By Oluwakemi Kindness
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to deploy the Ecological Fund to address the shoreline erosion threatening the Eraskorp Industrial Park in Gbarain, Bayelsa State.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved on Tuesday by Rep. Oforji Oboku, who warned that continued erosion could destroy the Eraskon Lubricants and Chemicals Blending Plant, a major indigenous petrochemical investment.
Oboku said the project is expected to strengthen local manufacturing, reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported lubricants and chemical products, and support the country’s industrialisation and economic diversification agenda.
According to the lawmaker, the industrial facility comprises a 128,000-litre-per-day lubricant and chemical blending plant, an aerosol plant and a carton manufacturing plant.
He added that the project is projected to create more than 200 direct jobs and over 1,000 indirect employment opportunities when completed.
He, however, lamented that severe shoreline erosion has already caused extensive damage to the site, forcing the dismantling of a manufacturing complex that was about 75 per cent completed after its foundation piles and shoreline protection structures were destroyed.
Oboku told lawmakers that major process equipment had already been procured and delivered, while critical infrastructure, including storage tanks and roofing works, had reached advanced stages before the erosion disrupted construction.
He warned that abandoning the project would jeopardise a strategic investment with the potential to generate revenue, support small and medium-scale enterprises, and strengthen Nigeria’s manufacturing sector.
Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged the Federal Government to direct the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to utilise the Ecological Fund for shoreline protection and erosion control at the Eraskorp Industrial Park and neighbouring communities in Gbarain, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The lawmakers also mandated the House Committee on Ecological Fund to facilitate implementation of the resolution and report back within six weeks for further legislative action.
