By Adedapo Adesanya
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has partnered with Roche Pharmaceutical Company to seek the Enugu State Government’s approval to revitalise moribund state-owned agricultural factories.
Mr Tony Ifechukwu, Special Adviser to the CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, said this when he led a team from the two organisations on a courtesy visit to the Enugu State Government.
Mr Ifechukwu said the CBN governor was interested in ensuring that states become economically viable, stating that the team and the state Technical Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation had visited the state agricultural factory sites.
He said: “We have visited a cashew industry in the state, including the one at Oji River Local Government Area and the Oil Palm Plantation at Ugwuomu, Ibitolu, and others.
“All these factories are in a state of misuse but can still be revitalised to boost the state and nation’s economy.
“We are interested in all these cash crops because it is a long term crop that will put wealth back to the state and the country for decades.
“With cashew processing plant, Oil planting mill and plain wood factory, we can maximise the infrastructure to boost the state’s economy.”
Mr Ifechukwu said the team’s visit was to discuss ways of harnessing the economic potentials in the state’s agri-business enterprise.
He said it was also to facilitate the much needed accelerated growth, expansion and development of the state’s economy.
Responding, the Deputy Governor of the state, Mrs Cecelia Ezeilo, promised that the state government would do all in its power to ensure the success of the project as this would be beneficial to the government as well as create jobs.
“I promise that during the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), we are going to do what will favour your team, the state and citizens now and in the future,” Mrs Ezeilo said.
Modupe Gbadeyanka