Against the need for Nigeria to achieve industrial growth and development, the Senate Friday called for encouragment of local content rather than the government spending billions to import and subsidise diesel to power the nation’s plants.
Speaking during a first-hand visit to Green Ville Plant, the pioneer company in Liquified Natural Gas, LNG in Rumuji, Rivers State, the Senate said since Nigeria is blessed with abundant gas, companies involved in LNG must be encouraged and not frustrated out of the country.
Senator Bassey Albert Akpan, PDP, Akwa Ibom, North East leading the Senate Joint Committees on Gas and Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy, expressed the happiness over what was on ground.
Akpan said with such an investment of over $400 million, a company that has provided direct employment of 2,000, indirect of 5,000, planned capacity of 5250 tons per day and with current installed capacity of 2250 per day should be encouraged.
He assured that Nigeria would partner such a company to ensure revival of the nation’s moribund industries in the north, especially the textile companies.
The Senator said the committee at the end of its investigation, would submit its report to the Senate at plenary, stressing that if Green Ville LNG was engaged to serve the power plant in Kaduna, the era of no electricity in the north would be over.
He hoped to achieve one of the cardinal objectives of the present government- providing jobs and employment.
Akpan who was accompanied on the visit by Senators Joshua Dariye, Plateau; Suleiman Hunkuyi, Kaduna North and Ahmed Ogembe, Kogi Central, said the report would be submitted in the next two weeks.
