Cross River State Deputy Governor Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, has said that in terms of Agriculture, Cross River State holds 50% of carbon credit reserves in Nigeria.
Odey stated this on Thursday when he declared open the second day of the International Cooperation & Investment Summit (ICIS) held at the Calabar International Conference Centre in Calabar.
While addressing the participants at the summit including His Excellency, Cui Jianchun, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Nigeria; His Excellency, Kim Young Chae, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nigeria, Hon Odey announced Governmment’s desire for partnership.
He said he did not know that Cross River State holds 50% of carbon credit in Nigeria, not until it was revealed to him at the first day of the summit.
“Let me tell you the truth, our forest reserve is rich. I am not talking about selling of timbers, there are more we can do with the forest. In terms of agriculture we want partnership,” he said.
“In fact we had decided a deal yesterday for you to come and plant palm, according to him, “you will be surprised how much that is going to bring to Cross River State just by planting Palm.”
Hon. Odey who proudly said that Cross River State has the forest and the soil, rhetorically, wondering what they are doing with them, used the occasion to invite businessmen to come and do business in Cross River State assuring them that their business will be protected.
“What you know as Lafarge today was at some points called Calcemco, that went moribund, no business activities were going on, then it metamorphosed into Dangote cement after Dangote, UniCem and today is Lafarge,” he said.
He said he was happy to announce that Lafarge is the biggest producer of cement located in Cross River State, south south Nigeria.
“They are employing Cross Riverians , they are making money, they are the highest tax payer in Cross River State,” he said he would not announce how much they pay as tax.
Odey went down memory lane when he said, “Yesterday activities of government was brought to a halt.”
“When I was in the house of assembly I say and still believe that Governmment has no business in running a business,” he said.
While he said he was of the opinion that Governmment should create an enablement for business to thrive in Cross River State, the Deputy Gov. Said “It is on the strength of that that I passed privatization bill into law that was signed by the last administration of Sen Ben Ayade.”
“Industries that were built by the last administration were going towards privatization, a privatization council were set up and indeed businessmen from across the world approach us to do business in Cross River State.”
Other key participants at the event which featured dinner and award night were Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, Country Representative of WHO; Dr. Iorwa Apera, Country Director of FHI360; Chief Diana Chen Emba, Vice Chairman of the China-Africa Investment Forum; Dr. Herbert Wigwe, Group CEO of Access Holding Plc; Mr. Lamin G. Barrow, Director-General of the African Development Bank, Nigeria Country Department; Dr. O. M. O. Ashimolowo, Vice President of Operations at ECOWAS Bank for Investment & Development; and Mr. Suren Abeywickkrema, Vice President of ARISE Industrial Integrated Platforms.