CITIZENS COMPASS– PRESIDENT of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated the much awaited Imota Rice Mill in Ikorodu, Lagos State, as he arrived the state on Monday, for two days working visit.
Other projects inaugurated by Mr President were Lekki Deep Sea Port, and Bestaf Lubricant at MRS Holdings Company Limited.
The Lekki Deep Sea Port which encompasses an investment in excess of $1.5 billion is a Joint Venture between the Federal Government through the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Lagos State Government, the Tolarams Group (the owner of the Lagos Free Zone), and China Harbour Engineering Company.
According to a statement by Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President led Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, the Minister of Transportation, Muazu Sambo, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Ciu Jianchun, top government officials and traditional rulers, to witness the overloading from the Container Ship, sailing under the flag of Malta.
The Lagos governor, who addressed the President on the occasion, said the size of the vessels that will berth at the port would be four times the size of vessels that currently berth at Apapa and Tin Can Island Port
The Governor said, “We are excited that in your own time, something fresh has been birthed in this country and it is going to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs,” he said.
“In the same vein, the Imota Rice Mill inaugurated by the President was “conceptualised and completed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.”
The Bestaf Lubricant, a 200-million-litre lubricant plant, which covers the whole value chain of lubricants, is described as the first of its kind in West Africa.
On the second day of Buhari’s visit, the President is expected to inaugurate the “historic first Phase of the Blue Line of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit in Marina and the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History at Onikan roundabout.”
Imota rice mill is an agricultural plant in Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria. It was built in 2021 and will commence full production in the forth quarter of 2022.
It is 22 hectares big, with the mill itself occupying 8.5 hectares. It will be the largest mill in Africa and the third largest mill in the world. The rice mill has a capacity to produce 2.8 million bags of 50kg bags of rice yearly, while generating 1,500 direct jobs and 254,000 indirect jobs. On completion, in line with the estimated installed infrastructure of the facility, the production capacity of the rice mill in Imota will set it among the largest in the world, and the largest in sub-Saharan Africa.
