Tejiri Ebikeme
Africa’s largest Gas Industrial City worth $26 billion is under-way in Delta State, with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan appealing to stakeholders to create enabling environment for its smooth take-off.
At a stakeholders meeting yesterday at the Governor’s Office Annex, Warri, to pave way for the take-off of the Federal Government owned project, governor Uduaghan and the Group Executive Director Gas and Power of NNPC, Dr. David Ige, sued for peaceful success of the project.
Dr. Ige, while addressing stakeholder disclosed that on take-off, the construction of the Gas Industrial City would take not less than 250,000 unemployed persons from the labour market.
According to him, “250,000 jobs are to be created during the construction period and 10,000 jobs to be created after construction. We should all put efforts in the project for investors to remain by getting the project started.
The project will benefit generations to come; this project must not be lost.”
While urging the people to put their differences behind and work for the success of the project to be sited in Ogidigben in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. DR. Ige held that; “The Gas Industrial City is many projects in one; the project is big enough for everybody. We cannot afford to send wrong signals to investors out there who are interested in the project.”
Governor Uduaghan while speaking appealed to the affected communities to support the project for the good of all.
He said; “This project is being handled by the Federal Government. The funding is being handled by the Federal government and not by any company.”
“I want to appeal to us for the project to succeed. The EGTL was constructed even in the peak of the Niger Delta Crisis and all stakeholders agreed that the EGTL must go on whether crisis or not. There was full cooperation from stakeholders. We need such cooperation in this project too. We need to provide the enabling environment for the Gas Industrial City to succeed,” the Governor state.
The Governor also said; “Let us work together to make the project work. I have put my reputation in this project; I am emotionally attached to the project. I am elated that Africa’s largest Gas Industrial City is coming to Delta State in my time as the Governor.”
Our correspondent reports that speakers at the stakeholders meeting promised to provide enabling environment for the smooth operation of the project expected to occupy two thousand eight hundred hectares.
Our correspondent also reported that the project comprises; Gas processing plant, Methanol Plant, Port, Tank Farm, Water Treatment Plant and Power Plants, Petrochemical Plant, Nagarjuna Fertilizer Plant, Oil Refinery, Light Industry, Urban and Commercial.
