Date: 2011-07-19

No fewer than 700 employees are to be engaged by the resuscitated Jebba Paper Mill next year at the completion of the company’s rejuvenation efforts, just as over N8 billion has so far been injected by the core investor in the company to expand its operations.

Similarly, the company has also diversified its resources by venturing into agriculture with the cultivation of 300 hectares of farm land this farming season.

The Chairman, Messrs MINL Limited, the new owners of the paper mill, Mr. Suresh Kumar Agrawal dropped these hints in Ilorin when he led the management team of the company on a courtesy visit to the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed in his office at the Government House, Ilorin.

According to the Chairman, the support received from the Federal and Kwara State Governments as well as the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), gave the company the courage to take over the running of the paper mill in 2009.

The host community Agrawal noted, had been very supportive and cooperative and "that was why we divested in agriculture to serve as a role model for the local farmers and assist them to improve their farm yields per hectare".

Mr Agrawal, who used the opportunity of the visit to congratulate the governor on his inauguration, told him that his company had been operating business in Nigeria since 1995.

Responding, Governor Ahmed thanked the management of Jebba Paper Mill for assisting the State Government to reduce unemployment, which he described as a serious social problem that must be tackled headlong.

Alhaji Ahmed said the State Government had already taken steps to reverse the ugly trend of unemployment through the establishment of Kwara Bridge Empowerment Scheme (KWABES), aimed at engaging a good number of unemployed youths in productive ventures.

The governor disclosed the readiness of his administration to partner the paper firm in order to move the state from a public-service driven economy to a private-sector driven to make it more economically viable.

He, however, advocated that government should hands off completely from the running of viable companies in which the private sectors have comparative advantage over the public sectors.

The paper mill, which had been in comatose for over 17 years, resumed production in 2009 when MINL Limited formally took over the running of the company with about 400 employees.

Abdulwahab Oba
Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor
19/07/2011