By Aaron Ossai
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene in addressing the severe shoreline erosion threatening the Eraskon Lubricants/Chemicals Blending Plant Project at Gbarain in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The resolution followed the adoption of a Motion of Urgent Public Importance sponsored by Hon. Oforji Obomu in which lawmakers warned that continued shoreline erosion could undermine a strategic indigenous investment in Nigeria’s petrochemical sector and jeopardise its completion.
In its resolution, the House urged the Federal Government to direct the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF to utilise the Ecological Fund to execute shoreline protection and erosion control works at the Eraskorp Industrial Park and its surrounding environment in Gbarain.
The lawmakers said the intervention was necessary to halt further environmental degradation and safeguard the multi-billion-naira industrial investment.
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.
The lawmakers noted that the Eraskon Lubricants/Chemicals Blending Plant is a major indigenous private-sector investment designed to strengthen local manufacturing, reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported lubricants and chemical products, and support the country’s industrialisation and economic diversification drive.
According to the motion, the facility includes a lubricant and chemical blending plant with a production capacity of 128,000 litres per day, manufacturing various grades of engine oils, hydraulic oils, brake fluids, radiator coolants, fuel injection cleaners, gear oils, industrial lubricants, marine lubricants and synthetic lubricants. The project also comprises an aerosol plant and a carton manufacturing plant.
The House observed that before the devastating impact of shoreline erosion, the project had made significant progress, with critical equipment already procured and major infrastructure nearing completion.
They expressed concern that the erosion had caused extensive damage to the site, forcing the dismantling of the Integrated Manufacturing Complex (IMC), which was about 75 per cent completed after its foundation piles and shoreline protection sheet piles were exposed and destroyed.
They further noted that all process equipment had already been procured and delivered to the site, while the IMC superstructure was 75 per cent completed, roofing works stood at 40 per cent completion, and the base oil storage tanks were approximately 70 per cent completed before construction was disrupted.
The House stressed that completion of the project would generate more than 200 direct jobs and over 1,000 indirect employment opportunities, stimulate economic activities in Bayelsa State, boost small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and increase government revenue through local production and industrial growth.
Citing Sections 14(2)(b) and 16 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), lawmakers maintained that government has a constitutional obligation to promote national prosperity, encourage industrial development, and protect investments capable of driving economic growth.
The House said urgent federal intervention through the Ecological Fund would not only protect the shoreline and prevent further environmental degradation but also ensure the completion of a project considered critical to Nigeria’s industrial and economic development.
