Firm to create 3,000 job opportunities before July

The Kwara state owned conglomerate, ‘Harmony Holdings’ (HH) has promised generation of about 3,000 jobs for the youth in the state before the end of the first half of the year.

According to Head Corporate Affairs of the Holdings, Kayode Aremu in a chat with The Guardian in Ilorin, the areas of focus would be prompt resuscitation of all the state’s owned moribund industries, remodeling of commercial centres and expansion of the routes of the Harmony Transport Services.

Aremu said, “HH is set to begin Phase Two of the Strategic Growth Plan by creating more opportunities in the economy of the state with a view to generating more resources and creating about 3,000 employment opportunities for Kwarans.”

The second phase he noted would include the upgrading of the Patigi Regatta and Nupe Durbar into a world class tourism point, and resuscitation of the abandoned Satellite Motel Ilorin, Kwara Paper Converter Erin Ile and Cashew Processing Company Ltd Ogbondoroko.

He added, “there are also plans for the provision of barges at Lafiagi to ease transportation across the River Niger and also to boost economic activities in the area thereby enhancing the capacity of the citizenry both economically and socially.”

Aremu said in the first year of the operations of the Holdings, (2013) it churned into the coffer of the state government as dividend a sum of N75 million.

He added that in the first phase, there was the repayment of N465 million out of the renegotiated loan of N600million out of the renegotiated loan of N600 million incurred by the Kwara state government on Mandate Three Estate. The loan had ballooned to N824 due to non-servicing prior to Harmony Holdings intervention.

The Guardian learnt that phase one would involve turning around acquired businesses and improving on productivity levels, as some of these have become an eyesore and in terrible state of disrepair.
Speaking on the state owned transport services; Aremu said the operations of the company have been fully computerized, “including ticketing” .

He added, “ Loopholes and leakages have been blocked. Most of the outstanding debts to bank totalling N176 million have been settled.”