By: Imo Thomas -Umuahia.
Abia State government and the Kingdom of the Netherlands have sealed a deal on waste management in the state.
Dr. Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia state, on Wednesday, 19th March, received a delegation from the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria led by the Deputy Consul-General, Mr. Peter Keulers, who were in the State on a scoping mission alongside the Kaltani Company led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Obi Charles Nnannaisho is due to commence the project of turning waste into wealth in the State after the execution of an MoU with the Abia State Government.
Governo Otti informed the delegation that Abia is ready and open for business. He further disclosed that Abia is not seeking aid but exploring areas of collaboration for mutual benefits.
The State Chief Executive noted that when he assumed office as the Governor of the State in 2023, the State was classified as the dirtiest State in Nigeria, hence his decision to declare a state of emergency in waste management and environmental sanitation.
He said that a whole lot has been achieved and Abia is currently rated as one of the neatest States and now the government is moving to the next level of converting waste to wealth.
“What we have done is to evacuate the rubbish and put them somewhere. We are now moving to the next stage, which is the stage of what we do with the heaps of rubbish, and that is why Kaltani Company came in to say that there are two ways to deal with it.
“We thought that the better thing to do would be to convert the waste into products that people will buy.
“What will these products be? There are a lot of them, and people talk about waste to wealth or waste to energy, and that is in very serious demand here, and that is where he (The Honourable Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities) comes in because it is part of our strategy.
“We need to solve the energy problem in Abia. I’ll say that we are almost there, and it is in the same Aba that we are talking about, which has power from an independent integrated power company that runs on a 24-hour basis.
Governor Otti, who stressed the high demand for electric power to the entrepreneurial Abians and residents, said that his government would support them.
“The energy demand is inelastic, and you know how it is for people who are entrepreneurs, people who havecanduce anything, so these people require support from the government.
“For us, we believe that if we can provide enough power for our people, we would have solved half of the problems,” Gov. Otti stated.
In a brief remark, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Engr. Ikechukwu noted Monday that having tackled the issues of sanitation head-on, Governor Otti is concentrating on converting waste to wealth, which would also lead to environmental sustainability and job creation.
While also informing the delegation of the immense potential that Abia boasts of, Engr. Monday urged the delegation to consider investing in the area of converting waste to energy, adding that Abia is one of 5 States selected for the circular economy project being financed by the European Union.
In his speech, the Deputy Consul-General, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr. Peter Keulers said that his delegation is on a scoping mission to meet with government, private sector, and academic/research organizations to discuss possible areas of deployment of Dutch Technology and knowledge to meet both commercial and policy objectives in the areas of waste management, circular aspect of Agriculture among others.
The Deputy Consul-General, while noting that circular economy is so dear to the Kingdom of Netherlands, said that it will lead to a more sustainable and resilient economy with less pollution and waste, and even lead to a more efficient use of scarce resources as well as engender quality of life.
He informed the Governor that the Circular economy has the potential to create all kinds of economic opportunities and jobs in the future, pointing out that they are focused on promoting bilateral relations, having visited the proposed site for the Kaltani waste management facility in the State
Earlier, the Managing Director cum Chief Executive Officer of the Kaltani Company and key development partner of the waste-to-wealth project, Engr. Obi Charles Nnanna said that they are a ready partner in the project of waste collection and recycling.
He expressed his joy for the opportunity to collaborate with Governor Alex Otti in realizing his vision for the State.
“His Excellency, Governor Alex Otti is a man of vision, a man who wants to create a lasting impact in the lives of Abians, and we are happy to be part of that story; we are happy to support His Excellency’s government and vision.
“We intend to galvanize waste, we intend to create jobs, we intend to address multiple United Nations SDGs,” Nnanna stated.
The delegation visited the Recycling Park and Landfills at Osisioma, existing burrow pits and dumpsites in Aba and Umuahia, the transfer loading station in Umuahia, and is scheduled to visit Ulonna rubber plantation at Ndi Oji Abam, Aba Textile Mill and Textile Market, Recycling facilities in Aba and Umuahia including Leather and Apparels Clusters in Aba on Thursday, 20th March.
