….Says it’ll boost local production of Chemicals, Fertilizers, as Aiyedatiwa applauds project
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is delighted with the take off of first ever Nigeria’s Methanol and Ammonium Bicarbonate factory in Ondo state established by a Chinese company to boost local production of Chemicals and Fertilizers in Nigeria.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, disclosed this on Monday while on a Site Tour and Project Inspection of the Chinese firm, SuperTech Methanol & Ammonium Bicarbonate Plant, located Ondo-Linyi Industrial Hub, at Omotosho in Okitipupa local government area of Ondo State.
The Minister who was accompanied on the tour by top officials of the NNPCL and key stakeholders in the gas industry, explained that production of 100,000 metric tons per annum of Methanol and 160,000 metric tons per annum Ammonium Bicarbonate is historic in Nigeria.
Ekpo said the Chinese plant at Ondo-Linyi industrial hub is a clear testament to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which envisions a Nigeria where gas serves as both the backbone of industrial growth and a catalyst for job creation, innovation, and sustainable development.
He said, “Moving around and seeing the kind of investment that has come into this place is encouraging that they are taking advantage of our natural gas resources to produce methanol and ammonium bicarbonate. Henceforth, as I gave a charge to the representative of NNPC in that office, upstream production should take advantage of the methanol from here so as to enhance the growth of this company.
“And I believe Mr. President (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) will be happy with what is going on here, that people are taking advantage of our natural gas resources to develop the economy of the nation. I’m really impressed, and the federal government will give them all the necessary encouragement to make sure that these projects move high from where they are producing, I think, 100,000 metric tons to the estimated 500,000 metric tons in the year 2026.
“The Supertech Methanol & Ammonium Bicarbonate Plant, Ondo-Linyi Industrial Hub, in Ondo State, is not only the first-ever Methanol and Ammonium Bicarbonate facility in the country, but also a significant addition to our downstream gas value chain, unlocking new opportunities in the production of chemicals, fertilizers, and other industrial inputs that are essential for our manufacturing and agricultural sectors.
“The relocation of this entire plant from China to Nigeria, and the achievement of 100% mechanical completion as of March 2025, speak volumes about the determination, resilience, and technical capacity of the promoters of this project. It is a shining example of what is possible when government policy aligns with private sector initiative,” the Minister said.
Also speaking during the tour, the Chairman of Chinese investors, Supertech Chemical Industry, Mr. Yang Jijiang, said “the minister’s visit marks an important milestone in our shared journey to advance Nigeria’s gas industrialization and energy transition agenda.
“Guided by the visionary leadership of the Federal Government and the Ondo State Government, and with the strong support of NNPC Ltd, GACN, and NMDPRA, Supertech has successfully transformed from vision to reality — establishing production facilities with an annual capacity of 100,000 tons of methanol and 160,000 tons of ammonium bicarbonate.
“As a Chinese investor in Nigeria, we at Supertech are proud to contribute to Ondo State’s industrialization drive and the broader economic development of Nigeria. We remain committed to creating jobs, transferring technology, and promoting long-term cooperation between our two nations.”
Earlier, the Principal Consultant to the Ondo-Linyi industrial hub, Dr Alexander Ajipe said the Minister’s tour of the project is a moral booster for the Chinese investors in Ondo state.
“As you can see, we have come here to welcome the Hon Minister for Petroleum Resources (Gas), and he has come on a special tour of the bicarbonate and methanol plants built by SuperTech Nigeria Limited. And of course, this is an achievement that we are so proud of in Ondo State and in Nigeria.
“We are now producing fertilizers here and we are producing methanol. It means that we are not going to rely on importation any longer,” Ajipe said.
MINISTER INSPECTS METHANOL, FERTILIZER PLANT IN ORE, PRAISES GOV AIYEDATIWA’S INVESTMENT DRIVE
- Gov promises sustained investors engagement, dualization of Ore-Okitipupa road
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, has commended Ondo State Governor, Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, for ensuring adequate security and creating an enabling environment that continues to attract investors to the state.
The Minister gave the commendation during a courtesy stopover at the Government House, Alagbaka, Akure, after inspecting the Supertec Methanol and Harmonium Plant in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of the state, on Sunday.
“Because of the importance of the project in your domain, we decided to come on inspection tour. Why it interests me is that there is the tech advantage of the natural gas to put on the facility, to produce methanol, fertilizer and many other things that our country needs at this point in time”, he said.
Ekpo described the ongoing methanol and fertilizer production project in Ore as a massive industrial investment with immense potential for national economic growth. He emphasized that the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to harness Nigeria’s abundant natural gas resources to drive economic transformation and industrial development.
“NNPC would be taking advantage to drive the upstream operation in Nigeria which is adding value. So, I congratulate you for providing the enabling environment for that project to thrive, for foreigners to come and invest in the State. This is what other states of the federation should imbibe so that it will drive the economy of the nation in the direction it should”, he added.
He congratulated Governor Aiyedatiwa for hosting the first methanol production facility in the country, noting that the NNPC is expected to leverage such investments to enhance upstream operations and promote value addition in the gas sector.
While promising to brief President Tinubu about the project ahead of its commissioning, the Minister pledged continued collaboration with the Ondo State Government in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, especially in the gas sector.
In his response, Governor Aiyedatiwa appreciated the Minister’s visit and lauded the Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) for removing bureaucratic bottlenecks that often discourage investors.
The Governor highlighted the growing number of industrial projects facilitated through ONDIPA, including a 500,000-barrel-per-day modular refinery and a petrochemical plant for fertilizer production in Ilaje Local Government Area.
The Governor identified the Southern Senatorial District as the state’s economic hub, rich in oil, gas, and mineral resources, with ongoing projects such as the proposed Deep Seaport and the Ondo-Linyil Industrial Hub, where cassava is being processed into ethanol.
“We have to do that because that is the only way we can grow the economy of the State and provide jobs for our people. There is a limit to employment opportunities that the government can provide for the teeming youth population but we believe that creating the enabling environment that is peaceful and investment-friendly will bring private investors because of the peculiar resources that we also have”, the Governor said.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustaining economic diversification, stressing that private investments remain vital to complementing government efforts in providing employment opportunities.
The Governor further disclosed that his administration is working to enhance the state’s infrastructure, including the dualization of the Ore–Okitipupa–Igbokoda road corridor, while the Federal Government undertakes the dualization of the Akure–Ore highway.
“We are inviting investors to come, the land is there, we have a lot of minerals here including gold, limestone and many more and we are beginning to market them to the world”, he added.
