Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has said the coast is now clear for Delta state to turn into the industrial base of Nigeria.
The Governor said the multiplier economic benefits of the Delta Gas City project ranges from its expected 50,000 employment opportunities, to providing gas for the nation’s power plants.
According to him, all is set for the ground breaking of the project, disclosing that the intra-leadership tussle at Ugborodo, the host community, has been resolved to pave the way for the inauguration of the committee that would liaise between the Federal Government and the community on the project.
The project, being the first of its kind across the country will host three major plants – a gas processing plant, fertilizer plant and petro-chemical plant.
It is called a “Gas-City” because it is going to be a deep sea port that NPA is going to construct.
The gas processing plant, according to the Governor, would serve as a feedstock to the petro-chemical and the fertilizer plant, maintaining that there other projects that would spring surprises thereafter.
The project is located at Ogidigben in Warri South Local Government Area of the state
The Governor who undertook as inspection of the site hinted that in the next few weeks, President Goodluck Jonathan would soon give the date for its ground breaking.
The Governor, who explained that the project is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), involving the Federal Government, said some private investors and the Delta State Government remains the host.
He said, “It is a private public partnership between the Federal Government through the ministry of Petroleum Resources, working with private investors and off course the Delta State Government also being part of the project as the host state of the project.
“To develop the infrastructure you will first of all prepare the land. Preparation of the land means the bush clearing which has started, again there will be excavation and sand filling.”
He decried the speculation that the project was on the verge of being diverted, saying, “Let me assure everybody that this project is not leaving this site. It has come to stay. Mr. President will come and do the ground breaking and the other processes will continue.
“My message always to the community”, the Governor continued, “is that what is coming here is unimaginable. What they are even fighting for is just like fighting for crumbs of a bigger pie that is coming, that is, thousands of job opportunities. They should look more into the future. What is coming here once it succeeds generations unborn will benefit so much from it.”
The Project Director of Julius Berger, the contracting firm handling the project, Mr. Tom Grousser, said the Governor mobilized the company to site in January and that the company has since completed 60 per cent of bush clearing.