Governor Obaseki of Edo Ssate has less than five months to the end of his tenure but he has made great achievements in Edo state. The people of Edo state will ever remember the legacy projects of Governor Obasek, which include the Edo Modular Refinery, ongoing Benin River Port, CCETC-Ossiomo Power Plant, among other infrastructural projects executed to boost the state’s economy and better the livelihoods of the Edo people. The 5500bpd Edo Modular Refinery, which is completed; the 55MW CCTEC-Ossiomo Power Plant, which has been completed and the ongoing Benin Enterprise and Industrial Park, which development is ongoing and the Benin River Port, for which preliminary works are ongoing, among other legacy projects of the Obaseki-led administration. Edo Production Center, an industrialization program located along Benin’s Sapele road axis, where Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operate. Ossiomo power plant is also meant to attract investments into the state, improve the sector for better performance, and create competition in the power supply industry. Benin Enterprise Park is an industrial complex. It is being built to be easily accessible, affordable, and to have an uninterrupted supply of gas and electricity. This is done to ensure that businesses in the area can operate efficiently and predictably. The industrial center encompasses 997 hectares of land.
Governor Obaseki is set to return Nigeria to world’s leading producer of palm oil. Edo palm oil programme which engages more than 8 palm oil companies have invested in palm oil production in Edo. Governor Obaseki has started the project of expanding Edo State palm oil development to boost Nigeria’s palm oil production in the global 73.23 million metric tonnes. He is supporting major palm trees plantation owners in Edo State which have large industrial estates to expand Nigeria’s palm oil production. They are Okomu Oil Palm Plc, Precso , Agri-Palm (FMN) and others are expanding. Major Oil Palm Holdings in Edo are Okomu Oil Palm Plc , Publicly quoted, Presco, Publicly quoted, SIAT Edo Agri-Palm (FMN), Flour Mills Nigeria, A&Hatman – Private , Aden River – Private, Fayus Oil Palm Plantation and Saturn – Private. Ovia North East provided 25,329 hectares; Ovia South West had 36, 759 hectares; while Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode provided 51,000 and 23, 000 hectares of land respectively for the expansion of palm oil production in Edo State. Okomu Oil and Presco are expanding their plantations in Edo State.
The Edo State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited were reactivated by the Godwin Obaseki-led government in collaboration with the Wacot Group of Companies (ESFCCL). The fertilizer plant was built more than14 years ago but never used. Governor Godwin Obaseki established the Edo State Geographic Information Service on August 1, 2017. (EDOGIS). EDOGIS is the government agency that replaced the former Ministry of Lands and Surveys (later known as Lands Bureau). The new “Digital Certificate of Occupancy” is a computerized process that was set up to secure land assets of Edo State residents. Obaseki introduced the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation – Edo BEST – in April 2018 to revamp basic education in the state. The program’s goal was to improve the learning outcomes for 300,000 children. The students were drawn from Edo State’s 1,500 public primary and junior secondary schools. To accomplish this, the government made significant investments in educational technology.
Edo is the only state in Nigeria that can boast of four cement companies. Three cement companies are operating in Okpella, Etsako East local government area and one cement company is under construction in Egbetua community, Ososo, Akoko Edo local government area. Three of the cement companies are owned by BUA and one is owned by Dangote Group. BUA Cement has two in Okpella. Edo North is now home to so many cement companies and solid minerals companies in Nigeria.
Dangote Cement, Okpella, BUA Cement Okpella, Edo Modular Refinery Ologbo and Duport Modullar Refinery, Egbokor in Edo state have created Edo new industrial hub. Edo under Governor Obaseki. Edo has produced the first energy park and four cement companies in Nigeria under Governor Obaseki. Edo state is now dominating cement industry in Nigeria.
With four cement factories and two modular refineries in 2021, Edo state is now Nigeria’s new industrial hub. Edo has capacity today to reduce the price of cement and reduce the huge budget for fuel subsidy. The new industrial hub has repositioned Edo state economy to be viable and globally competitive; it has been able to set a pace for future growth and massive industrialisation.
The Greenhill Ethanol Plant in Ologbo, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of State, has been projected to meet 5.8 percent of Nigeria’s ethanol needs and rake in about $29 million in revenue yearly at full capacity. . The ethanol plant is an offshoot of the state government’s drive to grow the state’s manufacturing sector by attracting private actors to invest in the state’s food processing sector.
The plant is projected to process 400 metric tonnes of cassava daily at full capacity and is expected to provide raw materials to the pharmaceuticals and beverage industries in the country, thereby curbing the importation of ethanol products in the country.
The ethanol plant was developed on the heels of proactive reforms by the State Government to attract investment in the state’s manufacturing sector, which is being aggressively pursued in transforming Edo State from a civil service state to a manufacturing hub.
The Greenhill plant is the second ethanol plant in Edo State. The other plant is being constructed by De United Foods Limited (Dufil), makers of Indomie noodles, as part of their integrated farm facility in the state, where cassava will be processed to ethanol also.
Inwalomhe Donald,
Benin City, Edo state
