Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has said that the state’s bio ethanol plant would generate about $80 million annually while generating jobs to over 200,000 youths.
He who disclosed this at the State House recently added that his focus on human capital development would rest mainly on agriculture as he proposed 500,000 hectares for cassava production in ten colonies with each having 50,000 hectares to be spread across the three senatorial districts in the state.
Bello stated that each of the colonies would have bio-ethanol plant, starch manufacturing, garri processing, cassava pellet and leave plants that would exist in at least 15 Local Government Areas of the state.
“Conservatively, these plants are estimated to generate $ 80 million annually per colony and would engage about 200,000 unemployed youths across the state,” the governor said.
He also said his administration had considered so many things, but would give priority to the agricultural sector.
“You can never go wrong with agriculture,” he said, adding that Kogi state will continue to appreciate President Buhari who has revolutionised agriculture in Nigeria.
On Omimi Rice, Bello said he was happy that a lot had been said about the initiative, stressing that the plant would be one of the largest in the north as far as rice milling was concerned.
“The rice that will come from that particular plant will have no match. Now we are going into a 500, 000 cassava revolution programme in the state.”
He equally disclosed that his administration had changed the narrative of the state from civil a servant-dominated state to an economically viable state that could feed itself and generate wealth, adding that this change was achieved through vast investment in the agricultural sector.
Victoria Nnakiaike, Lokoja
