News
Amaechi Kick-Starts $30m Pet Plant At Indorama
The Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday inaugurated a $30million world-class Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Plant built by Indorama Group at Eleme Petrochemicals Limited, in Eleme, near Port Harcourt.
While commissioning the 86,000 tonnes per year largest PET Plant in Sub-Sahara Africa, Amaechi insisted that only industrialisation and job creation would stem the tide of crime in the country.
The governor, who commended Indorama for the prompt completion of the new PET Plant, few months after it announced an investment portfolio of $2billion for PET, fertiliser and methanol projects in the next five years, said the projects would go a long way in helping the country realise its vision 2020 goals.
According to him, “key to us as a government is expansion of the state’s economic base, and the fact that Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals will create new employment opportunities for our people. We believe that as more industries spring up in the state, we will be able to reduce the crime rate, and once you create employment opportunities, you put those opportunities in the hands of Rivers people”.
He advised Eleme people not to take any action that could frustrate smooth operations of the petrochemicals company, warning that the law to deal with anyone who disturbs the operations of any company would be invoked on trouble makers in any part of the state.
Amaechi commended Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals for discharging its corporate social responsibilities to its host community, and urged the management to continue in that spirit.
Speaking, Group Managing Director of Indorama Corporation, Amit Lohia said the new PET Plant has capacity for producing 86,000 metric tonnes of PET resins per annum, adding that Indorama’s dream was to turn Nigeria into a net exporter of PET resins.
Lohia stated that for now, Nigeria imports 100 per cent of its local demand for PET resins, and pledged that very soon, Indorama’s PET production would cover all local demand and exports to neighbouring African countries.
“Our new PET Plant has capacity to help Nigeria to save a whopping $140million from import substitution,” stressing that polyethylene terephthalate, is raw materials highly needed by the plastics, foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, breweries and allied industries.
According to him, application of PET is largely in bottles for table water, aerated water, fruit juices, drugs, beers, beverages, among others.
The Indorama group managing director noted that PET Plant was the second in Africa, the first, a 120,000 metric tonnes capacity plant located in South Africa, while the Indorama PET Plant is the first in Sub-Sahara Africa.
Lohia said Africa’s total demand for PET resins stood at 500,000 metric tonnes per annum, emphasising that even with Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals’ 86,000 metric tonnes per annum and South Africa’s 120,000 metric tonnes per annum, African continent still has growth potentials of over 300,000 metric tonnes of PET resins.
Managing Director, Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Limited, Manish Mundra, listed the success story of Indorama since it acquired the Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited in 2006 through the privatisation programme of the Federal Government, adding that “we are committed to our investments in Nigeria.”
Mundra said that Indorama was operating an excellent model of public private partnership in which case the petrochemicals company was now owned by core investor with 65 per cent stake, Federal Government through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Bureau of Public Procurement (BPE) with 15 per cent, Rivers State Government with 10 per cent share, host community (7.5 per cent) and employees (2.5 per cent).
Also speaking, Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Rivers State branch, Mrs Emilia Akpan, said the coming on stream of the Indorama PET Plant was a major boost to Nigeria’s quest for industrialisation.
Nelson Chukwudi
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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