Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, an investment banking top executive turned politician is currently being commended by his administration’s efforts to broaden the economic base of the state.
Elated Chief Executive Officer of Nimshack Technologies, Valentine Okorie, is commending the governor highly. “We must commend the state government for looking at sources of generating income for the state, not just the allocation, but, something that can generate jobs and employment for the people.
“The government has assisted us by providing this land free and we have a dedicated power line drawn to the factory”, the CEO who is promoting an automobile assmbling plant in the state said.
The automobile company in the state is planning to produce 1000 commercial vehicles annually by the time it starts production in the fsirst quarter of next year.
Nimshack Technologies is however, a private firm in partnership with an Israeli automobile company. The plant which is located in Ikot Ukap Itam, Itu Local Government Area of the state is expected to create several jobs directly and indirectly.
Okorie who made this known while interacting with newsmen who undertook a facility visit to the company premesis to ascertain the progress of work, said when completed, the plant will have the capacity to produce 1,000 commercial vehicles yearly.
Okorie, who is atop Nimshack Transportation Technologies Limited lauded the Udom Emmanuel administration for creating àn enabling environment to attract investors to the state, pointing out that the administration in keeping with its industralisation drive had acquired the land for the sitting of the plant and also constructed a dedicated power line to feed the automobile plant.
While regreting the delay in the commencement of the production at the factory blaming it on the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic which he said stalled many its activities, he adds, “the plant is about 90 percent completed. Everything you see here is prefabricated and brought for installation, as you can see the electrical, the production area and the spraying area have been completed.
“We have fixed the offices, and I can assure you that in the next six months, commercial vehicles from this plant will be in the market. Our target is to produce 1000 vehicles in a year.’’
He is calling on government at all levels to invest in the transportation sub sector which he said is capable of generating several thousands of jobs and other investment opportunities, stressing, ‘’this is the first vehicle assembly plant in the South-South region, what Innoson is doing as a private investor is commendable, but, we are coming to take the automobile industry to another level, because of the types of vehicles that would be assembled here.
“The government should invest in the transport sector, like this assembly plant now, it has the capacity to generate over 10,000 jobs and other business opportunities. By the time we are fully operational, think of people producing oil filters, fuel filters, car batteries, break-pads and even those supplying items to the company, not to talk of direct employment.”
