Says facility will boost local production of chemicals, fertilisers

The Federal Government has described the take-off of the first-ever Nigerian methanol and ammonium bicarbonate factory in Ondo State as a massive industrial investment with immense potential for national economic growth.

Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said that the Chinese facility would boost local production of chemicals and fertilisers.
Ekpo, who was on a site tour and project inspection of the plant, located in the Ondo-Linyi Industrial Hub, Omotosho, Okitipupa Local Council, Ondo State, said that the production of 100,000 metric tonnes of methanol and 160,000 metric tonnes of ammonium bicarbonate yearly is historic in Nigeria.

The minister, who was accompanied on the tour by top officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and key stakeholders in the gas industry, stressed that the President would be happy with what is going on here, where people are taking advantage of our natural gas resources to develop the economy of the nation.

Also speaking during the tour, Chairman of Chinese investors, Supertech Chemical Industry, Yang Jijiang, said: “As a Chinese investor in Nigeria, we at Supertech are proud to contribute to Ondo State’s industrialisation drive and the broader economic development of Nigeria.

Similarly, the Principal Consultant to Ondo-Linyi industrial hub, Alexander Ajipe, said the minister’s tour of the project was a moral booster for the Chinese investors in Ondo State.

Earlier, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa hailed the minister’s visit and lauded the Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) for removing bureaucratic bottlenecks that often discourage investors.