Mr Richard Adebayo, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, has restated Federal Government’s commitment to supporting local industrialists.
Adebayo made the statement on Wednesday night in Warri while speaking to newsmen during a facility inspection visit to Lee Engineering and Construction Company.
The minister said that the Federal Government would continue to encourage and support local industrialists to effectively drive the economy.
He said that the essence of the inspection was to identify the challenges being faced by local industrialists and to determine how to encourage them.
“The whole idea is to encourage our industrialists and to give them the necessary confidence, moral boost and support,” he said.
Adebayo said that the industrial sector had key roles to play in realising the Federal Government’s promise of removing no fewer than 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
He said that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government was committed to creating more jobs to address unemployment in the country.
“As a government, we shall continue to work with entrepreneurs to address unemployment challenges and to boost the nation’s foreign earnings.
“I have made it a duty to visit as many industries as possible to see how they are faring.
“My observation so far at Lee Engineering shows commitment and focus to make a difference,” he said.
Adebayo expressed happiness that although the company’s operational equipment had yet to arrive, the company had already dispatched young engineers abroad for training.
He further stated that the company was putting up a facility that would save the country millions of dollars in foreign exchange.
Responding, Mr Leemon Ikpea, the company’s Executive Chairman, said the ongoing construction work in the company was about 85 per cent completed.
Ikpea said that the project would provide additional direct jobs to no fewer than 1,000 persons when fully on stream.
“We have just gone for the safety acceptance test in Europe, latest February 2020, the place will be fully completed.
“Pressure Vessels, High Heat Exchangers and other skills used in the oil and gas sector will no longer be imported, they will be done here and will create a lot of jobs,” he said.
