Imo State and Ala Igbo: Politics of destruction or development?
It is so disheartening and sickening that in most social media groups and platforms in Imo state and Ala Igbo, all that we engage in , are discussions of inanities and gibberish politics of how to take power, collect monies , share it and then attend bogus social functions where praises are sang in emptiness.
HOW DO WE ADD VALUE TO OUR PEOPLE , CREATE JOBS AND BUILD FACTORIES IN ALA IGBO BEYOND BANAL POLITICS AND EMPTY RHETORIC?
I will give us an example .
Between 2015 to 2018, the CBN provided over N500billion agro intervention funds to agripreneurs in Nigeria.
Kebbi state alone engaged technocrats and deft political legs to attract over N72billion for their people. Today in Kebbi state, over 80,000 to 120,000 jobs have been created and massive rice processing mills set up all over the state . Same for Nassarawa . Imo state and most states in the south east got nothing.
The same CBN has again set up N32billion first tranche intervention funds to help part finance development of 100,000 new hectares of hybrid tenera palm plantations in the south east and south south of Nigeria. This is the first step in bridging the huge 1.4million CPO domestic supply gap . It will take billions of dollars investment to cover this gap. But N32billion is a good start .
This is over a year since the CBN Governor, graciously met with the governors of the 11 states in the SE/SS of Nigeria to appraise them of this lofty initiative. Yet nothing had been done by these governors and their aides to tangibly, structurally, scientifically, and effectively leverage on this huge opportunity to grow the economy of their states and create jobs leveraging on this window .
NOW WE HAVE DEVELOPED A PRIVATE SECTOR LED FRAMEWORK TO HELP US …. LETS THROW AWAY DIRTY POLITICS AND DEVELOP ALA IGBO.
WHAT ARE THE FRAMEWORKS. WHICH WAY TO GO?
To develop 10 hectares (150 plots ) of the new Supergene or Tenera Species Palm plantation in any autonomous community in Ala Igbo from planting to harvesting will require about N15million .
The Central Bank of Nigeria and the participating deposit money banks will require the leadership of each community to aggregate their community members ( 20 to 30 eligible youths/adults ) into cooperatives and to provide 5% of the required fund as your equity contribution ( that is N750,000) to set up 10 hectare palm plantation.
The CBN and the participating deposit money banks will also require members of these cooperatives to be set up in each community to have an anchor processing factory, that will post a bond to buy up every Fresh fruit Bunch produced in the plantations and show capacity to process it into oil.
This is where we, the South East Farms and Agricultural Processing Company Limited comes in to help.
South East Farms and Agricultural Processing Company Limited, www.sefapcol.com, have set up two brand new fully automated and integrated massive palm oil and palm kernel oil processing factories in Ihube Okigwe, Imo state that will act as the anchor offtaker to the communities willing to access the CBN intervention funds to develop palm plantations, which will help to create jobs and sustainable incomes for their people . Our 2021 plan is to built additional 27 new processing plants, each with capacity to process 720,000 liters of palm oil annually and 320,000 liters of palm kernel oil annually.
Our technical team shall also help to aggregate the selected 20 to 30 community youths into registered cooperatives approved by law.
We shake train them on the best palm plantation development technology and practise . We shall also help them to set up and manage their palm plantations.
We shall help to craft, develop and put together bankable feasibility studies/business plan for these cooperatives and provide the interested community with the needed equity seed capital of N750, 000.00 that they will need to unlock the CBN intervention funds of N15million to develop massive plantations in their communities .
We shall also execute 20 year offtake agreements to buy up the harvested FFBs from the plantations, and provide the required bank guarantees to give the CBN and the deposit money banks comfort to support the willing, able and ready communities.
Kindly note that South East Farms are the promoters of the biggest Agro Industrial park in the South East, a massive 2,136 acres of rich land with C of O at Ukwa Mkporo Ohafia Lga in Abia state .
Kindly also note that South East Farms have one of the biggest palm and F1 papaya nursery orchards in the South East today . We are also developing massive nursery seedlings to support in the coverage of the targeted 15million palm inputs seedlings by the CBN by 2025.
Remember that the people and government of Kebbi state alone accessed over N72billion from the intervention funds for rice alone . What are we waiting for in Imo state and south east of Nigeria ?
Why are town union leaders, religious leaders, philanthropists, elected and appointed political office holders in Ala Igbo pussy footing in pursuing pragmatic and very structured approaches to create jobs and values in Ala Igbo ?
Lets all work together to drive the akuruo ulo mantra
We want to help create massive jobs and Agro industries in Ala Igbo.
By His grace, we have the contacts, reach, intellectual depth and financial sagacities to help our people. Let’s do this together.
Let’s passionately and creatively set in motions Agro development and processing architectures with potentials to add over $1billion into the economy of the South East Nigeria and create over 200,000 jobs by 2025.
Yes, we can do this and do it well .
Good day and God bless you
Dr Nnaemeka Onyeka Obiaraeri, FICA.
