By Our Correspondent in Kabba
The people of kogi state have told that in no distant future is expected to become an industrial site and an international potential to the outside world.
This is in view of the array of bilateral agreements, World Bank Assisted programmes and deliberate industrial development agenda of the Governor Yahaya Bello.
The Kogi Commissioner for Financial, Budget and Economic Development, Asiwaju Asiru Idris, gave the word of assurance at the Palace of the Obaro of Kabba Oba Oladele Owoniyi, Oweyomade Otitoleke 1.
He said was in the palace to intimate the paramount royal father of the plan of the Bello administration’s mission to turn Kogi to the industrial hub of the country.
He enumerated projects to propel the state toward industrial hub to include the $100m Alape Staple Crop Processing Zone Project to be funded by the World Bank and the recently approved NNPC AUTOMOTIVE BIOFUEL PROGRAMME.
Idris said the projects were being coordinated and propelled by the Governor and his ministry to ensure best result.
He added that his visit, done with pride, was to brief the royal father on the spate of process of execution of the projects and their prospects for economic renaissance of Okunland and Kogi State by extension.
“It is worthy of mention that I am working round the clock, under the eagle eye of Governor Yahaya Bello, to deliver on the economic blueprint predicated on fast-tracking economic emancipation of Kogi People.
“This is in order to put Kogi State on the uppermost rung of the states with robust economy,”he said.
He said that the government of Bello was about to invest more than N100billion in Okunland in respect of the two projects that, adding that paper work on them had reached advance stage.
According to the commissioner, NNPC has awarded the contract for land validation in Alape and Ike respectively for cassava and sugarcane production, to fuel ethanol projects to reputable institutions.
This positive development, he added, would signal the commencement of the project which is expected to engender unstoppable economic prosperity of the state.
According to him, stakeholders are expected to visit site on February 4 to February 7 2019.
On the staple crops processing project, Idris said the request for external borrowing that would ensure the release of fund by the World bank was being given quick attention in the National Assembly, given the importance of the project to the state.
The commissioner also told the Obaro that the two projects would provide more than two million direct and indirect employment for Kogites and Nigerians at large.
He expressed optimism that they make huge impact in infrastructural, economic and social development of the state and Nigeria.
Responding, the Obaro,who is also the Chairman, Okun area traditional council, expressed happiness over the visit and congratulated the Commissioner for being a worthy son of Okunland.
He said he had no regret supporting the re-election bid of Bello because he was convinced from the beginning that the governor meant well for the people and would turn Kogi around for the better.
He said the people of Okunland remained grateful for the Rice Mill in Ejiba, hoping that when completed, the project would turn area and Kogi state in general to industrial haven of the country.
