EFEGADIRIM MADUABUCHI, Port Harcourt  

 Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited investments in Nigeria in  petrochemicals, polymer resin and of late fertilizer have saved Nigeria some $659-million on importation of these products, sayd the group's managing director and chief executive officer, Mr. Manish Mundra said in Port Harcourt.

 He was speaking  ahead of the commissioning soon, of the group's $1.5 billion Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited in Eleme, near Port Harcourt, Rivers State, which is said to be the largest single-line gas based Urea fertilizer company in the world.

 Mundra disclosed this, when Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State visited the complex; adding that the company has paid out $57-million in taxes to the Federal Government and Rivers State Government.

 A breakdown shows that the Federal Government got $34-million, while Rivers received $23 million.

 Governor Wike said the success story of IEFCL is a clear testimony that Rivers State was a safe haven for multi-billion dollar investments; adding that the state was safe place for investors to commit their funds for profits.

 He said, for Indorama to develop the world's largest single-line urea fertilizer plant, build an 84-kilometer gas pipeline and set in place a big manufacturing concern in three years, showed that the State was a business hub of the country.

According to him, for the company to expend about $3 billion across five local government areas in the state, to develop production facilities, proves that all the reports about insecurity were sponsored propaganda. 

 He assured that his administration would continue to provide the enabling environment for investors to thrive; pointing out that the Rivers State Government would partner with Indorama to build a sustainable small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) business hub for Rivers people to benefit. 

 He described Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited as "a right investment in the right environment."

The governor called on the company to improve on the employment of indigenes into management positions for more fruitful relationship with the host communities. 

 He directed the State Attorney-General and the special adviser on Investment to work out details on the partnership structure between Indorama and the state government. 

The managing director and chief executive officer of Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals, Manish Mundra said, the company was a success story of public private partnership. 

 Indorama Group, a polypropelene company headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia, entered Nigeria in 2006, when they bought as scrap, the former Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited (EPCL), which was operated by the Federal Government. Since then, the company has raised the once moribund petrochemicals plant to a vibrant outfit with 100% capacity utilization.

 In 2013, it expanded into building a 1.4 million metric tonnes fertilizer plant, a product Nigeria spends billions of Naira importing yearly. Commissioning of the World Bank funded project is due in few weeks time.