…Eyes automobile, agriculture and CNG
One of Nigeria’s thriving business conglomerates, Innoson Group of companies, has expressed readiness to invest heavily in Cross River, Special Adviser to Governor Bassey Edet Otu on Local Content, Amb. Awatt Caleb, confirmed.
Dr Innocent Chukwuma, Chairman of Innoson Group, made his intentions known when the Governor’s Aide visited him at his residence in Nnewi, Anambra State, recently.
Speaking during a courtesy to the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Cross River State Council, Comrade Archibong Bassey, at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Center in Calabar, on Monday, Caleb disclosed that Innoson Group has expressed readiness to partner with the state government to train youths in various areas of automobile production and assembly.
He said the company has shown interest to set up Compressed Natural Gas station, and is willing to partner any local government council to invest massively in commercial rice farming, with improved rice seedlings that mature between 3 and 6 months.
“The governor is my friend. I’m ready to extend Innoson’s operations to Cross River. Let’s start with training your youths and setting up production in Tinapa,” Chukwuma was quoted as saying.
Caleb informed the NUJ Chairman that Innoson Group plans to introduce Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles, electric cars, and a rubber-to-tyre value chain in the state, saying the company has already requested data on rubber output from Cross River for both export and local processing.
He noted that the deal aligns with Governor Otu’s “People First” agenda, emphasizing a move from policy rhetoric to practical action by attracting real investments that will generate employment and drive industrialization.
“As a state, we’re moving from rhetoric to action. This partnership with Innoson opens a new chapter for Cross River’s local content drive,” he said.
He further announced that Innoson has pledged to subsidize vehicle prices for Cross River indigenes, especially transport operators, to ease access and support micro-enterprise.
The SA assured that the youth selection process for the training programme will not be influenced by politics. “The selection of participants will not be based on political influence but strictly on merit,” he stressed.
Caleb said he and his team, which included retired army officer Akiba, were later taken on a tour of Innoson’s manufacturing facilities, where diesel, electric, and CNG-powered vehicles are produced.
A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state and Innoson is expected to be signed soon.
The SA used the opportunity to intimate the NUJ on plans by government to host a Local Content Summit in October this year, with the aim to attract Cross River professionals and investors from the diaspora to contribute to the state’s economic revival.
