BusinessDay 22 Oct 2017

Sunday 22 October 2017
BD SUNDAY 29
SundayBusiness
PPP initiative will restore forestry sub-sector
for greater productivity, says Akeredolu
Yomi Ayeleso Akure
Ondo State
Governor,
Oluwarotimi
Akeredolu
(SAN), has said
that his administration’s
Public-Private Partnership
(PPP) initiative was meant
to restore the forestry subsector
of the state for greater
productivity.
He explained that the
PPP initiative was planned
to stop the activities of encroachers,
illegal loggers
and Indian hemp growers
in the state.
Akeredolu lamented
that the state afforestation
project, which he said used
to be a centre of attraction
for both local and foreign
interest groups, is now in a
sorry state.
The governor expressed
the concern during the flagoff
ceremony of the planting
of teak/gmelina seedlings
by the West Africa Forest
Plantations Limited at the
Ondo State Afforestation
Project in Ore, Odigbo Local
Government Area of
the state.
He said: “The state of our
forest confirms deliberate
acts of omission or commission,
on the part of those
whose responsibility it is
to ensure and promote the
preservation of the environment,
have resulted in vast
devastation of the forest
reserves.
“Our administration has
resolved to seize the gauntlet
by taking a courageous
step to halt the relentless
despoliation of our common
heritage by some mindless
persons.
“The need to privatise
Ondo State Afforestation
project becomes inevitable
in order to avert dire consequences
for the environment.
“The vast devastation,
occasioned by flitching,
encroachment and other
vices, currently going on
in the project, has become
unbearable to our administration.
We are determined
to put a stop to this unpatriotic
act.”
Akeredolu added that
the development of the
environment for the benefit
of the people was the reason
behind all his administra-
R-L: Rotimi Akeredolu and Roy Fredricks at the meeting
tion’s decisions.
“We shall remain focused
and courageous in
the discharge of this sacred
mandate,” he said.
The governor stated that
his administration’s partnership
with Wewood Limited
and West Africa Forest
Plantations Limited for the
afforestation project would,
among others, lead to gmelina/teak
development, pulp
and paper manufacturing,
integrated agricultural food
production and fish farming,
employment generation;
and wood processing and
furniture production.
Akeredolu, therefore,
asked the management
of the West Africa Forest
Plantations Limited, led
by Mr. Roy Fredricks, to be
faithful to the terms and
conditions of the Memorandum
of Understanding
the company signed with
his administration for the
revitalisation of the afforestation
project.
He warned that anything
done to the contrary
would not be tolerated.
“We remain keenly interested
in the activities of
our partners with specific
regard to redemption expectation,”
the governor added.
Fredricks while giving
his remark promised that
West Africa Forest Plantation
Limited would not
neglect its Social Corporate
Responsibility to the
communities.He revealed
that his company planned
to provide portable water,
health care centers and access
roads for the benefit of
the host communities
‘Future generations require right skills set to boost career prospect’
Kelechi Ewuzie
UAC Nigeria Plc
says it has for a
decade committed
resources toward
impacting students with
soft and hard skills across
several government secondary
schools in Lagos State,
through its Free Weekend
Classes organised as part of
the Goodness League initiative.
Joe Dada, executive director,
corporate services
UAC while speaking during
the closing ceremony
of the 2017 UAC of Nigeria
Goodness League initiative
in Lagos said the initiative
was set up ten years ago as
a Corporate Social Responsibility
Initiative to supplement
government’s efforts
in addressing the ills of the
education sector.
The company was gravely
worried by the falling
standards of education in
the country and fully aware
that the progress a nation
makes is heavily linked and
interwoven to the progress
such a nation makes in
education.
“Education must not only
be available and accessible
but also acceptable and
adaptable.
The factors that hinder
quality education in Nigeria
are well known, multi-varied
and bear no need repeating
here, suffice to reiterate that
a lot of work still needs to be
done in finding sustainable
solutions to the problems of
the sector.
“This is our modest contribution
to joining forces
with other stakeholders in
uplifting the standards of
education in Nigeria.
The programme was conceived
to not just impart
knowledge but more importantly
inspire future generations
to rise to the pinnacle
of their career and have the
best out of life,” Dada added.
In the words of Larry
Ettah, Group Managing
Director/Chief Executive
Officer UAC of Nigeria PLC,
“Each generation should
be an improvement from
the previous one and that
the son of an okada rider
(commercial motorcyclist)
must not also end up as
okada man.
L-R: Hakeem Ogunniran, managing director, UPDC Plc; Godwin
Samuel of Abibat Mogaji Secondary School, the Most Outstanding
student; Olufolayimika Abiose Ayandele,Tutor General/Permanent
Secretary, Educational District One, and John Gradidge, finance
director, MDS Logistics at the closing ceremony of UAC Goodness
League Free weekend classes in Lagos, recently.
Presidential initiative: FG, C’River partner on agric/industrial development
MIKE ABANG Calabar
The Federal Government
has agreed to
partner with the
Cross River State
government to develop the
agricultural sector and to
help attract investors to the
state, in accordance with
the Presidential initiative
on Niger-Delta Agricultural
and Industrial development,
says the Minister of Niger
Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru
Usani.
The Minister, who
flagged off the Presidential
Initiative on Niger Delta
Agricultural and Industrial
Development in Calabar,
said the Federal Government
was working with
states to ensure that the
country moved away from
dependence on oil.
Usani, who appealed to
investors to consider Cross
River State for investment
in the agricultural sector, assured
that the government
at the centre would work
with the state to provide
needed facilities which, according
to him, will engender
agricultural and industrial
revolution.
“We are ready to work
with the state government
Edo executes 57.82 km road networks in 11 months
IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, Benin
Edo State government
said it has so far constructed
and rehabilitated
a total of
57.892 Kilometres of inter
and intracity roads across
the state in the last eleven
months.
Osahon Amiolemen, the
state commissioner for Infrastructure
made the disclosure
during the presentation
of the activities and achievements
of his ministry to the
State House of Assembly.
Amiolemen, who said
the roads spread across the
three senatorial districts of
the state , noted that they
range from single to dual
carriage lanes.
He said the roads which
connects communities,
towns and villages were
geared towards boosting the
socio-economic activities of
the communities.
He also added that about
255.623 Kilometres of roads
were ongoing and at various
stages of completion while
67 roads have been designed
and awaiting procurement
to ensure that the agricultural
sector is developed to
the extent that investors will
have value for their money.
The Federal Government’s
agricultural programme
is yielding results and the
country is exporting a number
of agricultural products,”
he said.
The Minister assured
the state government of
his desire to help woo investors
into the state, hoping
that with the peaceful
atmosphere prevailing in
the state, investors will
seize the opportunity to
invest in various areas of
the economy.
processes.
The commissioner however,
attributed paucity of
funds as a major constraint
hindering the performance
of the ministry in road construction.
“We still have constrained
in financing indebtedness.
We have submitted
some certificates. Some have
been treated and some have
not been paid. We are indebted
in that way. Looking
at the number of roads we
are supposed to do with
the budgetary provisions
in 2017.