Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, says he is happy over the prospect of Abia being the hub for organic fertiliser production in Nigeria.
Governor Otti said his administration would do all that is necessary to enable a group of investors from Turkey set up organic fertiliser production plants, which would derive its raw material from the sediments underneath rivers, lakes and swamps, saying that the State is open for business.
The Governor, according to a statement by Kazie Uko, his chief press secretary, spoke on Tuesday when he received the executives of Alliance Enterprises Limited, Turkey, who visited him to discuss the possibility of setting up organic fertiliser plants in Abia and making the State not just a regional but a national hub for the product.
"For us in Abia, we are very open for business. You know that when you talk about food security, it is very, very important, particularly these days when the economy is in turmoil. So, we must think of alternatives.
"When you talk about gross domestic product (GDP), it speaks to the productivity of the State. When you talk about poverty reduction, when you talk of job creation; all those can be located along business. So, for us, we don’t even need to give it a thought, we say, yes," Governor Otti remarked as he pledged to support the realisation of the dream of the Turkish investors and their Nigerian partners, led by the former Deputy Governor of Imo State, Professor Placid Njoku.
According to the Governor, who expressed optimism that his visitors must have done their homework before approaching government for support, Abia is blessed with abundance of water bodies across the various local government areas.
Specifically, he said: "Just without any investigation, I know that the Ukwa area, all the way to Azumini, the blue river; the Abam area, these are places where you find water, and, of course, the Owerrinta-Imo River; parts of Arochukwu too, towards Itu River. I'm not an expert but I’m just pointing towards the area where you can find lakes and water.
"It’s very interesting that all you need to do is take sediments from the water, that is what science does."
Governor Otti promised to allocate lands for the establishment of the plants at the location of the investors' choice, but adviced that he would rather have them set up in areas already defined for such purpose, saying it would make economic sense as cost of starting up in other places will be reduced and they would take advantage of economies of scale.
"The people that you require are in the room; Commissioner for Agriculture, Commissioner for Lands and Housing, everything about land is under him. I am giving him the mandate to provide you with land wherever you want to locate.
"So, I want to once again welcome you to Abia. Thank you for this opportunity and I assure you that the Government will collaborate with you to make this a reality in the shortest possible time," he restated.
Introducing the team earlier, Professor Njoku said he brought the investors to Abia because, according to him, the State has great resources that can be transformed to better value, while assuring the Governor that if exploited Abia will be better for it.
In his speech, the Managing Director of Alliance Enterprises, Engr. Melham Farah, said the company, based in Istanbul, Turkey, is into oil and gas, and agriculture. He said Alliance Enterprises is interested in transferring its technology to Africa, especially Nigeria, while Abia State appears to be the right destination.
He explained that the technology involves taking sediments from the bottom of the water, swamps, and lakes, treat and and convert them into organic fertiliser.
Contributing, a member of the team and former Vice Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ekiti, Prof. Sidi Osho, said the project would provide alternative for farmers, improve quality of food, create employment opportunities, among other benefits. She maintained that the idea is to make Abia a hub for organic fertiliser production and sales.
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