By Bisola Adeyemo
Flour Mills of Nigeria, FMN, said at the weekend that it is investing over $300 million in the establishment of a sugar manufacturing company in Nasarawa state to stimulate economic activities in the state and provide employment opportunities to the people of the state.
The Group Managing Director/CEO FMN, Mr. Omoboyede Olusanya, made the call during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with Nassarawa State Government, following its acquisition of 20,450 hectares of land to build a sugar company in Toto Local Government Area of the state, vanguard reports
Olusanya explained that FMN’s investments in Sunti, Niger State and the Nasarawa State BIP development plan, would significantly benefit host and surrounding communities through improvement projects such as; access roads, electrification projects, primary healthcare and educational facilities, and expanded job opportunities for the youth in particular.
According to him, “We are strong believers in backward integration but also very strong believers in sugar master plan. About 15, 000 hectares of the land will be for sugar and potentially the rest for cassava, the rest will be tied down to infrastructure not just to support the plantation, but to support the community at large.
“We implore the minister and governor to continue to do everything in their power as we make these investments; government continues to adhere strictly to its policies to ensure it protects the investments that we make. The more that is done, the more we can do what we are doing across the country.”
Expressing joy for the project in his state, Governor Abdullahi Sule “Flour Mills is not known for sugar, its known for flour, so our ultimate goal is to get Flour Mill to do cassava in Nasarawa state but right now what they are more interested in is sugar that’s why they are starting with sugar. In the sugar cane complex, you produce power, sugar, ethanol and animal feed.
“Flour Mills is not known for sugar, its known for flour, so our ultimate goal is to get Flour Mill to do cassava in Nasarawa state but right now what they are more interested in is sugar that’s why they are starting with sugar. In the sugar cane complex you produce power, sugar, ethanol and animal feed.
“This area they are going into is a virgin area which attracts bandits, clearing the site eliminates an opportunity for bandits to remain in that area. We have the military super camp at the same site, wire struck we have the squadron of the mobile police so you have nothing to fear.”
