News Investigators/ The Benue Government Executive Council (EXCO) has approved the implementation of a 30,000-hectare National Food City Complex to boost agricultural production, processing and food security.
The Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Solomon Iorpev, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting in Makurdi.
Iorpev said the flagship agribusiness and industrialisation project would be implemented through a public-private partnership with Rexzondeneh Group Ltd. (RGL).
He said the project would commence with 12,000 hectares in Ogyoma-Akpa area of Otukpo Local Government Area, with the remaining land to be developed in phases.
Mr Johnpaul Kpenkaa, Executive Secretary, Benue Investment Promotion Agency (BENIPA), said the project was valued at N330 billion ($250 million dollars)
Kpenkaa described the project as an agro-industrial park designed to move agriculture from primary production to processing, value addition and export.
He said it was expected to create more than 15,000 jobs and mobilise about 40,000 farmers to supply rice, cassava, maize and other agricultural commodities.
According to him, the project is the first significant PPP initiative in the state’s 50-year history to move from a memorandum of understanding to an executable agreement.
He attributed the development to Gov.
Hyacinth Alia’s commitment to ease of doing business, due diligence and creating an enabling environment for investors.
Kpenkaa said Benue would hold a 10 per cent equity stake in the project, while the host community would receive five per cent equity.
He explained that the project would operate under a 25-year concession, after which the facility would be transferred to the state for full ownership.
The executive secretary said the initiative was part of the Federal Government’s National Food Security Programme, approved for implementation in six pilot states.
He added that Benue was the first state in the country to authorise implementation of the project, with the official agreement signing scheduled for Friday.
Meanwhile, Iorpev urged residents of flood-prone areas to remain vigilant as the rainy season intensifies.
He specifically advised residents of Adaka, Achusa, Wurukum, Judges Quarters and areas along the Bukuru and Naka road axes to exercise caution and monitor rising water levels.
The commissioner also urged residents to stop dumping refuse into waterways, gutters and drainage channels, noting that such practices contribute significantly to flooding.
He said the state government was constructing drainage systems across Makurdi and other parts of the state as part of efforts to address flooding.
Also speaking, Mr Odo Ogwu, Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change, said Benue had been onboarded onto the World Bank-assisted Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) programme.
Ogwu said the programme would help expand access to potable water, sanitation and improved hygiene across the state.
He said SURWASH officials and representatives of Nalado Nigeria Ltd. were conducting assessments of the Greater Makurdi Waterworks, old waterworks and pipeline networks.
He added that similar assessments would be conducted in Katsina-Ala and Otukpo to determine rehabilitation and expansion needs.
Ogwu said the state government had paid N670 million debt owed to CGC, the Chinese company that constructed the new Otobi Waterworks, by the previous administration.
He said the Otobi facility, which had been abandoned for more than 13 years, was subsequently rehabilitated and water reticulated to about 25 streets in Otukpo.
He, however, said federal road construction had affected a major supply line, adding that efforts were ongoing to restore full water supply to the reticulated areas.
NAN
