The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has commended Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, for creating a secure and enabling environment that is successfully attracting significant industrial investment to the state.
Ebenezer Adeniyan, Aiyedatiwa’s Chief Press Secretary, in a statement on Monday, said the minister made the commendation following an inspection tour of the Supertec Methanol and Harmonium Plant in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area.
During a subsequent stopover at the Government House in Akure, Ekpo described the Ore project, which is set to produce methanol, fertiliser, and other essential products, as a massive industrial undertaking with immense potential for national economic growth.
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He highlighted that the initiative aligns directly with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to harness Nigeria’s abundant natural gas resources for economic transformation.
“What interests me is that there is the tech advantage of the natural gas to put on the facility, to produce methanol, fertiliser and many other things that our country needs at this point in time,” Ekpo stated.
He further congratulated Aiyedatiwa for hosting the nation’s first methanol production facility, noting that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) is expected to leverage such investments to drive upstream operations and promote value addition in the gas sector.
Ekpo urged other states to “imbibe” this investment-friendly approach.
The minister pledged continued collaboration with the state government under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and promised to brief Tinubu about the project ahead of its official commissioning.
In his response, Aiyedatiwa lauded the minister’s visit and praised the Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) for its role in removing bureaucratic bottlenecks that deter investors.
Aiyedatiwa underscored his administration’s commitment to sustaining economic diversification through private investment, which he believes is vital for complementing government efforts and providing jobs for the youth population.
He identified the Southern Senatorial District as the state’s economic hub, rich in oil, gas, and mineral resources.
He highlighted other major industrial projects facilitated by ONDIPA, including a 500,000-barrel-per-day modular refinery, a petrochemical plant for fertiliser production in Ilaje LGA, and the ongoing Ondo-Linyil Industrial Hub, which processes cassava into ethanol.
The proposed Deep Seaport project is also in the pipeline for the region.
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The governor also disclosed plans to enhance infrastructure, announcing that his administration is working on the dualization of the Ore–Okitipupa–Igbokoda road corridor, while the Federal Government handles the dualization of the Akure–Ore highway.
“We are inviting investors to come, the land is there, we have a lot of minerals here, including gold, limestone and many more, and we are beginning to market them to the world,” Aiyedatiwa said.
