By Isaac Aimurie and Henry Oqua
In continuation of his commitment towards engendering a mix of production and service-oriented economic revolution in Edo State, the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has attracted a N35 billion oil palm project (10,000 hectares) to Evboesi, Evbonogbon, Urhonigbe and neighboring communities in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of the State.
In the same vein, he has attracted an integrated agricultural project worth N24 billion to Ologbo Community in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of the State, which have jump-started the economies of the host communities; creating jobs for the youths, emplacing support infrastructure such as boreholes, health care centers, electricity and decent schools.
The economic diversification plan is in consonance with expert advisory of the World Bank that African countries and sub-nationals must create the enabling environment that will attract private capital to critical sectors such as agriculture, energy and enduring infrastructure such as road and rail transportation.
Speaking during a working visit to the projects in Evboesi, on Friday, June 17,2022, Governor Obaseki described the oil palm project as a long-term project which will be of immense economic benefits to the State in the future.
He said: “After an audit of our forests, we found out that the forests were badly degraded in Orhionmwon and Ovia local government areas and elsewhere, and rather than abandon the land, we decided to get investors to come and regenerate the forests.
“We are starting with this, we campaigned during our reelection period that we will transform the economies of our communities.
The communities have been cooperative and we have adopted global best practice in the oil palm program to ensure responsible oil palm business.”
While planting some oil palm seedlings to officially flag-off the cultivation of the 10,000 hectares Saro Oil Palm farm in Evboesi, Obaseki said: “We are using oil palm to reforest and we expect about 60,000 hectares in Ovia as well.
This will become the backbone of our economy in the future and today we are laying the basis for Edo to be Great Again.”
The Governor, who paid a courtesy visit to the Enogie of Evboesi, Festus Ogiefo Iduoze, assured that Saro Oil Palm Limited and his administration will sustain the provision of infrastructure such as roads, health care centers, schools and jobs for the communities.
In his remark, Enogie Iduoze, expressed gratitude to the Obaseki administration for attracting the investment which he said “has put to rest the tension between Evboesi and neighboring communities in Delta State over boundary-related issues as well as the expulsion of kidnappers from their forests.”
The traditional ruler appealed to the Governor to post doctors, nurses and other health workers to a cottage hospital donated to the community by the Nigerian Gas Company.
Explaining the amount of money involved in the oil palm investment in Orhionmwon, Mr. Churchill Oboh, of the Edo State Oil Palm Programme (ESOPP), said Saro Oil Palm Limited is investing $8500 per hectare, which translates to N35 billion (using the official exchange rate) for the 10,000 hectares the company is cultivating.
Earlier at the N24biollion integrated agricultural project in Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the State, Obaseki said: “This project is very significant and important as it is a project where almost a 100 percent of raw materials needed are sourced locally and 100 per cent of the outputs are feedstock to other companies and industries, particularly in the food and beverages sector, whether it’s ethanol or carbon dioxide.”
The Governor added: “This transaction is significant as it has introduced a new dimension in getting our private sector investors to invest in infrastructure in the state. Today, this 3.6km road is being constructed by Saro Africa from the tax credit which the company should have paid.
“It’s a very innovative finance method; the first to be used by a state government in Nigeria.
The federal government does tax credit for big, large corporate organizations but here, we, as a state, have been able to attract an investor and used his tax credit to enhance infrastructural development in the state.
“We are lucky in the State because we have an investor and partner like Saro Africa who believes in Africa, Nigeria, and in our state.
These projects were conceptualized about five years ago but construction could not commence until last year due to various challenges.”
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Saro Group of Companies, Mr. Rasheed Sarumi, the integrated agricultural project is a joint venture between Saroafrica and Mohinani Group under the Green Hills Agric Projects.
He assured that the host community will benefit greatly from the project worth N24 billion and scheduled for commissioning in the first quarter of year 2023.
He explained: “This is an integrated agricultural project.
This factory needs 480 tones of cassava per day and there are about 5,000 hectares of land to grow.
Already 1,500 have been grown; 350 people from neighboring communities will work here on the feedstock alone.
The 480 tones per day will be converted to waste for feedstock for the piggery.”
The working tour was rounded off in Ologbo N’ Ugu also in Orhionmwon Local government area, where the Governor promised to invest more in infrastructure in the area.