4th March, 2016
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has said in a bid to create 3000 direct and indirect jobs for the people of Rivers State his administration will complete the new phase of the Integrated Medical Industries that will produce one billion auto-disable syringes in Port Harcourt.
Wike made the statement on Friday after inspecting facilities at the Integrated Medical Industries, IMI, a company wholly owned by the Rivers State Government.
He said that the state government will write the Federal Government for the required sovereign guarantee for European Bank to loan Rivers to complete the project.
He directed the State Attorney-General, Commissioner for Finance and Commissioner for Health to liaise with the managers of the Integrated Medical Industries, IMI, to conclude work on the application to the Federal Government for the required sovereign guarantee.
The governor expressed satisfaction with the steps taken by the managers of the project to sustain it for the production of relevant medical consumables.
“I am satisfied that this project will create 3,000 direct and indirect jobs in the state. We shall take appropriate measures to complete the company which will be the biggest in the country.
“My motivation is to further invest in this project is the fact that it will conserve foreign exchange and stop the import of some key medical consumables”.
In a presentation, the Facilitator of the IMI, Dr Ikedife Uba said that the project is 70 percent completed with all the relevant machines already fabricated by manufacturers in Europe.
He said that the new phase of the company will be the biggest in the country will produce 1 billion syringes and other critical consumables that will stem the tide of import and give Nigerians access to high standard products.
He said the total project cost is N69.8billion, with the Rivers State Government already expending N35.7billion, with N34.1billion left to be expended for the project to be completed and put to use.
Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr Theophilus Odagme said the project is strategic to the nation’s health sector.