By CHARLES LWUOHA

President Bola Tinubu has commissioned the first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Conversion Centre in the South-East, located in Ebonyi State.

Commissioning the centre, the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan-Enoh, said the project was part of the Federal Government’s efforts to promote skills development, industrial growth and job creation, particularly in the automotive sector.

Senator Owan-Enoh described Ebonyi as a state with strong entrepreneurial potential and urged youths to take advantage of the centre to acquire technical skills and become employers of labour.

He also assured Governor Francis Nwifuru of the Federal Government’s support for the full realisation of the Abakaliki Cement Factory project at Nkalagu.

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, described the centre as a product of partnership between the state and federal governments, in line with his administration’s People’s Charter of Needs agenda.

Governor Nwifuru said his administration was deliberately investing in infrastructure, human capital, technology and productive enterprise to create an environment where industries can thrive.

He urged youths to embrace technical and vocational skills, stressing that skilled automotive technicians could create businesses and employment opportunities.

The Governor also called on investors and development agencies to take advantage of Ebonyi’s growing youth population, assuring them of an enabling environment for investment.

The State Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Monitoring, Ann Aligwe, thanked Governor Nwifuru for his commitment to entrepreneurship and human capital development, saying the initiative attracted the Federal Government’s intervention.

The Chairman of the Board, Chief Emmanuel Enukwu, and the Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, commended the state government for its support and urged continued collaboration between the state and Federal Government.