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The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the shoreline erosion threatening the Eraskon Lubricants/Chemicals Blending Plant Project in Gbarain, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, warning that the environmental menace could derail a strategic indigenous investment and jeopardise more than 1,200 potential jobs.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Hon. Oboku Oforji, the Lawmaker drew the attention of the House to the devastating impact of shoreline erosion on the Eraskon Industrial Park. He warned that unless urgent measures are taken, the environmental degradation could frustrate efforts to expand local manufacturing, deepen industrialisation and advance Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.
Oforji described the Eraskon Lubricants/Chemicals Blending Plant as a strategic private-sector investment in Nigeria’s petrochemical industry, established to promote local production of lubricants and chemical products, reduce dependence on imports and strengthen the country’s manufacturing capacity.
According to the lawmaker, the facility comprises a 128,000-litre-per-day lubricants and chemicals blending plant capable of producing various grades of engine oils, hydraulic oils, brake fluids, radiator coolants, fuel injection cleaners, gear oils, industrial lubricants, marine lubricants and synthetic lubricants. The industrial complex also includes an aerosol manufacturing plant and a carton production facility.
He told the House that the project had recorded substantial progress before shoreline erosion began ravaging the area, with major equipment already procured and critical infrastructure at advanced stages of completion.
Oforji said that, upon completion, the facility is expected to create more than 200 direct jobs and over 1,000 indirect employment opportunities, while stimulating economic activities in Bayelsa State, boosting government revenue and supporting the growth of numerous small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
He further noted that the project has the potential to strengthen Nigeria’s industrial base by encouraging local manufacturing, reducing dependence on imported lubricants and chemical products, and expanding domestic production capacity.
Expressing concern over the scale of the environmental damage, Oforji said severe shoreline erosion had caused extensive destruction at the project site, significantly delaying completion and threatening the viability of the investment.
He disclosed that the Integrated Manufacturing Complex (IMC), which had reached about 75 per cent completion, had to be dismantled after shoreline erosion exposed and destroyed its foundation piles as well as the shoreline protection sheet piles.
The House also heard that all major process equipment for the plant had already been procured and delivered to the site. In addition, the IMC superstructure was approximately 75 per cent completed, roofing works had reached about 40 per cent, while construction of the base oil storage tanks stood at roughly 70 per cent before the erosion worsened.
The lawmakers observed that allowing the project to deteriorate further would not only undermine substantial investments already made but also deprive the country of a strategic industrial facility capable of creating employment, stimulating enterprise development and reducing dependence on imported petroleum products.
The House further noted that Sections 14(2)(b) and 16 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), require the government to promote national prosperity, encourage industrial development and protect investments that drive economic growth.
Consequently, 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 works at the Eraskon Industrial Park and its environs in Gbarain, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The lawmakers said the intervention would halt further environmental degradation, safeguard the strategic investment and pave the way for the completion of the project, enabling it to deliver its projected economic benefits and create more than 1,200 potential jobs.
The House also mandated its Committee on Ecological Fund to facilitate the implementation of the resolution and report back within six weeks for further legislative action.
