Imported User:
Ondo State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry. Mr. Omotayo Akinjomo, has said that the move to industrialise the state being made by the current administration would soon be achieved with its power generation efforts.
Akinjomo told journalists in Akure yesterday that a power plant being constructed by the state government to generate 35 megawatts of electricity using gas turbine at Omotosho town will soon be completed.
He said the multi-million naira power plant of the state government will complement the 835 megawatts plant being constructed by the federal government out of which 335 megawatts had been delivered under phase one.
He said the completion of the 500 megawatts under the second phase of the federal government power plant, also at Omotosho, will boost power supply and save ailing firms which rely heavily on power to operate.
The commissioner said Governor Olusegun Mimiko was right when he said recently that it was not profitable to resuscitate some ailing firms if they would be run permanently on generators.
He said, “Many industries had relocated from Nigeria to neigbouring countries because of the epileptic power situation here. The Oluwa Glass Industry is currently not functioning because its furnace must be constantly powered.
“There is no way such firm could be profitably run on generators except through the latest initiative of the government to generate electricity directly for the industries.”
Akinjomo said the current administration in the state recently collaborated with the Bank of Industry to provide financial support for some private firms which are into the production of wire and cables, aluminium, and plastic among others.
According to him, about N616million had been disbursed as loans to the affected firms through the arrangement while additional N427million would soon be given out under the second phase of the scheme.
The commissioner added that the state government had also organized small and medium scale enterprises into cluster groups with a view to providing a central power for them to carry out their operations.
