Nearly three months after its operations were disrupted by sustained militants� attacks, the Indorama-managed Eleme Petrochemical Ltd., on Saturday resumed production at the plant, assuring of better services.
But unlike before, the workforce and the company�s premises are now under firm control of soldiers provided by the Joint Task Force.
No fewer than 100 soldiers are now on guard at the plant to ward off any invasion by militants.
To mark the resumption, the company conducted the Rivers State Governor, Celestine Omehia, his deputy, Tele Ikuru and the state�s Police Commissioner, Felix Ogbaudu, round its production facilities.
The management also explained to the governor the huge potentials at its disposal and what the company would achieve if allowed to operate without interruption by militants.
Impressed with the facilities and the determination of the company to move ahead despite numerous upsets occasioned by militants� onslaughts, Omehia ordered the 23 local government areas in the state to immediately set up intelligence units to provide timely information on the activities of criminals in the state.
Omehia warned that the state government was all out to prevent militants from constituting a stumbling block to the development of the state.
According to the governor, it was wrong for criminals to continue to disrupt the genuine effort of government to create jobs through the revival of production firms in the state and asked security agents to be on the alert and ward off such anti-people elements.
He particularly lauded the management of the company for putting behind the kidnap saga and resuming production to meet its objective of buying over the plant.
He said the state was determined to protect the investment there as most of the workers are its indigenes.
The governor praised the youth of the community for condemning in strong terms the kidnapping of expatriate staff, describing their action as a show of patriotism and desire to protect establishments in their locality.