The Cross state government has struck a partnership agreement with the French government to convert its wastes to electricity.
Making this known in Calabar, Tuesday, during a presentation to Governor Ben Ayade in his conference room, leader of the team, Mr. Ayodeji Okele, said they were in Calabar to conduct feasibility studies on the waste management situation in the state.
Okele, who is also the Managing Director, Asaju Energy, in company of a consortium of French companies comprising Gilles Bacquet, GB Consult and Services; Laurent Lambs, Project Manager Serge Experts, said the feasibility studies is coming on the heels of a recent visit by the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jerome Pasquier, to the state.
He said the Ambassador had discussed areas of economic cooperation, including waste management with governor Ayade.
“We have been having a discussion about this project over a year ago with regard to the waste management situation in Cross River state.
“And we arrived at the idea that we will need to do proper feasibility studies to find out what solution would be best suited and also what solution will be economically viable,” he stated.
In his remarks, governor Ayade, while expressing appreciation to the French government for the partnership, charged the consortium to see the project as purely a live-saving intervention, and “not something you can be periodic as a research.”
The governor said, “this is not a research, it is a life-saving intervention mission and that is why you are here. So, if you approach it from that perspective, your concept of time will become more delicate and sensitive.
“I do not believe that you need six months to do this feasibility study, you just need to put more effort and more time. And why am I saying this? This is because when you finish your feasibility study, you will end up with a position statement which states that it is a feasible project.
“Then you go back to the French government to process the actual final milestone which is the actual implementation. So if it takes you six months for feasibility study, by the time you get the final approval it will be towards the end of next year and that is not the level of pulse we need.”
