Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi on Tuesday promised to sustain and improve enabling environment to continue to attract more investors into the state.
Bello gave the assurance at the inauguration and grand opening of DOA Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), ”DOA GAS” at Phase 2, Lokoja.
Bello commended the management of DOA Gas for its decision to invest in the state, thereby creating employment for the youths.
Bello, represented by the state’s Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr Gabriel Olofu, reassured the commitment of his Administration to creating enabling environment to attract more investors into the state.
The governor assured the company of government’s unflinching support and patronage.
He further commended the company for being employer of labour, saying. ”If you succeed, Government will succeed”.
He urged Kogi indigenes in the country and in Diaspora to invest in all spheres of state economy so as to provide job opportunities in order to reduce restiveness and poverty in the state.
The governor promised to partner and synergise with corporate and individual organizations, who might want to do business in the state.
He emphasised that the state had put in place mechanisms to ensure that tax holiday was granted to new investors in the state.
He noted DOA GAS had become the newest private enterprise to heed the call to join hands with his administration to move the state forward.
Earlier, the Managing Director of DOA Gas, Mr David Achimugu, said that DOA Gas was a subsidiary of DOA Integrated Platform Group, currently focusing on providing LPG or Cooking Gas, to consumers conveniently at a very competitive price.
He explained that DOA Integrated Platform was incorporated in 2017 and had been a fast growing company playing a leading role in Agricultural sector development.
He added that the company had also diversified into Clean and Renewable Energy sector to meet the demands of consumers at a competitive price.
He commended the Federal Government for creating opportunities for investors by setting a target of Five Million Metric tonnes (MT) of LPG for the nation by 2022.
He noted that the FG’s set target had prompted him to introduce the DOA cooking Gas into the market to create healthier life for the people.
“A report by Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), states that Nigeria consumed 840,594.37 MT of LPG in 2019, indicating an increase of 60.5 per cent of more than 635,452.061 MT recorded in 2018.
‘“The report also goes on to say that the country is on track to meet the Five Million MT target by the year 2022 as set in the Nigeria Gas Policy of 2017.
“With that in mind, DOA Gas was established to do our part in fulfilling the mandate and to create a healthier life for Nigerians by providing access to a cleaner source of energy for cooking, vehicular transportation and other domestic and industrial uses.
“Clean cooking energy has come to stay and as such should be made readily available to end users,” Achimugu said.
He commended the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Kogi Government and all the relevant agencies involved in the protection and promotion of gas sector.
The highlight of the occasion was the official commissioning of DOA Cooking Gas plant by the commissioner on behalf of the governor.
Other stakeholders at the event were representatives of DPR, Federal and State Fire Service, Consumers, UBA, Zenith Bank, among others. (NAN)
