Oriental Oil Signs MOU With Unilorin on Food Production
Oriental Oil Resource Limited (Indimi Group of Companies) and university of Ilorin, (Unilorin) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on food production investment and development project Thursday in Maiduguri.
The Agricultural project which is the first of its kind to be embarked upon by Indimi Group in any of the Nigerian universities worth millions of US dollars is a 21 year lease agreement on land in Ilorin where OER Farms Limited will collabirate on the agricultural project with the University of Ilorin under full financial investment of Oriental Oil Resources Limited Nigeria.
The Chairman/CEO, Oriental Oil Resources Limited who is also the Chairman Indimi Group of Companies Nigeria, Alhaji (Dr.) Muhammadu Indimi and his Son, the Managing Director, Oriental Oil Resources LTD, Malam Ibrahim Muhammadu Indimi jointly signed on behalf of Oriental Oil Resources and Indimi Group.
The Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Professor Sulyman Age Abdulkareem and Registrar of the University, Dr (Mrs). Fola Olowoleni jointly signed and sealed the MOU/Partnership on behalf of the University at a ceremony held at the Maiduguri International Airport Wing of Indimi Group of Companies Plc Thursday.
The Chairman, Oriental Oil Resources Limited said he was happy and satisfied to associate with the University on agriculture, noting that, because of the level of high rate of importation of foreign food items into Nigeria and availability of farmlands in different parts of the country, especially for rice production and abundant untapped farmlands for other cash crops which needed to be cultivated for both local and international food consumption, his organization decided to invest on the project.
He added that he was worried and prompted by the manner Nigerians have quest for foreign rice and other foods while our local foods which are more nutritious and marketable at the international markets are neglected.
Indimi told journalists in an interview after the signing ceremony that he was diversifying into agriculture but willing to invest on any venture that business opportunity will avail to him.
Further, he stated that as a businessman and investor, he has placed his children on different capacities and trained them to continue with what he had started, noting that, “the agricultural investment will not require Oreintal Oil recruiting staff for the project, rather it is the University staff that will manage the project. “We will finance and collaborate”.
” I am happy with the close of the borders despite ECOWAS call for the reopening of the borders because the manner food items are being imported into Nigeria is worrisome.
“I have investments in agriculture in others states. I have 35,000 hectares of farmlands in kogi state. I have some 200,000 hectares of farmlands in other places. I look forward to working with you and Ibrahim will be in charge of the project”, Indimi said.
The Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Abdullahi Jubril Oyekan expressed his delight and happiness for the University to be associated with the business mogul while acknowledging the philanthropic gestures of Dr. Muhammadu Indimi to individuals and organizations.
Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Abdulkareem thanked Indimi for accepting to invest in the institution while assuring that the University and Oriental Oil will surely benefit and harness the potentials of the agricultural project.
He prayed for a successful collaboration and more useful ventures in future with the Indimi Group of Companies Plc.
