The Federal Government has expressed delight with the General Electric’s commitment to Nigeria’s progress and development.Vice President Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo expressed this delight when he received a delegation of the Company led by its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jeff Immelt and members of his Management team at the State House, Abuja today.
The Vice President stated that Federal Government is happy with the extent of General Electric’s programmes in the Oil & Gas sector especially in Rivers State, Railway infrastructure, Health and Power; and concluded that the totality of their programmes are directly related to Mr. President’s Transformation Agenda. He used the occasion to solicit for greater co-operation between the company and state governments whose Agenda falls in line with the GE’s programmes in Nigeria.
He thanked GE for the confidence it has reposed in Nigeria.
Earlier the GE’s Chairman informed the Vice President on the programmes they were embarking upon in Nigeria, he said that they have invested US$250m in Calabar to develop new plants and a cyber-shop where 250 people are expected to grow. They have acquired 38 acres of land with 14,000sqm facility, gas turbine, power generation equipment, sub-seeds and Christmas trees, fabrication and assembly equipment and have invested in people to develop their vocational skills and machining.
Others include signing of the 200 locomotives assembly plant, rehabilitation and modernization of locomotives that have been sitting idle in the Nigerian Railways Corporation. In the Health Sector they have signed an overall and specific MoU with the Ministry of Health to develop capacity and capability, management and technical competences, online training courses for the staff, rural healthcare in line with the save one million lives associated with Nigeria. They were helping also in achieving the MDGs goals, 4 and 5, building relationship with the private sector health Care Specialist in Nigeria, expediting action around the Public Private Partnership (PPP’s). This is in a bid to encourage patients stay and be diagnosed in Nigeria.
In the Power Sector they observed that the priority of government is improving the power situation in the country. This has facilitated their resolved to generate up to 10,000 megawatts of electricity and in their efforts to achieve that they have signed a joint development agreement with serious power developers that will generate a total of up to 1500 megawatts. They also stated that they intend to complement privatization process with regards to winners of the bids and were looking forward to the Phase II of the process.
Present at the meeting were the Minister of Transport, Sen. Umar Idris, Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister of State Power Hajiya Zainab Kuchi, Managing Director Nigeria Railway Corporation Seyi Sijuade, Managing Director Bank of Industry Evelyn Opute and other top government functionaries.
