From Maduabuchi Nmeribeh, Kano
Mr. Bello Abba Yakasai, Group Chief Operating Officer of CapeGate Investment Company, on Wednesday, revealed that the company in a sealed deal of Private Public Partnership (PPP) with Kano state government, has ensured the employment of 200 graduates who are specialists in waste managment.
Speaking during an Interactive Session with journalists in his office, Mr. Yakasai, said all staff inherited from the state-owned Refuse Management and Sanitation Board (REMASAB), were absolved by the company.
He added that even the salaries of the casual staff were doubled, just as the Company has concluded plans to employ about 5000 people who would be engaged in waste collection and managment.
Mr. Yakasai also told journalists that the company which has committed about N5 billion into the Kano waste managment investment, has made impressive impacts in waste collection and managment, within its three months of inception in Kano, with over 500 trucks deployed for collection of waste on daily basis.
According to him, the company which is targeting a remittance of N150 million into the coffers of Kano state government in few years to come, has also engaged in free collection of waste for three months, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility policy.
He also disclosed that CapeGate Investment Company has concluded plans to generate 150 MegaWatts of electricity from waste in the next five years.
According to him, the company would be generating 10 MegaWatts by 2022, as a kick-off of the power project that would hit 150 Megawatts in five years time.
He said to achieve the set goal, CapeGate intends to establish three industries namely: Transfer stations, Diversification of non-usable materials into gas and into fertilizer organic.
Mr. Yakasai further stated that,”we are going to convert High Density Plastic, HDP, tyres into burnable oil. LDP plastics will be used for recyclable purposes. From pure water leather, shopping bags and water bottles etc.
“For bio-degradable waste, we have two uses. One is the biggest that we are investing a lot of money on. We burn those materials to produce gas, gas help us to turn to create steel, steel turns turbines while turbines provides electricity.
“Our hope is that by the end of next year, we will generate 10MegaWatts of electricity from the waste in Kano. And every year after that, depending on how the typology of waste changes, we should be able to generate 30 Megawatts and so we are hoping to generate 150MegaWatts in Kano in five years and more than what Kano requires. We are also considering generating two megawatts of solar to power street lights of Kano.”
He emphasized that, “with coming of the company within last three months, it has succeeded in mitigating the state from perrenial flooding and keeping the state clean.
“We spent about eight weeks dregding all flash points of flooding in the state. With the intervention, no major case of flooding is recorded.
“It is a known fact that Kano is the most dirtiest in the country but within a short period of time, Kano is wearing a new look.
“It is a Public Private Partnership, (PPP). When we came on board, we inherited all the staff of defunct REMASAB, and double their salaries including the casual staffs.
“We have over 2,000 workforce. We have recruited 200 fresh graduates. We are targeting to employ over 5,000. The partnership is for 20 years.”
