By Isaac Anumihe and Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Government yesterday disclosed its plan to proceed with the construction of the $20 billion gas industrial park through a public-private partnership in Ogidigben, Niger Delta.
Tagged: Gas Revolution Industrial Park (GRIP), the project which has already been designated as a Tax Free Zone by the government, will cover 2,700 hectares with fertilizer, methanol, petrochemicals, & aluminium plants.
Disclosing this, in Abuja, at a meeting with international developers and investors of the project, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, stated that the Buhari administration is committed to the development of the Niger Delta, adding that the importance of the project is underlined by the presidential attention it is attracting. “The presidency is very interested.” he said
However, before his vacation, President Muhammadu Buhari had mandated the Vice President to embark on visits to oil-producing communities to demonstrate the resolve of his administration to the pursuit of a new vision for the Niger Delta.
The building of an industrial gas hub in Ogidigben, Delta State was one of the feedbacks that was received during the visit to the state.
So, as a follow-up on the Niger Delta trips, Acting President Osinbajo, alongside the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu; the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC), Group Managing Director; Dr. Maikanti Baru and other top government and NNPC officials met yesterday with a group of international investors and developers.
The meeting was at the instance of a Dubai-based consortium, AGMC. The consortium is made up of Fortune 500 companies like the GSE&C of South Korea, the China Development Bank, Power China and several other global operators from Asia and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle-East.Under the plan, about $20 billion would be invested in the development of Gas Revolution Industrial Park, that will generate over 250,000 direct and indirect jobs.