The Presidential Amnesty Office in collaboration with Innoson Motors and Bayelsa State Government are to kick-start an Automobile Assembly Plant in the Niger Delta region.

Indication to this emerged after a meeting of the parties in Bayelsa State over the weekend.

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator of the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (Rtd), led a high powered delegation, to the Bayelsa State Government House which included the following dignitaries; the Chairman, Innoson Group of Companies, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Economic Council, Mr. Donald Benibo Wokoma, and the CEO, JUMAB Global Services, Prince Jacob Momoh.

The aim of the visit according to Wabiye Idoniboyeobu, media consultant to Gen. Boroh, was to seek the support of the Bayelsa State Government in the establishment of a world class Automobile Assembly Plant in the state.

He said the management of Innoson Motors who had trained and graduated over 100 Niger Delta ex-agitators, in Automobile repairs and manufacturing; on the request of Gen. Boroh, have accepted to build a world class Assembly plant in the region. The plant will first of all absorb all the ex-agitators, recently trained under Innoson Motors and also create job opportunities for other Niger Delta sons and daughters.

“The delegation received a warm reception by the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson, who on receiving the proposal, instructed the Commissioner of Trade and Investment, to allocate whatever space needed for the project, immediately all paper work is concluded. He also highlighted that the Bayelsa State Government is creating a massive Industrial Park for prospective investors to take advantage of. He expressed his delight for the initiative of the Amnesty office and Innoson Group, and promised to give his full support to the project.

“The Amnesty Coordinator, who facilitated this process, said, one of the strategies of the Buhari led Federal Government; to stabilising the region is to make the Niger Delta the Industrial hub of the Nation. He also added that oil is fast loosing relevance and pointed out that now is the time to look into other avenues of generating revenue. Gen. Boroh highlighted the new Agriculture drive; the Amnesty office is pushing forward, and encouraged all, to have little farms in their surroundings.

“The Chairman of Innoson Group, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, expressed his delight, stating that after training and studying the Amnesty beneficiaries sent to his school, he can confidently say “The people of the Niger Delta are good people.” He indicated his readiness to move to site once the site has been allocated, adding that the ex-agitators who successfully graduated at his academy will form the work foundation of the plant, once completed,” the media consultant said in a statement.

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