Business
By Anthony Isibor
AFOLABI Adedamola Sunday, Chairman/MD of Dammyland has said that the completed the fabrication of a self-propelled transpoter dredging vessel in 5 weeks using locally sourced materials and manpower.
The vessel is capable of going as far as 3km into the ocean and back without a booster.
Speaking to Realnews, Adedamola disclosed that the feat could not have been possible without the support of Elvis Emecheta, founding Chairman of the Zavis Group with several subsidiaries and the founding President of the Nigerian/Chinese Chamber of Commerce, who provided the finance and even allowed them to covert his yard to a fabricating site.
He stated that the vessel has been named ‘Sir Elvis’ after Emecheta as a show of gratitude for all his genuine support and friendship.
He said that ‘Sir Elvis’ which has 120 horse power gear installed will be able to move against heavy tide and carry 120 cubit of sand and be able to launch deeper into the ocean than most transporter barges can go.
Adedamola disclosed that 90% of the materials used in fabricating ‘Sir Elvis’ were sourced locally and that it can stay upto five years before it can either be refurbished or changed entirely.
“The number of trips you deliver depends on the distance where you pick your sand from. If we are to pick sand from about three kilometers from here, that means to and fro will be six kilometers.
“Hardly will you find a dredger, be it European or whatever that can do 3km without a booster.
“So what we have done is to make everything simpler and durable. Instead it will have been very difficult to reclaim anything within that area and here.
“The good thing about this is that if I find sand in Epe, it is self propelled. It will drive itself down there and bring the sand. And no dredger in Nigeria can dredge from Epe to here (Lekki Phase 1.)”
Adedamola also said that although there are serious competitions from foreign competitors, Nigerians have a way of doing things and will always excel if given the opportunity.
He expressed profound gratitude to Emecheta, who gave all the needed support and even allowed them to convert his yard to a fabricating site.
“Apart from working with him, I have enjoyed so much from him in terms of experience and supportive roles to the extent that he even said that we can start up the fabrications from here,” he said.
Speaking at the unveiling of the dredging barge, Emecheta, who couldn’t contain his overwhelming excitement, described Adedamola as a sincere and honest businessman, who has also become a friend.
He said that the most instructive thing was that they were all there while the whole thing was being put together. “Not upto two months. So it’s a remarkable feat,'” he said
He stated that he got to know DammyLand while he was searching for a good dredging company when it became necessary to enhance the property which has been his for over 25 years.
“We signed our contract, got all our necessary approval from the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, and also formally applied to the Lagos State and got approval. So the man started doing very pure and honest job until the cost of fuel became so high, and he came with a brilliant idea to fabricate his own vessel instead of buying.
“So he used the portion of land already reclaimed to fabricate. This is the second one he has done, and he plans to do five more making them seven.
“Imagine what this man has done, this is what we call local content, its enhancing the Nigerian economy. Otherwise he would have gone overseas and spent our foreign exchange or lease it from there. Most of the owners today are Chinese or Indians. But he used an indigenous technology to build this thing and I saw it being done here.
“I saw welders and everybody working so hard for five weeks to put this thing together. That is the real story that must be told. Nigerians must understand that there are hard working Nigerians, who are doing everything to help the economy grow.
“Right here he has created over a 100 jobs that I have seen, from welders to mechanics to filters, to bricklayers, you name it. And he is a Yoruba man, a Lagosian adding value to our economy. And he has done it all because I gave him the space.
“How many Nigerians are ready to stick it out to do what this man has done, how many of us are ready to do what he has done. This thing he has put up here will save this country millions of dollars in foreign exchange.
“The people working here are ordinary Nigerians, at least, they have a daily source of income and when they bring the income home, it spreads.
“People like this should be smoked out wherever they are and be encouraged because they are the real job creators.
“So we have bonded so well coming out with this vision,” he added.
A.
– Aug. 09, 2023 @ 05:35 GMT |
Tags: ‘Sir Elvis’ Afolabi Adedamola Sunday Anthony Isibor DammyLand Elvis Emecheta Realnews Zavis Group
