N42 Billion Egg Factory Takes Off In Ondo
Efforts at revolutionalising the industrial base and the economy of Ondo State got a boost yesterday as Greenfield Integrated Poultry and Powdered Egg (GRIPPE) factory was flagged-off at Emure-Ile, in Owo Local Government Area of the state.
The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, who witnessed the event said that the Ondo State agricultural sector has the capability to boost the nation’s economy, hence the need for the state government and individuals to embrace the project.
He said: “The CBN will help to drive economic growth and reduce unemployment in the country.
“What we have set out to do is to give support to anyone that wants to tap the potentials that God has given to our country by providing the finance and also create job opportunities for the youths.”
Emefiele commended the Ondo State government for initiating the powdered egg production and pointed out that the factory would reduce importation of the product and joblessness.
“This project helps to support the CBN and President Buhari’s determination to increase local production of critical agricultural produce and reduce importation of items that we can produce in Nigeria,” he said.
Earlier, Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), said the powdered egg project, a public private partnership project, would cost N42 billion and had great economic benefits to the country.
The Governor added that the country’s inability to process eggs to egg powder, in spite of egg glut, is a collosal loss to the country.
He said the flag off of the egg powder production in the state will serve as a tremendous boost to poultry farming business and also create jobs for the teeming unemployed and disoriented youths in the state.
“We should congratulate ourselves for witnessing history. I appreciate our youths for their patience despite the manifest acts of omission and commission of the political leadership in the past.
“We implore them to be ready for the onerous task ahead as this government proceeds in its mission to broaden the scope of participation by our citizens in socio-economic activities.”
“This administration’s promise to make Ondo State a commercial hub should be taken seriously by genuine investors.
“We will continue to provide enabling environment for business to thrive and we also intend to mobilize our people to create wealth”, he said.
Akeredolu also stated that the state government would go into ranches to improve livestock activities across the state.
“Every state must strive to have a ranch. We need ranches and we can’t run away from this,” he said.
He stated that the present administration is insistent of making people of the state, the central focus of all its actions.
“We will not accept the narrative of despondency as our lot. All of us must be resolute in our determination to effect positive change.
“We inherited a template which engendered prosperity in the past, we have no excuse to wallow in abject penury and we should reconsider the current unsustainable dependency status.
“We can do better than to rely on hand-outs from Abuja for virtually everything and should be building capacity to solve our problems”, he stated.
Also, Mr. Paul Obanoa, Managing Director, Greenfield Assets Limited, thanked the governor for creating an enabling environment for them.
He expressed excitement to begin the project and assured that the first phase of the project would be commissioned in about a year.
“We have shared this with so many of the finance institutions and so many organisations. I was in Germany last week and they are all interested in coming for this project,” he said.