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Osinbajo opens $8m liquid waste treatment plant in Rivers

By Sulaimon Salau
25 June 2019   |   3:51 am
A multi-million naira state-of-the-art liquid waste treatment plant built by African Circle Pollution Management Limited (ACPML), has begun operation in the Rivers State capital, Port Harcourt. The multi-purpose facility, which was built on the build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) agreement signed with the Federal Government, is situated in the Port Harcourt Dockyard, close to Nigeria’s oldest seaport in…

Vice President Osinbajo, commissions the Liquid Waste Treatment Plant in Port-Harcourt. He was received by the Governor Rivers State, Nyesom Wike accompanied by Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar, the Chairman of African Circle Pollution Management Limited. Photo/Twitter/asorock

A multi-million naira state-of-the-art liquid waste treatment plant built by African Circle Pollution Management Limited (ACPML), has begun operation in the Rivers State capital, Port Harcourt.

The multi-purpose facility, which was built on the build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) agreement signed with the Federal Government, is situated in the Port Harcourt Dockyard, close to Nigeria’s oldest seaport in Rivers State.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo while inaugurating the facility reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to help Nigerian firms meet global standards and practices as prescribed by various conventions and guidelines of the United Nations (UN) specialised agency, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

Acknowledging the feat, Osinbajo gave kudos to the management of ACPML, which has the former Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar as the Chairman of its Board of Directors, even as he enjoined other indigenous companies to emulate them.

His words: “I am happy to note that as a wholly indigenous firm, African Circle Pollution Management Limited has kept to its own side of the provisions of the agreement, and I want to assure you that the Federal Government under the watch of President Mohamadu Buhari will not relent in its efforts to ensure it lives up to expectations by doing its own part.

“I want to encourage African Circle to do more in the other navigational districts by ensuring that similar facilities are put in place. By so doing, the nation’s seaports will be in a vantage position to offer similar services to vessels calling in Nigeria’s territorial waters. There is no doubt that this is the way to go if Nigeria’s quest to be a maritime hub in the West and Central Africa Sub-Regions can be actualised.”

Giving an insight into the operations of the company, Abubakar said the building of the waste treatment plant was part of its contractual agreement with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and its commitment to a cleaner maritime environment in line with global standards and practices.

According to him, the liquid waste treatment plant is not only fully automated, but also has capacity to perform many functions that are vital to delivery of ACPML’s mandate.

Former Governor of Ogun State and a member of the Board Management Committee (BMC) of ACPML, Chief Olusegun Osoba, disclosed that the plant cost the company about $8 million.

He commended the Managing Director of NPA, Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman for hre support to the company since her appointment into the agency.

He enjoined the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, to help in the provision of land required for the building of ACPML facility in Bonny Island, even as he revealed that the landowners had made things difficult for the firm.

Wike, in his response expressed willingness to support ACPML to deliver on its assignment on the condition that the company, employed indigenes of Rivers State in its facilities.

Erstwhile Minister of Transportation and Vice Chairman, ACPML, Festus Porbeni, commended the efforts of all stakeholders in the strides the firm has made since it was established.

He called for the support and encouragement of all players to ensure that the firm consolidated on its achievements in the years ahead.

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