WORK commences soon on the $1.5 billion petrochemical plant located in Ibeno, Akwa Ibom State.

Governor Udom Emmanuel who disclosed this to journalists said the plant, whose ground-breaking was performed by former President Goodluck Jonathan last year in Ibeno, when completed would generate a lot of employment opportunities for the people of the State

“We have done the environmental impact assessment, the Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) has been issued and site has been cleared and ready for work to start.  Once the gas purchase agreement with Exxon Mobile is finalised, work will commence immediately,” he said.

“We want to use this opportunity to thank the Chairman of Quantum Petrochemicals Company Limited, Mr. Jim Ovia, for this huge investment in our state. This project will create employment for thousands of our people and will also add to our efforts to rapidly industrialise our state. Mr. Ovia is one unique Nigerian business mogul who believes in the endless possibilities of this great nation, the ‘can-do’ spirit that is embedded in our people.

“He is a man of impeccable character and his zeal for development is highly commendable.  The good people of Akwa Ibom State are very appreciative of his love and faith in our state and the blueprint for the industrialisation of our state as encapsulated in my 5-Agenda Plan.”

At the ground-breaking ceremony, Ovia stressed the importance of the plant to the state and the nation in general, saying:  “Petrochemicals are vital to our everyday life – the plastic bottles that allow us to drink sanitary water, the clothes that we wear, the fertilizers that are used to grow crops, the tyres on our cars that brought us here today, the shovel that we will use to break the ground today; the pharmaceuticals we take every day to enjoy a healthy life, are all derivatives of the petrochemicals of some form.”