Biofuel Refinery: Gov. Bello Receives NNPC Contractor »

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has said one of the cardinal objective of his New Direction government is job creation and empowerment, while creating a conducive atmosphere for investment.

Bello made this statement on Thursday when he received the delegation from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC at the government house in Lokoja.

The team led by Dr Fumilola Ale, GM, NNPC were in the state to brief the Governor on the level of their preparedness to establish NNPC Automotive Biofuels Programme for Nigeria, Sugarcane Fuel Ethanol Project At Ike-Bunu, in Kabba/Bunu local government area of Kogi State. The agreement for the Biofuels refinery to be established in the state is a tripartite investment among the NNPC Limited, CONTEC Global Energy Limited and the Kogi State Government which was signed in 2017.

The governor in his remarks said his administration has emphasized food security in its drive to consolidate the gains in security, expressing gladness that the effort and agreement signed with the NNPC some years back was yielding results.

The governor however urged investors to ensure to go beyond compensation for land as the only take-home benefit of the host community, adding that the community should be involved in equity sharing which he emphasized would create a sense of ownership and will ensure community support in securing the investment.

Earlier, The. MD/CEO of CONTEC Global, Dr. Adedeji Asiru commended Kogi State government for keying in to renewable energy describing it as the future of the world. He said the sugarcane-ethanol-biofuel project is one that supports green environment and mitigate global warming, adding that it involves a coal generating plant which will be used to power the refinery and the host community.

He expressed delight over the level of security in the state and the warm reception by the community.

The Kogi State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Hon. Idris Asiru, said lands have been allocated for the project and the owners adequately compensated. He said the contractors are expected to begin work on the site soon.