Osinbajo in Onitsha as Onitsha industrialists want FG to address poor power supply, flooding, EPZ, forex, second Niger bridge, river port

www.odogwublog.com reports that industrialists in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra state, under the aegis of Habour-Bridge Head Industrialists Association have appealed to the federal government to address the perennial problems militating against industrialization in the area.

They listed some of such problems as flooding, foreign exchange, poor power supply and high cost of electricity, review of Central Bank Of Nigeria, CBN list of items excluded from foreign exchange, designation of Harbour Export Processing Zone, EPZ, construction of second Niger Bridge and provision of functional River Port in Onitsha.

Chairman of the association, Chief Dr. Paul Okonkwor (MFR) who made the appeal in an address he presented to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday when he visited the industrialists, stressed the need for better cooperation between government and manufactureres in order to expand non-oil production activities and subsequently create more jobs for our teeming youth population.

Okonkwor who is also the Chairman/Managing Director of Pokobros Group of Companies West Africa Limited, regretted that since 2012, over 7,000 factory workers have been laid off as a result of poor power supply, lack of credit facilities to industrialists and difficulties associated with foreign exchange transactions, adding that more factories are still folding up at the moment.

According to him, "Let the government give us credit facility from the ecological disaster fund so that we can revamp our ailing industries because we pay our taxes and Value Added Tax, VAT running into millions of naira. Government should also give us a functional sea port in Onitsha comparable to the ones in Kaduna and Kano to reduce our logistic challenges".

Also speaking, the Legal Adviser to Krisoral Group of Companies, Onitsha, Barrister Chiadi Chidume who spoke on behalf of its Group Managing Director, GMD, Chris Oranu Chidume, told the Vice President that their ultimate was to provide employment opportunities for our teeming youths.

Her therefore expressed optimism that Osinbajo's visit to factories in Onitsha would become a moral booster in terms of employment and sustainability of the Nigerian economy.

During the visit, Osinbajo who was accompanied on the visits by Governor Willie Obiano and Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, laid the foundation stone of Eastern Distilleries and Food Industries Limited, a non-alcoholic Beverages Plant, a subsidiary of Krisoral group.

Osinbajo who praised the doggedness of the industrialists in contributing towards targeted production output, assured them that the federal government would soon come out with a blue print that would help to provide enabling environment for manufacturers which would in turn, boost the nation's economy.