland of Ngor Okpala close to the Sam Mbakwe International Airport starting with a 1st phase of 2000 hectares and 1100 hectares Enugu Golf Centenary City. Ala Igbo is expanding at a fast rate and the rate would increase after 2015 elections. Aba and Onitsha are also expanding fast in all directions.

shaboti: Our igbo leaders need to more.. its like they've been in deep slumber since.

Some lack high zeal to develop their states while others have their attention on 2015. But they are all making progress although the level of progress differs from state to state.

IGBOSON1: Nothing on Ebonyi; pics or economic developments? It's the least known state in the entire South East!

Some things are going on there but are not always in the news. I will also look more into this

pazienza: Nice thread bro, please try and post development news and pics from Anioma area too, for example, pics from Asaba would be highly welcomed , i want to see how well that great town is turning into a beautiful city. Thumbs up.

I will try and look that up

Willie Obiano’s Six Months of Magic in Anambra State as Internal Generated Revenue Hits One Billion
0
By JAMES EZE on September 22, 2014 · COVER

Six months ago when Chief Willie Obiano mounted the saddle of leadership in Anambra State, there was understandable anxiety among Ndi Anambra. The immediate past governor, Peter Obi’s humble disposition and outstanding performance had left people, wondering if anyone else could sustain the tradition of excellence he had established in the state, let alone improve upon it. This is in spite of the former governor’s assurances during the campaign days that he was confident that whatever he had achieved in government would be surpassed by the man he had anointed to succeed him.

Now, six months into Obiano’s administration, former governor Obi must be nodding his head in contentment, a wry smile clinging to the edges of his mouth. It has become clear to even his most rabid political enemies that his choice of Willie Obiano as his successor was right. In a country where succession has posed the greatest challenge to leadership, Obiano’s widely acclaimed great performance in the last six months has firmly validated former governor Peter Obi as a great leader who is not only concerned about the present but keeps an eagle eye on the future.

Six months down the road, the facts of Obiano’s stewardship are there for all to see. The ex-banker had signaled his intention to turn things around in Anambra in his prophetically titled inaugural address – Expanding the Frontiers of Excellence. In that document, he had sought to not only expand the frontiers of excellence but to enlarge the realms of possibility. And the facts are here with us in just six months. The most glaring of these facts is that for the first time in living memory, Anambra State has almost attained a crime-free status. For more than four decades, Onitsha, the economic engine-room of Nigeria’s South East was a metaphor for crime and unnamable absurdities. People who are familiar with Onitsha can easily recall the era of the first and second Boys Oh Yeahs down to the Bakassi Boys days, the Derico days and a host of other regimes of the underworld in Onitsha. These periods in history made Onitsha synonymous with violent crime, stripping it of the promise it once held as the literary publishing capital of West Africa which it firmly established with the era of the once famous Onitsha Market Literature. For close to four decades; Onitsha was an anathema of sorts; a taboo to decent folks. But Obiano’s Operation Kpochapu has changed that narrative in just six months.

In a recent encounter with Engr Emeka Okwuosa, an oil magnate and a prominent indigene of the state, he calmly observed that “what Ndi Anambra need is security. Give us security and leave the challenge of developing Anambra State to us.” It would seem that Governor Obiano had this in mind before he assumed the leadership of the state. He figured out that if he could fix Anambra’s security worries, then everything else would follow. He also knew that without a secured Anambra, his Four Pillars of Development (namely, Agriculture, Industrialization, Trade & Commerce and Oil & Gas) for Anambra State would amount to nothing. And now that he has found the formula for cleansing Anambra of crime and criminals, the outcome has been quiet impressive.

It is indeed remarkable how, Obiano’s vision has started to show so early in the life of the administration. One of the earliest signs of what could happen in the New Anambra State under Obiano is the massive investment inflow that the state has witnessed in the last few months. On April 14 this year, the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) came into being when the bill proposing it was signed into law by the Anambra State House of Assembly. In a very short time, the agency has justified Obiano’s background as an investment banker with statistics his fellow governors would envy. On September 8 this year, ANSIPPA received its first approval from the Anambra State Executive Council to sign seven MoUs with prospective investors that will change the investment landscape of the state. Over the next couple of weeks, ANSIPPA will sign MoUs across key sectors like Agriculture, Tourism and Transportation that will attract a total of $382m (N62.3bn) in investments to Anambra State. On Friday last week, the agency signed two MoUs with Joseph Agro Industries Ltd and Cardinal Developers Trust Ltd valued at $220m. ANSIPPA estimates that by the end of December this year, Anambra would be $1.5bn richer in investments arising from another five MoUs that are in line to be signed. In all, the body has received over 120 proposals from investors who have shown serious interest in doing business in Anambra State. Obiano has done all these in just six months. What will be the investment outlook of Anambra state in four years?

Already, one of the investors, Coched Farms Project, a subsidiary of the Coscharis Group has moved into the state. It has rented an office along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, hired some workers and mobilized to its farm settlement in Anaku. At the moment, Coched is bringing in improved varieties of seeds from different parts of the world and testing them to establish which variety is most suitable for the soil of Anambra State. On its part, the state government has moved in to build the capacity that would support the impending agricultural revolution. Accordingly, the state has successfully midwifed the formation of 1,874 cooperative societies that will catalyze the revolution. The members of these cooperatives will be trained and prepared in modern technics of mechanized farming. The Ministry of Agriculture has acquired 100 tractors for the same purpose while arrangements are on to acquire more land for large scale farming.

Obiano’s giant strides in agriculture are understandable. Agriculture is one of the pillars of his administration. But the governor has shown as much hunger for success in other areas as well. [b]Another remarkable feat is in the area of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) which has increased from an average of N700m that the administration inherited to an impressive N1bn at the moment. Knowing how averse the people are to the payment of taxes and levies, the marginal increase in IGR in the period under review is quite significant and commendable.

The governor has also shown a lot of foresight in the way he has handled Trade and Commerce, another pillar in his economic blueprint for the state. The overall vision for the sector is that Anambra should be among Nigeria’s top-3 in trade and commerce and among the top-5 industrialized states in the country. To achieve this, the administration is at the verge of setting up three ultra-modern markets in Ogbunike, Umunze and Awka respectively. At the same time the partnership with the Organized private Sector (OPS) has resulted in the formulation of a 10-year Industrial Revolution Plan for Anambra State. On completion, these markets will shoot up the revenue base of the state and create more headroom for the growth of the local economy.
[/b]
As is the case with security, the governor is also fully aware that without tackling the challenge of power supply head-on, his industrial vision for Anambra State would remain a pipe dream. As a result, he set up a Special Committee on Power Supply headed by Mr. Chike Okonkwo who came highly recommended as the leader of the Distributing Power Business of General Electric Company in sub-Saharan Africa. He charged the Committee to “Provide an accurate estimate of current power supply, consumption and projected demand in the state across various consumer groups and recommend suitable power generation and supply solutions, taking into consideration, Anambra State’s climate, environment, landscape and scale of development.” The Committee has nine months to prove its relevance. The governor also set up special committees on other key areas including Oil & Gas, Education, Agriculture and Vigilante groups among others.

Obiano has made tremendous progress in the area of building consensus among the citizenry. His recent tour of the 21 local governments attracted huge crowds at every stop to underscore his soaring popularity. His consultation with the various stakeholders has been extensive and thorough as he reaches out to traditional rulers, corporate moguls and kingmakers across the state to deepen democracy and encourage participatory governance.

He has also kept an eye on the software of governance. At the event marking his first 100-days in office, the governor launched a new cultural identity for Ndi Anambra which came complete with an anthem, an emblem, a flag and a set of moral values that will keep Ndi Anambra on their toes. He is obviously aware that just about any governor can build roads and bridges but it takes a focused and pragmatic leader to attempt to rebuild the moral and socio-cultural fabric of any society.

Now, people have always cautioned that it is too early to sing Governor Willie Obiano’s praises. While that may be so, one wonders how else to react to anyone who puts up his kind of performance in just six months.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=82808

Owerri Chamber of Commerce Signs MoU With Chinese Businessmen

Posted by admin on Apr 14th, 2014 and filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

The Owerri Chamber of
Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (OCCIMA), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of industries in Imo State with a team of Chinese businessmen.
The President of the chamber, Mr Kevin Mbawuike, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Owerri last Thursday.
Under the agreement, investors from China and their local partners would establish industries in the areas of agriculture, energy, food processing, manufacturing, transport and housing.
Mbawuike said the initiative facilitated by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Viola Onwuliri, was to create employment opportunities for Nigerian youths.
“Owerri is a thriving academic and food sector environment and remains a golden mine for genuine investors who intends to have return of his investment because of the population.
“Unfortunately the private sector in the area is not recording enough government support in term of payment of counterpart funding and this is adversely affecting business,’’ he said.
Mbawuike noted that lack of government support had been a reoccurring problem in Imo, noting that the problem did not start with the present administration.
He blamed the low industrial presence in the state on the difficulty faced by businessmen in assessing funds either from the Bank of Industries, SEMDAN or the CBN.
He added that the chamber was making effort to improve the situation.
“This week, we are paying a contest visit to the Commissioner for Commerce and Non-Formal Sector, and we are hoping that government will start listening to the business community in Imo,’’ he said.
Mbawuike also stressed the need for Imo people to invest in small and medium industries, noting that it would help to engage a lot of young men and women who graduate from schools.
“We encourage our people to put in their resources in industrial activities no matter how little rather than expand monies on luxury life styles,’’ he said.
He said the chamber and the South-East Business Platform (local investors), corporative groups and communities were discussing on areas of advantage for businesses investment.
He further said that officials of the chamber and the Ministry of Economic Planning would soon visit Turkey on trade mission, adding that the efforts were aimed at tackling high youth unemployment.

http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2014/04/14/owerri-chamber-signs-mou-with-chinese-businessmen/

This is the news I was talked about in the previous page. Igboland is an Emerging Paradise

Obiano’s Economic Programmes Attract $382m Investments To Anambra State

Governor Willie Obiano’s pursuit of excellence in Anambra State has continued to resound across the world as the investment community recently responded to his economic programmes by investing a whopping $382.3m (N62bn) into various strategic economic segments in the state.

[b]Out of this sum, a total of $220m was signed in at the weekend when two major investors decided to swoop on the agricultural and tourism sectors of the state. The companies are Joseph Agro Ltd which pumped in the sum of $150m into the Omor Rice Mill project in Ayamelum Local Government Area of the state and Cardinal Developers Trust Ltd which is investing the sum of $70m in a five-star hotel project in Onitsha respectively.

Joseph Agro Limited, a subsidiary of Bravura, one of Nigeria’s major energy firms and its technical partner, REI Agro Commodities, the world’s leading rice producer has by this agreement taken over the Omor Rice Mill with its 10,000 hectares of virgin land and the 3,850 hectare Lower Anambra Irrigation Project.

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony in Awka at the weekend, the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano explained that Joseph Agro Ltd would produce 120,000 metric tonnes of rice paddies per year in its first phase, pointing out that in addition to the output of Coched Farms, the project would completely eliminate the state’s rice supply deficit by 99%.

Said he; “Joseph Agro Ltd will help expand our scope in the agricultural sector. When fully operational, it will put 10,000 people in direct employment and about 25,000 in indirect employment. At the same time it will lead to the development of human and technical capacity to enhance local rice production as well as boost the growth in our internally generated revenue,”

Like Joseph Agro Ltd, Cardinal Developers & Trust Limited is also taking over the completion of Anambra’s 5-Star luxury hotel in Onitsha, which will be managed by Radisson Blu on completion. Cardinal Developers & Trust Ltd is expected to build a 2,000 capacity conference center in Onitsha and construct 161 units of luxury apartments, flats and terrace houses in Onitsha.

Offering insight into the nature and benefits of the agreement with Cardinal Developers & Trust Ltd, Governor Obiano explained that “the project is expected to form a part of the Onitsha Entertainment Hub which has a world class shopping mall currently under construction and is financed by Africa Capital Alliance. This project will generate 400 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs.”

According to him, on completion, the hotel is expected to attract discerning clientele and stimulate a new culture and lifestyle in Onitsha that has not been in existence all these years in addition to catalyzing the interest of investors in Onitsha which is in line with the state government’s on-going urban renewal efforts in the major cities.[/b]

Also speaking at the MOU signing, the Managing Director, Mr. Joe Billy Ekwunife explained that the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) through which the investments found their way into the state had received 112 presentations and proposals from prospective investors and service providers in the last four months.

Said he; “These investors and proposals are put through a generic assessment and viability exercise which evaluates the investor’s credibility and competence, financial capacity and timeframe of investment, among other criteria. At this moment seven (7) proposed investments have been identified as suitable, credible and value-creating for the indigenes of Anambra State. It is worthy of note that the generic assessment and risk analysis exercise has been carried out.”

ANSIPPA estimates that by the end of December this year, Anambra would be $1.5bn richer in investments arising from another five MoUs that are in line to be signed.

Anambra State is fast becoming an investors’ haven of sorts since the Obiano administration tightened the noose on crime and insecurity in the state

Already, one of the investors, Coched Farms Project, a subsidiary of the Coscharis Group has set up an office along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, hired some workers and mobilized to its farm settlement in Anaku.

On its own part, the state government has moved in to build the capacity that would support the impending agricultural revolution, successfully midwifing the formation of 1,874 cooperative societies that will catalyze the revolution. The members of these cooperatives will be trained and prepared in modern technics of mechanized farming.

Made-in-aba Shoe Daily Export Hits 1m Pairs

BY CHARLES NWAOGUJI ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 · BUSINESS


The Aba shoe industry project in South-East Nigeria is heading for global market with daily export fig­ures of one million pairs to other African countries, the President of the Abia Think Tank Association, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa has said.

Ohuabunwa , who stated this during a press conference ahead of a two-day economic sum­mit in Aba, said that the shoemakers produce quality that compares with the Italian brands, adding that despite leading the Africa market, they are yet to have presence outside the con­tinent.

“We have started forming the shoemakers into cooperative societies so that they can have access to funding from development finance institutions like the Bank of Industry as well as capacity building and linkage to international market, “ he said.

He explained that when he was in Aba where they make shoes billed for Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Gabon even to Zaira over one million pairs of shoes are exported daily out of Aba.

“I found out that they were doing the work without mini­mum support from anybody. But when I calculated their returns on those investments, I found it was peanuts. They work like elephant but eat like ant. They sweat to bring in their ingenuity but because they are not properly har­nessed, the return on invest­ments is meager,” he said.

The former Chairman of Economic Summit Group la­mented that one of the great­est problems facing made-in-Nigeria products is the lack of policy backing by the govern­ment.

“When products made- in- Nigeria are patronized by government and ordinary people then more goods will be produced, wealth created and prosperity will be spread among Nigerians,” he said.

He stated that once the made-in-Nigeria policy is sustained in the medium and long term percentage of Ni­geria’s manufacturer products in composite of export will in­crease and percentage of total imported goods will decrease.

If the policy is properly im­plemented, he said there will be wealth creation and more employment in Nigeria.

He urged Nigerians to de­velop confidence in Made-in-Nigeria products and trade on the products in order to facili­tate more productivity in the country.

Ohuabunwa pointed out that Aba remains the econom­ic and industrial hub of Eastern states and Nigeria with great potentialities yawning for ex­ploitation.

He explained that the forthcoming summit with the theme, “Aba as the Cen­terpiece of Abia Economic Renaissance” will consolidate and deepen the gains of the previous edition and maintain the momentum in focusing at­tention of private and public sectors in Aba to resolve a ver­itable and strategic roadmap for the state’s development.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=82882

Pictures of Imo State. ALA IGBO WU OKE MBA MARA MMA

MORE PICTURES OF UMUAHIA, ABIA STATE. GOD BLESS IGBOLAND

Pictures of Umuahia, Abia State. Ala Igbo Amaka !!!

Waltersmith Raises $50Million For Topping Plant in Ibigwe Imo State, Awaits Approval

Section: In the news · April 24, 2014 · No comments | Tags: featured
ftimg-waltersmith

Nigerian independent Waltersmith Petroman has raised $50Million, the entire funds required for the building of a 5,000BOPD refinery at its Ibigwe field in Imo State, eastern Niger Delta. It is awaiting the approval of the Nigerian minister of Petroleum Resources to start construction.

“It has become imperative for us to do it”, says Abdurazaq Isa, the company’s executive chairman. “If you aggregate the losses we have suffered from vandalism of the Trans Niger Pipeline (the crude export line) since we started production in June 2008, it comes to over one year of production”, Isa explains. “Last year alone, we lost 120 days of production”.

Waltersmith produces 4,300BOPD at full throttle, but average monthly production in January, February and March 2014 have been between 3,500-3,800BOPD, largely because of deferments. Waltersmith has a Flowstation capacity of 15,000BOPD on the Ibigwe field. It hopes to source crude from nearby fields to feed the topping plant.

“We may not make as much money from the plant as we do in exporting the crude, but we won’t run at a loss”, Isa, a former banker, insists. “Imagine producing diesel and kerosene from our plant and distributing them around (eastern Nigerian cities of) Port Harcourt, Aba and Owerri?”, Isa asks. “We’d run better figures than anyone importing and landing and paying charges and coming from Lagos”. Isa restates the fact that the proposed 400,000BOPD refinery by the Dangote group “cannot meet the country’s domestic demand of petroleum products”.

Isa also sees the project in terms of social investment. Beneficiation of natural resources is a “legacy that we indigenous companies should leave”, he says. “In Britain, refineries contribute $3.87Billion to the local economy. It’s our duty to make that sort of contribution to our own economy. We will not lose money”

http://africaoilgasreport.com/2014/04/in-the-news/waltersmith-raises-50million-for-topping-plant-awaits-approval/

FG procures N13b rice, cassava flour mills

• Ratifies Lagos-Abidjan expressway

By Chesa Chesa / Senior Correspondent, Abuja



The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N13 billion for the procurement of 10 integrated rice mills and six high quality cassava flour mills to boost domestic rice and cassava production.

The FEC also approved a contract of N568million ($2.2m plus N208.5m) for the design and supply of a bigger transformer for the Maiduguri sub-station on Bagga Road, Borno state.

Briefing journalists after the weekly FEC meeting, Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina, said the rice mills would be located in 10 states – Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Ogun, Bayelsa, Niger, Kogi, Anambra, [/b]Benue and Bauchi – while the cassava mills would be deployed to Ondo, Ogun, [b]Abia, Delta, Cross River, Nassarawa states.

Each of the rice mills has a capacity to mill 36,000 metric tonnes of paddy rice, making it a total of 360,000 metric tonnes of paddy rice to be finely processed across the country.

There are plans for more integrated rice mills across the country as government was currently working towards a total stop to the importation of rice.

According to Adesina, the mills “will not be owned or run by government, they are going to be owned managed and operated by the private sector, it’s part of government’s way of making this available at a term of financing that can be afforded by the private sector.

“The acquisition of this will be done by the Bank of Industry. It will select the private sector people, they will have the down payment, and the plants are going to be constructed and they have a financing facility for them to own it.

“Government is just doing its job which is to get things to happen, but the private sector will do every single thing about it. There are still those who go around trying to get waivers to import rice and throw us into poverty, this will no longer be possible”.

The Maiduguri project is for the additional construction of 1x60MVA, 132/332KV transformer to the Maiduguri 1x150MVA, NK330/132 Substation, in favour of Merssrs Best Crompton Engineering (Africa) Limited, to be completed within 12 months.

The projection is one of the key projects designed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria to strengthen the national grid for effective power wheeling and to enhance socio-economic development of the state.

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/09/fg-procures-n13b-rice-cassava-flour-mills/

I foresee a massive agricultural boom never witnessed in Igboland recent time coming to Ala Igbo. Just yesterday governor Obiano on Channels tv signed an MoU with a private sector investor to commence revival and production from the big Omor rice mill which would source supply from 10,000 hectares of land owned by co-operatives and the private sector. The biggest cassava flour plant in the south east is under construction in Abiriba Abia State with 5,000 hectares of land allocated to the plant. Co-operatives and rural farmers are billed to benefit from this plant.

My intention of creating this thread is to showcase to the world the beauty and infrastructural developments of all of Igboland including the Igbo speaking parts of Delta and Rivers states as an emerging paradise our earth. Its is no longer news that the industrious, intelligent, brilliant, hospitable and hard working Igbos are the Joy and Pride of Africa as they are widely traveled. They integrate with their host and develop their land with quality investments. This thread is not a political thread but an informative and educative thread for sane and intelligent minds.

I urge all Igbo sons and daughters as well as neighbors and friends of the Igbo nation to contribute to this thread in terms of nice pictures and news updates on happenings in Ala Igbo. This thread is also meant to bring more unity within the Igbo Nation.

Eziokwu !!! Ala Igbo wu Oke Mba !!! Ala Igbo amaka !!! Chukwu gozie Ala Igbo !!! Iseeee !!! Igbo land is indeed an emerging paradise.

PLEASE MOD DON'T MOVE THIS THREADB AS IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH POLITICS !!! I APPEAL TO ALL AND SUNDRY TO AVOID UNNECESSARY BICKERING AND ARGUMENT AS THIS THREAD IS THE MEETING PLACE FOR ALL IGBOS AND FRIENDS OF IGBOS TO DISCUSS THE ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENTS IN IGBOLAND

Jonathan’s Local Content Policy Through $150m Oil And Gas Parks

By Osa Okhomina
— Sep 15, 2014 | Leave a comment

Unlike other policies in the oil and gas sector of the economy, the implementation of the Nigerian local content policy of President Goodluck Jonathan is setting new pace in the creation of local players and economic activities, including the proposed $150 million oil and gas industrial parks.

The proposed park, with the capacity to create oil and gas manufacturing companies in the chosen states of the Niger Delta region, is set to kick-start its first phase, with $10 million in terms of training of about 47 youths and zonal coordinators from the zone and the setting up of a self-growing organic system for businesses and investments.

Unveiling the newly trained-youths at the Aridolf Hotels and Events Centre, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, the director of Finance and Personnel Management of the Nigerian Content, Monitoring and Development Board (NCMDB), Engr. Ita Anyone, said the 47 youths selected and trained by the board are expected to participate in the proposed increase in local capacity building and utilization of local facilities.

In the unveiled plan for the proposed oil and gas industrial parks, the facilities will be located in three zones including Akwa Ibom/Cross River zone located along the Calabar industrial layout, the Imo/Abia zone located at Oguta community with 25 hectares of land provided for the project.

Also to be served by their oil and gas industrial parks are the Bayelsa/Rivers zone sited in Otuoke community of Ogbia local government area, while another will be located in Ilaje Community of Ondo State.

According to the proposed financing of the project, the Federal Government is expected to enter into partnership with oil multinationals and banks, as the first phase is expected to gulp the sum of $10 million depending on the park’s nature of operations and environment.

The project duration is fixed at 10 years with its structures becoming organic that will grow by itself and operators in the park.

While the representative of the Bayelsa State commissioner for Trade and Investment, Mr. David Agonobi, commended the management of the NCMDB of the initiative, the representative of the oil producers trade section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Engr.Sola Ogunsakin described the proposed oil and gas industrial park as a new dawn for the economy of the Niger Delta region.

The OPTS, which is a sub-group within the LCCI and made up of both local and foreign-owned companies registered in Nigeria and hold an Oil Prospecting License or an Oil Mining License, predicted that the proposed park will be a success in the region.

The sub-group, which currently has 18 member-companies made up of the Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Dubri, Addax, Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Pan Ocean, Shell, Total, Seplat, Neconde, Nexen, Moni Pulo, Statoil, ExxonMobil, Petrobras, Afren, Sapetro and Oando, declared support for the project.

According to Ogunsakin, “Though the setting up of the park and its operation may not be easy, it will be a thing of success at the end. It will motivate huge domestic and industrial activity and attract huge employment opportunities.”

Earlier in his speech, the executive secretary of the NCMDB, Engr. Ernest Nwapa, explained that the concept of an oil and gas industrial park in the Niger Delta region is part of the vision of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to take the region away from its present state into a new economic boom.

Nwapa said, “The proposed oil and gas industrial park is not just about buildings. The project will develop a new direction and create more businesses in the region. The park will generate small and large businesses. It will also provide opportunity for research and development. We have mapped out the project not to become another white elephant projects.”

A check through the past achievements of the local content policy of the Jonathan-led administration, under the watch of the NCMDB showed that it has ensured the escalation of the historic use of made-in-Nigeria pipelines by Exxon Mobil recently at its Edop-Idoho Offshore field, secured the placement of over 100 kilometres of pipelines orders in Nigeria’s only pipe manufacturing company, SCC Abuja.

Continuing, the NCMDB boss said, “It has ensured the increase of in-country fabrication tonnage from 1,000,000 in 2009 to 1,200,000 currently, advanced talks with Jiangsu Yulong of China to establish 250,000 tons per annum LSAW pipe mill in Nigeria, initiated the establishment of deep water port in a major upcoming project, developed the Nigerian oil and gas employment and training strategy, which has resulted in the absorption of over 5000 engineers, geologists, welders and other skill sets into the industry and formed the basis of a national skill database.

“The Nigerian Content activities have already generated over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and will surpass 300,000 within the next four years. NCMDB has designed and launched the Nigerian Content Joint Qualification Standards, an electronic platform for the Board’s implementation of the NOGIC Act, especially its capacity Building & Monitoring functions.

“It has led to the establishment of the Nigerian Content Development Fund, to be used for investment in Oil & Gas infrastructure, provide partial guarantee for service providers, manufacturers. NCDMB developed Indigenous Marine Vessel and Offshore Assets Acquisition Strategy to promote utilization of marine vessels and offshore rigs/equipment with genuine Nigerian ownership in all O&G operations to increase the participation of Nigerians, empower communities, and maximize Nigerian crew.

“The NCDMB has developed an Original Equipment and Local Component Manufacturing Strategy to promote utilization of materials of Nigerian origin in oil and gas industry and ensure the establishment of equipment manufacturing plants that will employ thousands.”

http://leadership.ng/news/384072/jonathans-local-content-policy-150m-oil-gas-parks