Umuahia, June 12, 2022 – Alex Otti, the Abia State Governor, has promised to make the state a hub for organic fertiliser production in Nigeria.
Otti made the promise on Tuesday while receiving a group of Turkish investors who are willing set up organic fertiliser production plants in the state.
He said he would do the all the needful to ensure the group achieve its objective, adding that there were enough raw materials in the state.
“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,” he said.
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.
Otti said he was optimistic that the visitors must have done their homework before approaching government for support.
He said Abia is blessed with abundance of water bodies across the various local government areas.
“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.
Otti promised to allocate lands for the establishment of the plants at the location of the investors’ choice, but advised that he would rather have them set up in areas already defined for such purpose.
“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 said.
Prof. Njoku said he brought the investors to Abia because 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.
Melham Farah, the Managing Director of Alliance Enterprises, the prospective investors, said the company, based in Istanbul, Turkey, is into oil and gas, and agriculture.
He said Alliance Enterprises was 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 convert them into organic fertiliser. (GBN)
