AKSG INAUGURATES ENFORCEMENT COMMITTEE ON ANTI-OPEN GRAZING LAW
The Akwa Ibom State Government has inaugurated a fourteen-membrr committee to monitor enforcement of the recently enacted “Law to prohibit Open Rearing and Grazing of Livestocks and Provide for the Establishment of Ranches and Livestock Administration, Regulation and Control, and Matters Connected therewith” in the state.
Performing the inauguration today, at the Government House, Uyo, the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, clarified that the law is not targeted at any group of persons but was necessitated by the rising need to ensure orderly organization of agricultural activities across the country, including Akwa Ibom State.
This, he stated, would be in the best interest of the entire Nigerian populace who need both the vegetables and tubers of the crop farmer as well as the meat and dairy products of the livestock farmer to balance his diet, stressing that a healthy population makes a healthy nation.
“The typical staple food on the table of an average Nigerian is a symbiosis of livestock products and crops: the swallow such as our garri, pounded yam, amala, the meat, fish and the vegetables. …the law is not anti any person. It is to make sure that we eat balanced diet, because if cattle destroys the vegetable component of what we eat, all the vitamins will be lost.When you ensure balanced diet, the population of Nigeria will be healthy and when the population is heathy we have a productive population”.
He reiterated that, as stated while signing the bill into law on September 18, 2021, that the major objectives of this law is to promote modern techniques of animal husbandry, create job opportunities and expand the value chain in livestock business and promote the production of high quality of livestock in the state in accordance with international best practices, rather than a witch-hunt tool against anyone.
Highlighting the Committee’s mandate therefore, the Governor said it shall, among other functions and powers, develop an integrated modern livestock development and production plan for the state, develop guidelines for the implementation of an integrated livestock production policy and make recommendations to the governor, consider and determine the suitability of a location proposed for establishment of a ranch in the state, ensure that livestock are reared at permitted ranches to prevent straying, impound any livestock that is left to graze outside a ranch and encourage peaceful coexistence between the ranchers, farmers and host communities.
The functions also include to prescribe guidelines for minimum hygiene standards for meat and dairy activities in personal, commercial and general ranches, inaugurate same committee at the Local Government level, give approval to the Local Government Committee for the establishment of Ranches in the Local Government Area, collaborate with relevant Ministries, Local Government Committee established under Section 12 and Department of Livestock at each LGA to ensure effective implementation of the Law in the State and any other functions incedental to the law or as may be directed by the State Governor.
Responding on behalf of the Committee members, the Chairman and Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Edet, thanked God for blessing the State with fertile soil and good environment that support both crops and livestocks farming. She commended the leadership of Governor Udom Emmanuel for ensuring peace in the State and taking steps to secure the agricultural sector in the State by protecting the interest of the various parties in the sector.
Dr. Edet assured that the committee will make the State proud by ensuring a balance of interest between the crop and animal farmers in the State, adding that the committee will work in synergy with security agencies to ensure the enforcement of the law in the state.
Also speaking, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Uko Udom, SAN, and a member of the committee, said the inauguration of the committee was the first step towards enforcement of the anti open grazing law. He explained that the committee will soon constitute sub-committees for public enlightenment and information, monitoring and surveillance, enforcement and other functions, to enhance its effective operation, stressing that the law was vioid of any political element.
The Committee also has the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Mary Bassey as Secretary .Other members include; the Honorary Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Fubara Duke,Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security, Capt.Iniobong Ekong(rtd.),Permanent Secretaries in the Ministries of Lands and Water Resources,TPL.Aniekan Akpan(Ag.),Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,Elder Ini Ikie ,Environment and Solid Minerals, Nsudo Nsudo and that of Health, Dr.Patrick Essiet. Also included in the Committee are the State Surveyor- General,Surv.(Mrs)Emem Isang ,Director of Verterinary Services and Livestocks,Ministry of Agriculture, Dr.Obot Obot, Director of Animal Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture, Aniefiok Isong,Director of Forestry in the Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals, Etido Eyo as well as the Director-General of the Akwa Ibom State Neighborhood Safety Agency,among others.
The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel has inaugurated a committee saddled with the responsibility to enforce the anti open rearing and grazing of livestock law and provide for the establishment of ranches and livestock administration, regulation and control and for other matters therein.
The inauguration was conducted today, October 8, at Government House, Wellington Bassey way, Uyo. The Governor was represented by the Secretary to State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem.
While congratulating members of the committee, Dr. Ekuwem charged them to be committed, fair and firm in the discharge of their duties, adding that their appointment was a call to service.
Responding, the Chairman of the committee and Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Edet appreciated the Governor for his passion and commitment to ensuring that the state is safe for investors and promised to discharge the responsibility with the members accordingly.
The committee which is saddled with the responsibility of integrating modern livestock development and production plan for the state, considering and determining the suitability of a location proposed for the establishment of ranch in the state, issuance of ranching permit and identification card to ranchers, encouraging a peaceful co-existence between ranchers, farmers and host communities, ors, has as its members;
Dr Glory Edet, Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture – Chairman.
Uko Udom, SAN, Attorney General & Honourable Commissioner for Justice.
Mrs. Mary Bassey, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture – Secretary.
SSA to the Governor on Security.
SA to the Governor on Security.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Lands and Water Resources.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health.
Surveyor-General of Akwa Ibom State.
Director, Department of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture.
Director, Department of Livestock (Animal Husbandry), Ministry of Agriculture.
Director, Forestry Department, Ministry of Environment.
Director General, Akwa Ibom State Neighborhood Safety Agency.
Let me start by thanking the Governing Council, the Senate, Management, Staff, students and the entire academic community of this great institution for your kind invitation for me to come and join you in the celebration of your Founders’ Day.
Thank you again for the added honour of asking me to address this yearly lecture, an event that has attracted other personages and eminent Nigerians across professional and social lines, who had mounted this podium and addressed you on issues that are germane to the acceleration of our national development and an extension of the frontiers of our national discourse.
I bring you greetings from the good people of Akwa Ibom State, the Land of Promise and God’s own Piece of Real Estate. The founding of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has a profound connection with Akwa Ibom State. It was the late Ibanga Udo Akpabio, a son of Akwa Ibom State, who in 1955, first moved a motion for the founding of this great institution, and the motion was seconded by the late great Zik of Africa, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who eventually expedited the process for its establishment and the intellectual birth. So we can see the symmetry of impulse between this Land of knowledge and the Land of Promise.
Since its founding sixty-one years ago, this great citadel of knowledge has produced and helped shape some of the best and brightest minds in this country, from thinkers to doers, and some of the most impactful technocrats from our State, thus cementing further the bond of friendship forged through intellectual flourishes and commonalities of thoughts and beliefs.
A little over two weeks ago, we celebrated the 34th Year of the creation of our state, and we thanked God for lifting us from the abyss of underdevelopment to our current status as the destination of choice for investors, tourists and the preferred location for seminars, conferences and retreats. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka prides itself as the cradle of intellectualism in Nigeria just as Akwa Ibom State considers itself as the crucible of the new Nigeria.
This is not an idle boast. Just a week and half ago, the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, while commissioning The DAKKADA TOWERS, our 21-storey smart and intelligent building, the tallest and smartest in the South-South & South-East and the 7th tallest in Nigeria, described Akwa Ibom State as the emerging industrial hub of the nation. Similar sentiments had earlier been expressed by the former US Ambassador Terence McCulley who, while on a visit to our state sad, “I am here in Akwa Ibom for the first time but I have to say that the future of Nigeria is in Akwa Ibom State.” It was the testimony of a witness. So, for those who are fond of symbols, today’s event is an intersection where the inspirational history of UNN and the enchanting story of Akwa Ibom come together in a symphony of songs rendered through infrastructural renaissance and industrialization.
We are gathered here today to pay tribute to a genius, celebrate patriotism and feel the warmth of an African Legend, icon and statesman whose name will forever be embalmed in the sacred monuments of our nation and stenciled in the tablets of our history as the Founder of this institution. With this great institution, the most enduring shadow of this legend, the late Dr. Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe, still casts a paternal light over us. This Father of our Nation, whose influence transcended national boundaries, came to be known as the Zik of Africa. He broke out of the Nigerian mould and wrote his name in global folklore and legends. His shadow still hangs over this great institution like a giant, golden, welcoming statue.
The Statue of Liberty in New York has a towering image of a woman holding aloft a lamp with the inscription, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria’s first indigenous University, was conceived as an institution where all Nigerians in particular and the world in general – the tired and the strong, the poor and the rich, the tempest-tossed and the huddled masses – yearning to breathe the freedom of education could enter through into its golden gate of knowledge. This University does not only hold aloft the hope of Nigeria, it has a symbiotic relationship with our country.
This institution is the only university which bears Nigeria’s name and the only university which was opened as part of the celebration of Nigeria’s independence by Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandria Kent on October 7, 1960. The Alumni of this institution sometimes use a car sticker with the legend, “An alumnus of UNN is ahead of you…naturally.”
Today, you need to move from being ahead naturally, to being ahead nationally. You want to be ahead in solving the many complex and intricate problems that beset and threaten our nation. We want UNN to remain the intellectual bastion of hope in a nation trapped in the cobweb of fear and despair, insecurity, ethno-religious crises, political fault lines that appear to be widening while unity and brotherhood that the late Zik preached until he breathed his last today hang precariously and perilously on a thread.
We desire UNN to continue to be in the vanguard to deepen our national unity, to live together as brothers and sisters or as Martin Luther King (Jnr) once said, “perish together as fools.”
This great university was founded on hope for an enduring and vibrant Nigerian State, a nation that would distil and appropriate the best from within her bowels and use the manpower to develop our nation, expand opportunities, and help project our then nascent Republic as the hope of the Africa and indeed the black race. The towering symbol of this great institution was a nationalist par-excellence. He was not defined by the forces of geography in his decision-making process, neither was he propelled by the limiting impulses of parochialism. His, was a life shaped and defined by patriotic instincts, the need to build and forge a nation based on equality of opportunities, where our diversity would, and should be sources of strength rather than wedges of division and attrition.
I am sure what is happening today in our nation would shock and deeply despair the ennobling spirit of nationalism that the late Zik lived for. As despairing as things are in our nation today, we cannot give up on Nigeria. The late Zik himself did not give up on Nigeria, even when he could have. If he had fallen for the rabid fight for regional supremacy over the forces of nationhood which he championed, possibly the Nigeria we have come to know today, may not have existed, so we owe him our collective debt of gratitude.
Permit me to pay special tribute to the many inspirational achievements of this great institution. In 1974, a team in this university led by Prof Magdi Yacoub from the United Kingdom, Professor F. A. Udekwu and Professor Anyanwu performed the first open heart surgical operation in Sub-Saharan Africa. A monumental feat! Unfortunately, 46 years after this monumental achievement, our nation is still lagging behind in development, industrialization and infrastructure. Forty-six years after, medical tourism still drains our economy, and medical personnel flee to foreign countries in search of the Golden Fleece. Forty-six years after, our nation still grapples with decayed medical infrastructure. Forty-six years after, our nation is desperately sick and in need of rescue operations to rid her of insecurity, strife, corruption, nepotism, ethno-religious tension and zero-sum game machinations, etc.
The topic of this lecture excites me: Changing the Narrative of Development Through Infrastructure and Industrialization. Since this lecture is not meant for an academic journal, and I certainly have no interest in publishing it in same, I seek your understanding if certain conventions or protocols that guide academic papers are not observed. More so, I intend to speak from my heart and when you speak from your heart, you do not mind conventions. This is a little bit like asking a pop music artiste to come and deliver a lecture to classical musicians. The essence of his music lies in its rhythm, pathos and passion, while the essence of the classical musicians lies in structure and form. More so, take this as the voice of one crying in wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all Nigerians shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” A cry has no form and no structure otherwise it is not a cry. But it is not only a lament, but an effort in hope. A cry is meaningless as an end in itself. We cry but we see through the mist of our tears while we chart a path forward.
There are so many definitions of development because the term is complex and ambiguous, and its meaning can vary depending on the context of its usage. But when you break the term down it all comes down to bringing about social and structural changes for the empowerment of the people.
I identify with the view of Amartya Sen, economist and Nobel Laureate, who posited that development is about well-being. The human being, the father, the son, the daughter, the mother, the farmer or the student, is the sum of all government’s activity. In the 80’s, Nobel Laureate Sen confounded the traditional welfare economics idea that incomes should be the main measure of well-being. It was his view that poverty was the result of a wide range of deprivations in the standard of living, health, education etc., – not income alone.
His research on the approach to understanding wellbeing led to the introduction of the Human Development Index and the Multidimensional Poverty Index by the United Nations. He further expanded the frontiers of his intellectual dialectics in 1999 with the argument that freedoms should also be considered not only as a means but an end in development. Analyzing Sen’s argument, Owen Barder, a former Vice President of the European Centre for Global Development, agrees that development must be judged by its impact on people, not only on changes in their income. It must be judged on issues like choices, capabilities and freedoms. We must be interested in the distribution of these improvements, not just the simple average for society. Consequently, we must see development as a process that raises the question of who has the power to implement the process and who would benefit from the process.
Therefore, to simply see development as an improvement in people’s welfare and well-being falls short of the mark. Development should be about lasting change. Development should not only be about improvements in the welfare of citizens, but about the capacity of the government to provide the environment for the welfare and wellbeing of the people on a sustainable and long-term basis. For different societies, the goal of sustainability varies. What United States needs at this time may not cohere with Japan or India. So, what Akwa Ibom needs may not be the same with Enugu or Lagos. But central to any of these is the drive to provide infrastructure and industrialize. Even advanced societies still invest in upgrading and providing more infrastructure for their people. As we speak the United States plans to spend over 3 trillion dollars to revamp its infrastructure and turn its high-flying technological place to a new berth. If a country as advanced as they are is doing this, then we are are expected to do even more in this regard.
Making development sustainable and lasting comes through industrialization and the provision of infrastructure. Industrialization is the process of transforming an agrarian society to an industrial society. The process involves the replacement of manual labor with mechanized mass production and the replacement of craftsmen with assembly lines. Ever since the Industrial Revolution of 1760 to 1820 led to the transition from hand production methods to mechanical and chemical manufacturing and the rise of mechanized factory systems, different countries and societies have seen the need to embark on such transitions in order to boost development and economic growth.
According to Professor Erika Erasure, a business and finance expert, the European and United States governments initially used mercantilist and protectionist government policies to foster the growth of industrialization. Both deployed more laissez-faire or free-market approach later to open markets for the export of industrial output. It is the duty of every responsible government to create the requisite environment for industrialization to thrive. Richard Branson, the English business mogul who founded the Virgin Group which runs over 400 companies now, says that “Government and business must come together on the interlinked issues of conservation, economic development and renewable energy.”
It is only this template that can drive industrialization and lead to development. It is implied in Abraham Lincoln’s famous definition of democracy as “a government of the people, by the people and for the people.” We can all attest that we have a government of the people. We can all confirm that we have a government by the people. The missing part of the puzzle is that we cannot say that we have a government for the people. A government for the people feels the pain of the people. A government for the people is diminished when one person dies an avoidable death. A government for the people sees injury to one as injury to all.
Campaigning for office is a government of the people. Swearing-in and holding office is government by the people. Performance and the letting the people have the dividends of democracy is the government for the people.
This was what agitated my mind when I assumed office as Governor in 2015. Before this time, while still in the private sector, I had watched our hopes betrayed in more ways than one, and a gradual deterioration of our national infrastructure. There were too many questions and little or no answers to them. Whatever happened to Ajaokuta Steel Mill? What happened to the once thriving Nigeria Newsprint Manufacturing Company, Oku-Iboku that was located in my State? Why do we have such unmotorable roads? Why are they so many abandoned projects littered across the length and breadth of our country? According to a Senate Committee Report, the Federal and State Governments have nearly 12,000 uncompleted projects which would require about N7.7 trillion to complete. It is my candid opinion that if these projects or a significant number of them were completed, our industrialization drive would have gathered greater momentum and our nation would have grown on all indices of development beyond where we are today.
These were stark realities that confronted me when I was elected. The task at hand was development but the tool to achieve that was industrialization and the provision of infrastructure. I was fed up with the description of my state as a purely civil service state, where the only source of employment or income generation was from government and its associated agencies. I wanted to change the narrative and I recognized that infrastructure and industrialization would be the catalysts for this change. Conscious of that, we made industrialization the central plank of our development and this was distilled into our Five-Point initial governing document of: Job Creation, Infrastructural Consolidation and Expansion, Poverty Alleviation, Economic and Political Inclusion and Wealth Creation, which today has been condensed into the 8-Point Completion Agenda.
In doing this, I was conscious of how nations of the world such as the United States were able to rise from an agrarian society as Thomas Jefferson had envisioned her to be, at independence, to an industrial and post-industrial behemoth it has become today. Thomas Jefferson had defined the future of America purely along agrarian lines. He spoke about all men being created equal. For him they were created to be equal farmers. He likened the farmers to the salt of the earth and in his 1787 letter to George Washington; he said “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to wealth, good morals and happiness.” He suspected the bank and business persons like me, the mercantilist tendencies and the trappings of modernity. But he had a counterpoise in the person of Alexander Hamilton. The West Indies immigrant had other plans, to move America from an agrarian society to a nation of mercantilist fervour where infrastructure, commerce and free market approach would lead the way.
As so, shortly after I was sworn in, fully conscious of where we were going, I set up a Technical Committee on Foreign Direct Investment and charged them to go all out and sell our state, our areas of comparative advantage and ensure that through industrialization, we would expand the opportunities of growth for our people and in the process, change the narratives of our development.
We also recognized the fact that the key drivers of industrialization are the quality of infrastructure on the ground and, of course, peace and security since investors will not go to a place that is unsafe and insecure. We thus began the strategic and careful plans to provide world-class infrastructure through land, sea and air.
Today, ladies and gentlemen, the Akwa Ibom story has become a national story, a state that was once a civil service state today is being described as Nigeria’s Best Kept Secret. We didn’t just construct roads for the sake of it; we embarked on economically viable roads that would interlock the state in one seamless movement.
Today, you can connect the state from Uyo to Ikot Ikpene, to Eket in less than one hour, on roads that can compare with the best in the world. It was former American President Dwight Eisenhower, who saw the critical role road infrastructure can play in opening up the development of the United States. He saw that the north did not seamlessly connect with the south, especially as the Cold War dawned with the Soviet Union. Thus, today, through his visionary approach to development, the vast Sub-Continent of the United States is easily linked through interlocking road network across the 48 contiguous States. The effects of these roads have been chronicled in developmental journals as a testament to vision and the reason why American economy rebounds faster after moments of recession.
In a little over six years since we came in, we have constructed or have on-going over a thousand kilometres of economically viable roads spread across the three senatorial districts of the state. Just two days ago, the Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan was on hand to commission the 25 km Uyo-Ikot Ekpene dual carriage way complete with outfall drains. Commuters can now make the trip from the Capital City Uyo, to Ikot Ekpene, in less than 15 minutes. The level of economic activities this has engendered cannot be overemphasized.
In my first term in office, aware of our status as the leading oil and gas producer in the nation, and the poor, almost impassable state of road between Eket and Ibeno, the main operation axis of Mobil Producing, we went about completing the Eket-Ibeno road with messianic zeal. Today, the pain commuters used to experience has been ameliorated.
We did not just make road construction the main area of concentration in our infrastructural drive, our emphasis was on road, air and sea. Shortly after I was elected in 2015, I gathered a team of aviation professionals and unveiled my vision to establish what would be the first ever state-owned airline in Nigeria and indeed Africa. I gave them my blueprint and charged them to go to work.
When we began to talk about the plans for the establishment of the airline, a lot of people sneered at the idea and taunted us as day dreamers, maintaining that if Federal Government could not pull off the establishment of Air Nigeria with all the resources at their disposal, how then would we, a mere subnational, pull off such a feat?
Of course, we ignored them and went to work. Today, ladies and gentlemen, Ibom Air, the product of that vision, has become a national sensation, flying the colours of Akwa Ibom within the Nigerian aviation space and dominating it, a mere two years after its maiden commercial flight. Ibom Air started with three CRJ 900 Bombardier aircrafts, and in under a year, increased the fleet to five and earlier this year, added two new Airbus A220- 300 series, thus bringing the fleet to 7.
Ibom Air is a testament to vision and to professionalism. We are equally embarking upon a total aviation development process. Just as Ibom Air has become a national sensation, we are simultaneously building what will, upon completion, become the smartest most modern airport terminal in Nigeria and indeed Africa. Work is on-going and recently a group of veteran journalists from the northern part of the country who visited the state to see things for themselves described it as a project never before seen in this country. We are also working on the Maintenance, Repair And Overhaul(MRO) facility within the precincts of the airport and our runaway has category 2 status.
Recently the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, was in our state to commission, what experts have described as the most intelligent and smartest building in Nigeria, our 21-storey Dakkada Tower. This is an infrastructural edifice that was strategically conceived to offer a great piece of real estate for the International Oil Companies, (IOCs) taking into cognizance our status as the largest oil and gas producer in the nation.
Ladies and gentlemen, I had earlier said that our strategic approach was to simultaneously work on land, air and sea infrastructure. A few months ago, the Federal Executive Council, graciously approved the commencement of work on our Ibom Deep Seaport, a project that had been dear and close to my heart. When completed, this would be the MOST MODERN deep seaport in the country and is guaranteed to create millions of jobs and the attendant upliftment of the economic status of our people. If Singapore could rise from a being a backwater state to an industrialized first world country, Akwa Ibom State today stands at the intersection of such a giant leap. If Lee Kwan Yew could do it in SIngapore, then I, Udom Emmanuel, by the grace of the Almighty God, and working in sync with my people, would do it in Akwa Ibom state.
Industrialization, as I said was the central plank of our governing agenda and this, we have pursued with zeal and passion. As l always say, it is good for a 21st Century leader, to have a broad vision and the requisite exposure to international best practices. What do I mean by that? Your vision is a product of your exposure, what you have seen elsewhere, how those things work and how they can be applied in your local environment to the benefit of the people is a lived experience and not a learned one.
Today, because of the contacts we have established across Continents and the goodwill we had garnered in the course of our professional careers, we have been able to set the ball rolling for an industrial and infrastructural renaissance of our dear state.
Our State, today, boasts of the largest syringe manufacturing company in Africa, the Jubilee syringe company which currently produces 1.7 million syringes per day. Recently it was widely reported that the company will soon begin exporting syringes to Europe and other continents. We have the most digitalized and best flour mill in the nation – The Kings flour mill; we have the Lion Plywood Manufacturing Company, the Metering Solutions Company which produces prepaid electric meters that, thereby making it easier for consumers to accurately read their electric bills. We have a functional fertilizer blending plant, which produces this much-needed agricultural input for the use of our farmers in the state and beyond. Earlier this year, we signed an MoU with our Moroccan counterparts to establish what would be the largest Fertilizer and ammonia plant in Nigeria valued at 1.4 billion dollars, a project that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, mentioned in his 61st National Independence Speech. Our State today boasts of numerous rice mills, agro processing mills, A toothpick production factory, plastic manufacturing industry, and a company which produces tissue paper using bamboo. We are also in the advanced stages of establishing an oil and gas logistics centre in the state.
Perhaps one of the most daring and innovative industries we have attracted, has been the St Gabriel Virgin Coconut oil refinery, which is a marvel to behold and is expected to enlarge our economic base and showcase our State as an industrial hub. This project was again, a product of vision and ingenuity, the capacity to use our comparative advantage in coconut production to process what in the international market is a more profitable commodity item, the coconut oil, than even the much talked about crude oil, which thankfully, our State, also, is the leading producer in the nation. I hope you will find time someday soon, to visit our State and see things for yourself.
Today, our State that was once defined as a purely civil service orientated State is fast becoming the industrial hub in the Gulf of Guinea and as Americans would say “you ain’t seen nothing yet”.
Take the case of the nation of Israel, a nation with several challenges of a multi-dimensional nature. Yet Israel has joined the league of developed countries and most of its neighbors are still developing countries. Instructively, Israel is not as wealthy as her neighbors in terms of natural resources. This sentiment was expressed by the former Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir, when she said, “Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil.” In spite of its resource constraints, Israel successfully changed the narrative of development through industrialization and infrastructure.
The flourishing industries in Israel today, not to mention its diversified industrial sector, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were begun as small workshops to manufacture farm implements and process agricultural products. By the 1970’s her industries were meeting local needs in traditional industries like food processing, textiles and fashion, furniture, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. With government support the industrial sector blossomed and this emboldened the government to concentrate on the manufacturing of arms needed for the defense of the country and in aviation. The spin off of all these investments in industries and infrastructure was the development of high-tech industries which produce medical devices, electronics, computer software and hardware, and telecommunications equipment. Israel’s highly qualified manpower compensated for its lack of natural resources and raw materials and government created the platform for their scientific creativity and technological innovation.
Take another case study, South Korea. Once regarded by the foreign-aid establishment as a “hell-hole of foreign assistance” and a “bottomless pit” South Korea has transformed itself into a developed economy through industrialization. While most of the developing nations opted to produce goods which would checkmate the importation of goods, South Korea opted to target the exportation of its goods and focused on building industries to achieve this. They studied Japan’s successes and adopted three strategies. One, they abolished the multiple exchange rate system and opted for a unitary exchange rate and supported production by industries with comparative advantages; two, they provided export subsidies and concessions to exporters; three; free trade export promotion zones were promulgated and companies encouraged to produce substitutes for imported goods in the domestic market. High tariffs were also used to limit import of foreign goods.
Ladies and gentlemen, you can see that we are turning Akwa Ibom State not just from a civil service place to a hub of industrial growth, but at the core of it is the transformation of the citizen in the spirit of self-fulfillment. We are making the State a model for a developing economy, to make the person the sum of all government efforts. So when we make the coconut oil refinery work as an indicator of industrial growth, we are empowering the engineer, the salesman, the accountant, the transporter, the farmer, all at once. He or she is, like the State itself, an economic unit and a social unit, as well as a propeller of growth, a builder of new lifestyles, an engineer of the pride of a people and a culture. That, my friends, is what the new Akwa Ibom is about.
CONCLUSION
There is a story in the Bible which describes our situation. It is in 2 Kings 2:19. Elisha went to Jericho and the men of the city came to him: “Then the men of the city said to Elisha, ‘Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.’ And he said, ‘Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.’ So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, ‘Thus says the LORD: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’ ”I invite you to notice the situation of our country. The country is pleasant but the “water” is bad.
Water is a cleansing agent. Therefore that the agents who are supposed to cleanse this country are bad – they have failed to rid us of the evil that beset us. Elijah’s solution was to put salt in the water. Jesus referred to His followers as the salt of the earth.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, to fix the problems of this country, the true believers and agents of change must make themselves available as the cleansing agents of this country. They should be involved in politics. That is why I am in politics. Politics is too serious a business to be left in the hands of professional politicians. We need professionals in politics – not professional politicians. We need courageous and righteous men in politics. We need to go to the source of our problems and fix it – like Elijah did.
While Israeli scientists and innovators are returning in droves to Israel to better the lot of their country, Nigerian scientists and innovators are leaving our shores in droves to better the lot of other countries. In terms of manpower, Nigerians are excelling everywhere. We need to come back home to fix the barrenness of our land. Ufot Ekong, an Akwa Ibom son, solved a 50-year-old mathematical puzzle in Japan, and became an instant celebrity scholar. Dr Bennet Omalu was the first person to discover and publish on chronic traumatic encephalopathy in American football players, just as an Akwa Ibom son, Imeh Udoka is the first Nigerian American, to become the Head Coach of a major American Basketball team, the Boston Celtics. Ime Ime Umanah is the first black woman to be elected Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Law Review, thus joining the exclusive club of former Editors that include former U.S. President, Barack Obama. Pearlena Igbokwe is the first woman of African descent to become president of Universal Television…the list goes on. These are the salt we need to add to the water in order to fix our land. These are the salt we need to speed up the industrialization of our country and fix our infrastructure problems.
I dare to believe that when Nigerians respond to the plaintive cry in the National Anthem, “Arise Oh compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey…” and come with hoes and shovels, computer hardware and software, wheel barrows, hammers and other necessary tools, we will build industries and infrastructure that will change the trajectory of our development for the better. We will build infrastructure that will link economically viable federal Roads, like the Calabar-Itu Road, the East-West Road that links the rest of the nation to the economic nerve center of the nation, and roads in the Eastern part of Nigeria, such as those that link the “Taiwan” of Nigeria, Aba or Onitsha and those in the North that connect us to our neighbors in the Sahel region. When this is done, a new Nigeria bound in “freedom, peace and unity” will be birthed. I leave that belief with you and I pray that it will not tarry.
If Akwa Ibom State as a sub-national, without control over development policies, could move the needle of development and change the narratives from what was formerly a civil service oriented State to a fast industrialized entity, we can replicate same nationally. I believe we have the tools, the manpower and the drive to achieve this.
Barack Obama galvanized Americans to rise to the faith of its greatness with a simple but emotionally impactful phrase, “Yes We Can”. We too, can dakkada (rise) and show the world that indeed, we, can change the narrative of our national development through infrastructure and industrialization.
The motto of this univeristy is “to restore the dignity of man”. I am of the opinion that with all hands on deck, contributing our bit to the growth of our country, we can also restore the dignity of Nigeria!
Thank you for your attention, God bless Akwa Ibom State, God bless the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, God bless our dear Nation, Nigeria.
Being Governor Udom Emmanuel’s Lecture at the Founders’ Day of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, October 7th, 2021
Patience Jacob Esq. FF. IBRITAM & ASSOCIATES Block 12 Block 9 Shendam close, off Emeka Anyaoku Street Area 11, Garki, Abuja.
ADDRESS FOR SERVICE WITHIN JURISDICTION
C/o Celsus Ukpong & Co One Shepherd International School, Ifa Ikot Akpabio, (Off Mbiabong Junction,)Uyo.
ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: ON THE RESPONDENTS:
1st RESPONDENT FEDERAL MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION ABUJA. OR UYO OFFICE.
2nd RESPONDENT NIGERIA PORTS AUTHORITY ABUJA OR UYO OFFICE.
3rd RESPONDENT C/O MINISTRY OF JUSTICE UYO. C/O MINISTRY OF JUSTICE, UYO. C/O MINISTRY OF JUSTICE UYO
4th RESPONDENT C/O MINISTRY OF JUSTICE, UYO
5th RESPONDENT C/O MINISTRY OF JUSTICE UYO
6t RESPONDENT C/o MINISTRY OF JUSTICE UYO 7.7TH RESPONDENT C/O MINISTRY OF JUSTICE UYO IN THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT OF NIGERIA
IN THE UYO JUDICIAL DIVISION HOLDEN IN UYO Suit No: FHC/UY/37/2021 BETWEEN 1.DR CELSUS UKPONG…..Applicant
MR OSBORN NTEKIM… Applicant
COMRADE HENRY ASUQUO JOHNSON ….. Applicant (FOR AND BEHALF OF IBAKA COMMUNITIES AND ORO NATION)
AND Respondents
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION
NIGERIA PORT AUTHORITY
AKWA IBOM STATE GOVERNMENT
MRS MFON USORO
DR. EMMANUEL EKUWEM
DR. AKON EYAKENYI
UNKNOWN PERSONS
AFFIDAVIT VERIFYING THE FACTS RELIED ON I, CelsusUkpong, Nigerian citizen and legal practitioner of Block 12 Flat 9 Shendam Close ,off Emeka Anyaoku Street, Area 11 Garki ,Abuja do makeoath and say as follows:
That I am a Deputy Director of Oro Rights Renaissance, a nongovernmental organization and one of the claimants in this matter by virtue of which I am conversant with the facts of this case.
That I have the consent of the 2nd applicant and 3rd Applicant who is an indigene of Ibaka and Unyenhe communities respectively in Oron nations to depose to this affidavit.
That I know all the Applicants in this matter. The 1st applicant is a legal practitioner, a human right and people rights activist and indigene of Ukwong Clan in Oro nation in Akwa Ibom State. Oro nation comprises the following local governments Area in Akwa Ibom State: Oron, Udung Uko, Okobo, Mbo and Urue Offong Oruko. The 2nd Applicants is an indigene of Ibaka and Ukwong Clan in Oro Nation. The 3rd Applicant is an indigene of Unyenhe, a host community of Ibom Industrial City (IIC), an adjacent community to Ibaka community.
That Ibaka community, Ukwong Clan and the whole of Mbo LGA which is part of Oron Nation are the primary host communities of the proposed IIC where proposed Ibaka deep seaport is located at Ibaka bay. Mbo has 80 % (percent) of the land while Ibeno has 20% of the land for the proposed IIC. See a copy a section of the final EIA report of IIC marked and attached as Exhibit Ibaka 1.
That I know all the respondents in the suit except the unknown persons. We verify the 1st respondent as the overall Federal Government Ministry in charge of approvals and development of deep seaports in Nigeria. The 2nd Respondent technically owns the proposed port and all seaports in Nigeria . The 3rd Respondent is a state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria where the proposed Ibaka deep seaport is situated. It plays a major role in promoting and seeking for the approval of the said seaport. 2nd Respondent is an agency of the 1st Respondent.
That the Certificate of Occupancy(C of O) of the acquired Ibaka lands and other adjacent lands for the proposed Ibom Industrial City which comprised Ibaka deep seaport was granted to the 2nd defendant.
That the 4th Respondent is the Chairman of a body of persons known as the Technical Committee on the actualization of Ibom deep seaport. The 5th Respondent is member a body of persons known as the technical committee on the actualization of Ibom Deep Seaport, an indigene of Ukwong Clan and Oron Nation. The 6th Respondent is a member of a body of persons known as the Technical Committee on the Actualization of Ibom Deep Seaport, an indigene of Ukwong Clan and Oron Nation. The 5th and 6th Respondents are yet to inform Oro Nation of the apparent legal or any justification for the decision of a committee in which they play active roles to change to the location of the proposed Ibaka Deep Seaport from its original location to Ibeno Beach about 40 km away. The 7th Respondent is unknown personwho may have interest in this suit.
That other members of the said Technical Committee on the Actualization of Ibom Deep Seaport known to me are: Mr. Chidi Izumah, Mr. Idongesit Udofa, Engr. Ekong Umo-Otong, Rear Admiral Francis Akpan, Barr. Aniekan Ukpanah, Mr. Charles Udonwah and Engr. Etido Inyang.
That the Applicants are acting for and on behalf of Ibaka community in particular and Oro nation in general. And it appears to me that the applicants have sufficient interest in the development of its natural resources such as their deep seaport with concomitant and positive infrastructure such as the proposed Ibom Industrial City, economic and environmental impact that were nearly coming to fruition but for the apparent wrongful exercise of power by a purported body of persons known as technical committee on the actualization of Ibom deep seaport. Ibaka community is a part of Ukwong Clan, Mbo LGA in Oro Nation of Akwa Ibom State. Oron nation and its people comprising Mbo, Udung Uko, Urue Offong Oruko, Okobo and Oron LGAs are aggrieved at the unprovoked and unwarranted relocation.
That on or about 29/11/2012, the then Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State Godswill Akpabio granted Certificate of Occupancy (C of 0) of proposed IIC land comprising Ibaka and adjacent communities Land in MB0 and Ibeno LGAs to the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA). At that event, the said Governor handed the master plan of the proposed Ibaka deep seaport to the Managing Director of NPA, the 2nd defendant, Engineer Omar Suleiman and they agreed that the deep seaport was to receive ocean liners not later than 2015. See a copy of a document titled, ‘Akwa Ibom set 2015 for Ibaka deep seaport. Akpabio grants NPA C of O for port Area attached and marked as Exhibit Ibaka 2.’
That I know as a fact Ibaka deep seaport has been in the drawing board for a long time. In the late 1940s, the colonial Government that administered Nigeria discovered Ibaka as the most suitable spot in Nigeria for the development of deep seaport project. This is adequately documented in Nigeria archives and that of the Nigeria Navy that has used the Ibaka bay for it activities for many years. Ibaka Bay has unrivalled natural depth of about 16.5 metre which and other natural protection from the ocean surge which Ibeno Beach was not known to have. Ibeno beach is not a known bay estuary or cove.
That in 2003, Akwa Ibom State government of Arch. Victor Attah administration. saw the need to develop Ibaka Deep Seaport for the interest of the economic development of Akwa Ibom State in particular and Nigeria in general. Then the state government set up the machinery in motion to achieve this. Never in the history of Nigeria was Ibeno Beach or Shorelines mentioned,touted, flaunted and published as a rival or an alternative place to site the a Deep Seaport Or any Seaport for that matter.
That in 2003, the administration of Arch. Victor Attah also designed the said Ibaka deep seaport and paid the sum of $ 5 million Us Dollars of public money as part payment of $ 10 million US Dollars which was the cost of the design. The said Arch. Victor Attah’s administration negotiated with a Chinese Soa’ Tome company to develop an Industrial City for and around the said Ibaka deep seaport.
That apart from academic research on the suitability of Ibaka as the best location of deep seaport in the Gulf of guinea, the then government of Akwa Ibom state commissioned an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies for the proposed IIC comprising the deep seaport project at Ibaka .The EIA studies was diligently carried out. Ibaka location was confirmed and approved and the EIA study for IIC comprising Ibaka deep seaport project that had been registered with the Federal Ministry of Environment appears to me it is a violation of EIA Act to abruptly or surreptitiously, clandestinely change the location of the seaport to another place that does not have a Bay but only a Beach in the proposed IIC without an independent and different EIA. Similarly it appears to me that the change of the project name from the approved name to that another is also wrongful. See attached a copy of research titled “NAVIGATION CHANNEL DEPTH FOR IBAKA DEEP SEAPORT IN NIGERIA” hereby marked and attached as Exhibit Ibaka 3.
That I have written to the Federal Ministry of Environment, Abuja requesting for the Environmental Impact Assessment of the so called Ibom deep seaport projet, Ibeno or elsewhere, and they informed me and I verily believe it to be true there is no Environmental impact Assessment for a project known as Ibom deep sea port, Ibeno. A copy of the said respondent is hereby annexed and marked as exhibit Ibaka 3A
That I know as a fact that government is said to be in a continuum, not working in disjunction, cross purposes or by the spur of the moment. It is apparent that he incoming Governments must accept assets and liabilities of outgoing governments. After the exit of Arch. Attah’s administration, Chief Godswill Akpabio’s administration acquired more than 14,900 hectare of land for the takeoff of the IIC which Ibaka deep seaport was the fulcrum. The said government on the 7/9/ 2014 obtained the approval and licence from the federal government for the IIC project which Ibaka Deep Seaport located at Ibaka Bay was the reference point. The type of approval the present administration got on 23/12/2020 for Ibom Deep Seaport to be located at Ibeno Beach. The approval of IIC project in which Ibaka Deep Seaport is the fulcrum is still in existence and waiting for a friendly government and private investors to give it a fillip.
That on the 12/6/2015 (fourteen days into the administration) the present administration of His Excellency (Deacon) Udom Emmanuel apparently (in continuation from what the previous administration did) and in good faith set up a body of persons known as the Technical Committee on the Actualization of Ibom Deep Seaport. The terms of reference of this committee did not include relocation of deep seaport from Ibaka Bay to any other place including Ibeno Beach that does not have Bay or anchorage. The location of the deep seaport in the proposed IIC was settled. And in any case there was no Ibom deep seaport to actualize. What was ready for actualization was the Ibaka deep seaport. That got it approval or licence ‘from the Federal Government on 7/9/2014. A copy of the governor’s speech on the day of inauguration showing terms of reference is hereby attached and marked as Exhibit IBAKA 4.
That the said Technical Committee for actualization apparently comprised body of lay persons without the technical know-how, the capacity on their own to technically and scientifically navigate, traverse and or advise the government beyond the mandate that was given to them which was the actualization of an on-going deep seaport within the IIC. The committee did not meet the stakeholders as mentioned in their terms of reference let alone exhaust the mandate given to them such as interfacing with the host communities. They went beyond their authority to relocate the Harbour of the deep seaport to another place without a Bay and directly opened to the ocean.
That the said committee apparently took a judicial or quasi- judicial decision to relocate the deep seaport from Ibaka Bay to Ibeno Beach without any scientific and technological basis or advice from noted experts. This was wrongful exercise of power and it appears an exercise in nullity to frustrate an ongoing seaport development. The committee avoided to interact with the host communities; the Ibaka, Oron nation and other stakeholders, noted experts and researchers in this area of expertise or proficiency, in their sinister design to relocate the seaport.
That the said stakeholders became aware of the ominous move when the Federal Government announced the approval of the licence for commencement (actualization) of another purported Deep Seaport about 40 km away from Ibaka Bay within the IIC which was done using an internationally recognized research by experts and documented suitability indices of Ibaka bay which is apparent has been distorted and doctored. See a copy of such research document is hereby attached and marked as Exhibit Ibaka 3.
That the said Technical Committee sat at their closet and Comfortable offices and in their secret enclave took Judicial or quasi judicial decision beyond their mandate and power and upturned a scientific and technological decision that has been sacrosanct, inviolable for over 60 years and without minding the cost implications and the feelings of the people that would be aggrieved at such decision
That this relocation appears morally and legally wrong and a breach of the Fundamental and Peoples’ Rights of Ibaka people in a particular and Oro nation in general who have been treated unequally like other people in Akwa Ibom state for a long time and in many situations.
That it appears also legally wrong for the said committee to have extrapolated, interpolated, distorted or transferred the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of ICC comprising Ibaka deep seaport project at Ibaka Bay as approved by the Federal Ministry of Environment to Ibeno Beach even though within the perimeter of the IIC. These two places are geographically located at two different spots in the universe and have different environmental Impact assessment of any project at its location.See a copy of 2012 EIA approval Report for Ibom Industrial City attached and marked as Exhibit Ibaka 5
That Ibaka People and indeed People of Oro Nation where the proposed Ibaka Deep Seaport is located, any NGO or rights activist who are aggrieved appear to have sufficient interest to challenge this wrongful relocation and the change of name.
That on the 7/9/ 2014 or thereabout the Ibaka Deep Seaport got licensed from Federal Government and it is in its kitty. In 2017,the Federal GOvernment budgeted or appropriated N1 billion for the commencement of Ibaka deep seaport in its appropriation Act. It appears too late in the day to change the name and location of this ongoing project without going through the National Assembly as the defendants are attempting to do. Oro people are earnestly waiting and asking for a friendly Government and private investors that Would key in and continue to completion of this project. See a copy a statement made by the Federal Government of the said appropriation is hereby attached and marked as Exhibit Ibaka 6.
That know as resources given to Oro nation by God and any encroachment in whatsoever form into it’s Water, Bay, Cove, Sea, Seabed, Channel, fact that Ibaka deep seaport is one of the natural Ocean, Land, Space and Cyber Domain as the result of development of Ibom Deep Seaport which is a different project will apparently disfigure, frustrate the future or ongoing development of Ibaka deep seaport.
That the present administration of Akwa Ibom in spite of the licence approved for Ibaka deep seaport 2014 or thereabout and the Federal GOvernment appropriating N 1 billion for its commencement in 2017, promoted another deep sea port at Ibeno Beach for Dugout port or any port and purportedly got a licence on 17/12/20 from the Federal Government from the wrongful decision of the Technical Committee that apparently acted beyond its jurisdiction.
That Lagos State has two approvals for two Deep Seaports at Lekki and Epe. Akwa Ibom State apparently may be entitled to more than one Deep Seaport. I have no hard feeling about any deep seaport or any port at Ibeno.
That appears the promotion and development or actualization’ of another deep seaport was not part and parcel of the terms of reference of the 10 man committee for the actualization of Ibom deep seaport led Barr (Mrs.) Mfon Usoro.
That the said project at inception was known and described as Ibaka deep seaport. The colonial, Attah and Akpabio administrations, sustained and retained the name and location in view of amazing depth of the high sea adjacent to Ibaka Bay which connects the Gulf of Guinea and the whole world, unrivalled by no other location for such project in the Gulf of Guinea. I am dumfounded, flabbergasted and aggrieved, like every good thinking Oro man and Akwa Ibom people, to see our new political players in the state move the project from its original location without reasonable or legal justification.
That Ibom deep seaport a coinage that has become a comfortable replacement for “Ibaka deep seaport’ not minding the feeling of the aggrieved Oro people, majority of men of goodwill and stakeholders outside Ibaka and its environs who had started investing in the Ibaka area in consequent upon the approval or licence to locate the seaport at Ibaka and the licence for it got on the 7/9/2014.
32.That this present administration has not done any infrastructural project in Oro nation or Mbo LGA which is the administrative Headquarters of the proposed IIC project since its inception to support of the Ibaka deep seaport unlike the previous administrations of Attah and Akpabio that laid a ground breaking foundation ceremony of the Ibaka project that took billions of naira of our Common coffer away. The relic of the said foundation ceremony is still available at Ibaka for the entire world to see.
That purported relocation has generated a lot of interest, Controversy and bad blood in the general public sothat on or about 12/6/2021 the governor of the 3 respondent, His Excellency(Deacon) Udom Emmanuel denied when asked in Channels television live program that Ibaka deep project has not been relocated but only shifted 2km from Ibaka to Unyenhe, a community the still in Oron nation for unknown technical reasons.
That the denial of the governor is contrary to the position of the 4 respondent that their technical committee now prefer a dug out port in Ibeno beach to the proposed deep sea port in Ibaka.
That I know as fact that the entire Oro people feel deeply stabbed at the back and feel betrayed by the actions of prominent Oro sons and daughters that were in the purported Technical Committee on the actualization of Ibom Deep Seaport that took the wrongful decision to relocate the seaport from its original location without basis, objection and without informing Oro people in good faith of their challenges in this regard.
That the purported relocation of Ibaka deep seaport to Ibeno Seashore or Beach appears an orchestrated and continual episodes in a long leitmotif of marginalization and ostracism of Oro Nation and its people, to traumatize, injure and strangulate it economically while plummeting its enormous resources and environment without mercy.
That in terms of population and land mass Oron nation may concede to be the smallest of the three major ethnic groups Ibibio, Annang, and Oron in the state. But it has in its favour the highest oil and gas bearing communities in the state. The bulk of the money where Akwa Ibom state will contribute as 20 % equity to the development of the said the Deep Seaportwould be rightly derived from Oro territory.
That Oro nation and its people, if given opportunity to manageit resources, as it were, is in a position to develop, can develop this deep seaport by seeking private investors also. This is one of their greatest natural resources from God. Oron people can use this project to emancipate itself from the chain of economic slavery it is presentily entangled.
That it is apparent to me that the interest of justice will be served to grant this application.
That I have written to relevant agencies including some of the respondents to intervene and they are yet to respond.A Copy of the pre-action notice is attached and marked Exhibit Ibaka 7.
That I have also written to also written to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NEAREA) and Federal Ministry of Environment to provide the following documents that appears to be in their position:
Report and certificate of Ibaka deep seaport
Report and certificate of ibom industrial city
Report and certificate of Ibom deep seaport, Ibeno. A copy of the application is attached and marked as Exhibit Ibaka 8 42.That I make this affidavit in good faith, conscientiously believing same to be correct and in accordance with the oaths at in force.
Sworn to at the Registry Federal High court, Uyo Dated..5th..this day ..july..2021
Akwaibom our promise land, @34. watching our land with an eagle’s eye, can you see how beautiful she looks? Even at her age, her beauty blossoms, never fades and knows no bound. Her kind heart and mother nature has attracted both foreign and local suitors, She is flourishing, moreover; her land is fruitful , peaceful, and her inhabitants are angels in human form. Indeed, Akwaibom is the apple of God's eyes. Stay with me as i walk you through some growth in the past and present years.
Since Her creation in September 23 1987 the State has been the eye of the county as she is one of the highest oil and gas producing States in the country.
The tertiary learning institution of both The multi-campus Universities which includes University of Uyo(Uniuyo) located in the state capital and Akwa Ibom state polytechnic(Akwa Poly) located in Ikot Ekpen both founded in 1991. Not forgetting the only state owned versity, Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) which was founded back in 2010.
The Establishment of Ibom E-Library in 2007 was also a huge development towards improving our educational sector through E-learning.
The 24 kilometres (15 mi) southeast of Uyo, and 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) northwest of the river port of Oron. The Victor Atta international airport(Ibom Air)2009 which was renamed after the Former Gov. By the incumbent Governor H.E. Udom Emmanuel. Recently, in 2021 acquired two new airbuses
The State, has a 30,000 sit capacity Stadium(the Godswill Obot Akpabio international stadium, formally know as Akwaibom stadium) serves as a home to the Nigerian Super Eagles as well as Ibom Hall which is center for various social, cultural, and religious events.
In 2015, The Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre was established The Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre has a 14 storey building which includes five star hotel with over 200 rooms, a theme park that spreads over 3 hectares of land, a shopping mall, a convention centre with a 5,000 capacity and an active cinema operated by Silverbird Cinemas. In the same year, the Ibom multi-specialty Hospital (Ibom specialist Hospital) was established too
In 2017 the pencil and toothpick factory was established which is the first in the history of Nigeria .
Still in the same year, the A’ibom, Nigeria’s Syringe Industry was Commissioned by the vice president of Nigerian.
In 2020 The tissue paper factory was commissioned to combat unemployment and boost industrialization.
2021 a new milestone is archived as we witnessed the commissioning of:
Norfin Offshore Shipyard at Oruk Anam LGA.
*Ikot Oku Ikono Flyover
*Medical Gas and Vacuum Plant, Ituk Mbang
*Twenty-One Storey Building – Dakkada Towers
*Commissioning 168 Houses in Army Barracks to celebrate Nigeria at 60
*Brand New Chambers of Akwa Ibom State Council of Chiefs.
*Commissioning of State-Of-The-Art 300 Bed Space Isolation Center at Methodist General Hospital, Ituk Mbang, Uruan, LGA
*1.8km Murtala Muhammad Road, Oron L.G.A, 2.1km Oron Road, Oron L.G.A, 13.2KM Nkana – Awa Iman Road, Internal Roads in Ikot Akpabin, Ibesikpo Asutan L.G.Area, Construction of 6.41KM Nto Edino – Ekwere-Azu Road with 2No. 45M Span Bridges in Obot Akara Local Govt Area, Construction of 4.6km Nung Ukim road- Ikono,
*Lion Plywood Factory Commissioned by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo
*Kings Flour Mill construction project is located in Mkpok-Okad Village, Onna LGA, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
*Ibom Agricon Rice Processing Mill in Ini Local Govt Area
*Nigerian Navy Military School, Ikot Ntuen In Oruk Anam Local Government
*Pm Greenwell Fertilizer Plant, Akwa Ibom
As a true son of Akwa Ibom who has watch slowly but rapid growth and development of our dear state, i can beat my chest and say, our state is gradually becoming the state of our dream as we record rapid growth in industrializations and infrastructures.
Trusting and believing “that same God” for more development as we celebrate AKWA IBOM 34TH ANNIVERSARY.
God bless our past and present leaders. God bless Akwa Ibom state. God bless Nigeria.
The second phase of the Nto Edino – Ekwerazu Road project is ready for commissioning today, Wednesday September 22nd 2021 by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency Mr. Udom Emmanuel. The 6.4km road linking Obot Akara, Akwa Ibom State with Ekwerazu in Abia State was handled by Seyang Limited, an indigenous contracting firm.
The project included severe erosion protection, Seasonal Swamp Area Reclamation and Replacement of two Collapsed Bridge. The twin bridges are knitted into a 300m span and its aesthetic scenery presents an exhilarating appeal to tourists. Over two Kilometers of this road cut into Abia state and residents attest that it has helped curb the menace of armed robbery and other criminal activities, as well as opened the hitherto forgotten communities, to commercial activities.
By 2pm, Governor Emmanuel is expected to lead several other top government officials to inaugurate the project, as part of activities to mark the 34th anniversary of the State’s creation.
In the 21st century where information is as important to a society as its legal tender, it is usually nauseating to see public office holders try to hoard their offices in the guise of being modest, when actually, they are trying cover-up their inadequacies.
A data published in the 2018 digest of the basic education statistics by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), shows that Akwa Ibom State had 581,800 out-of-school children, coming a distant second to Kano State with 989,234. Coincidentally, the period under UBEC’s review was within the time when the state education sector, for some reasons, was so obscure, that getting the least information about it required a lot of mining. For a state that has been operating a free and compulsory education policy for a over decade, the UBEC data confirms that there is a strong nexus between obscurity of public offices and failed public policies.
Since the appointment of Mrs Idongesit Etiebiet as state commissioner for Education, the sector has consistently been in the spotlight. Leveraging the resourcesfulness of young information professionals and media enthusiasts at her disposal, Mrs. Etiebet has turned a Ministry that was hitherto in the shadows, to one that now competes favourably for prominence. The remarkable change has a multidimensional impact, and they are all for good. First, it encourages a broader, more reliable and collective evaluation. For instance, the recent notice to parents and guardians to report all illegal charges and irregularities in public schools to the state government through designated contacts. As pedestrian as that information appeared, it was timely, and strategic enough to cause a reform in the system.
For a while, there have been rumours that despite the state government insistence on free education, some school administrators have been imposing illegal charges on parents for their children. Without knowing where to lay their complains, affected parents probably have had to either pay the illegal charges or withdraw their children all along. Apparently, the cumulative effect of this villainy also significantly contributes to the numbers of out-of-school children in the state. But with the recent notice, parents and the public will not only have the confidence to challenge the abnormalities in public schools, they also know how to easily reach the appropriate authorities. The awareness that there is an open and simple channel of communication between parents/the public and the authorities will further curb the excesses of school administrators.
Opening up the education sector to the public has not only kept people abreast with the happenings and development in the sector, but has also built people’s confidence in the system. Satisfying people’s need to know without always subjecting them to the stiffening bureaucratic bottlenecks is a shortcut to building public goodwill. Aside delegation of responsibilities, the other essence of unbundling the government into ministries, departments and agencies was to promote accessibility and encourage public interest in government business. In my thinking, the recent increase in synergy between government bodies and the participation of private individuals/institutions in the development of the education sector stems from the fact that there is an awakening in the sector.
Furthermore, the turnaround in the education sector encourages more public engagements on the successes and shortcomings in the sector. Truthfully speaking, there are many sectors in the state that are very significant to our economic and social life, but are hardly in the eyes of the public because they exist in obscurity. Awareness is a key driver of development. First, it helps to generate interest, and then encourages participation. It is through information that citizens can properly assess the priorities and performance of the government.
For starters, Mrs Etiebet has solved the perennial problem of a dormant education sector. But sustaining this energy will require collaborative efforts. For instance, during the just concluded 2021 National Book Clubs and Reading Conference, hosted in Uyo, Mrs Etiebet, who represented the state governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, expressed the state government’s determination to revive the reading culture among students in the state and leveraging technology to advance education. In her words, “We are determined to produce future graduates who would think outside the box of conventional knowledge. We want our children to be well-rounded and be ready to compete in the marketplace of ideas and skills, which the 21st century technology-driven world demands of us”.
For me, that was an open invitation for collaboration, not only to the book clubs and other organizations promoting reading, but also to the tech community. Incidentally, Mrs Etiebet made the call about the same time that the Akwa Ibom Tech Week 2021 was also hosted in the state capital. If Akwa Ibom must meet her educational goals in the 21st century, then technology must become an integral part of its roadmap. Thankfully, the Idongesit Etiebiet led education ministry is open to collaboration. Statistics like the UBEC’s out-of-school children report will not upturn themselves, and the government will not be able to work the miracle alone. For example, finding a lasting solution to a problem like the rampant rioting among students will require committed efforts from parents, school administrators and even non-governmental organizations.
Policies, regardless how laudable they are, would only be effective when everyone involved in its implementation make commendable efforts to it. Parents must ensure that their children have the right orientation about their purpose in school. School administrators on their part, must be sincere and committed to ensuring a proper management of public schools with little or no supervision. Even critics have the responsibility of making useful recommendations. In her regular meetings with school administrators and other stakeholders in education, Mrs Etiebet has consistently emphasised on cooperation, efficiency and effectiveness. It’s still a long walk to finding a fix-all solution to the challenges facing education in the state, but having an education sector that is now a beehive, yet opened to contributions, and collaborations is a quantum leap.
Like many other citizens, my earnest desire is to see the government match this transformation with the right investments in human capacity, infrastructure, etc. With the the prominence given to the sector now, the days of hoarding its deficiencies are over. The only option before us is to collectively fix the system, one problem at a time, and watch the statistics improve.
GOV EMMANUEL INSTITUTES A’IBOM COCONUT DAY
…flags off Planting of 300,000 More Seedlings in Akwa Ibom
Governor Udom Emmanuel, Saturday flagged off the planting of 300,000 special breed of coconut seedlings in Akwa Ibom, announcing September 18 as the annual state coconut day in the state.
This follows the government’s target of cultivating two million coconut seedlings in the State to serve as raw materials for the just completed St. Gabriel’s Coconut Oil Factory at Mkpat-Enin.
Performing the flag off, Governor Emmanuel who led other top government officials by example himself, planted 50 seedlings at the Government Coconut Plantation, Ekeya, Okobo, saying coconut which is of high yielding value in the international market, has the potentials to replace crude oil.
He said the coconut planting exercise was being performed simultaneously across all the local government areas in the state, adding that planting coconuts in schools were also being targeted in the scheme to ensure that the state coconut oil refinery was fully supplied with coconut fruits.
He called on the federal government and Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to partner the State in coconut investment.
“Today is a very special day. It is the day that is borne out of vision.
“The At Gabriel’s Coconut Oil Virgin Refinery we have in the state is first in Africa. We want to create a future for our young ones. Coconut has 365 uses which means that every single day that God created has a use for coconut”
“The Coconut refinery has been completed. What is next is a test run and knowledge transfer.
“Coconut is of high value and can possibly serve as alternative to crude oil. This is a great investment for CBN and the Federal government”
“We have a much bigger plantation in Mkpat-Enin, Eastern Obolo and Ikot Abasi.
We are embarking on a campaign to cut down trees without economic values in schools, to replace them with coconut. Each student in public schools will be given a coconut seedling to plant. In one day, one million students of secondary school would have planted one million coconut seedlings.
This will create competition among the youngsters. These are high breed seedlings we’ve been able to acquire across the world. The refinery is going to be a master economic breakthrough”, said the Governor.
He appealed to the host communities to ensure the coconut plantation is nurtured and protected.
“This is the resource of 7.2 million people. We believe that you will nurture, protect and sustain it”
Earlier in her speech, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Emmanuel Edet said God has blessed the state with fertile soil, and hailed the Governor for paying premium to agriculture and food security.
She noted that the massive investments in coconut plantation is part of measures to further diversify the economy of the state, adding that Akwa Ibom is set to take over the International coconut oil market in Nigeria.
“Coconut oil is taking over the crude oil market, Governor Emmanuel is a visionary leader for planting coconut across the state and building the coconut refinery at Mkpat Enin.”
She further lauded Governor Udom Emmanuel’s numerous developmental strides in the agricultural sector.
” In your first tenure agriculture was key and now agriculture has been revolutionised. We can only reduce poverty through agriculture, You have empowered farmers by giving farm inputs. We now cultivate onions and other vegetables. You have made farmers to go back to cash crops, just two months ago cocoa seedlings were distributed to farmers . Farmers are so happy with the cocoa processing factory at Ini.” she added.
The State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Uyobong Uko commended Governor Emmanuel for spreading the coconut planting initiative like wild fire across the state, adding that he has witnessed several farm inputs shared to farmers across the state on a regular basis through the Governor’s initiative.
He reiterated the support of the Federal Government towards the coconut initiative and said that, they will continue providing rural infrastructure to farmers across the state.
Speaking also, the Chairman of Okobo local government area, Sylvester Attah described the Governor as a visionary and creative leader whose creativity has brought great development in the Agricultural sector of the state.
He further appreciated Governor Emmanuel for having the interest of Okobo people at heart by intervening in a communal war in the area, as well as the construction of a major road in the area, and pledged their undying support towards his administration’s Completion Agenda.
Also speaking on behalf of Farmers, the President , All farmers Association of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State chapter, Prince Bassey Inwang , thanked the Governor for his endless agriculture programmes through the ministry of Agriculture aimed at bettering the lives of farmers in the state.
“We have been distributing to farmers all you have given to us through the ministry, fertilizer, knapsack sprayers, seedlings and loans, we can’t thank you enough,” he said.
GOV EMMANUEL INSTITUTES A’IBOM COCONUT DAY
…flags off Planting of 300,000 More Seedlings in Akwa Ibom
Governor Udom Emmanuel, Saturday flagged off the planting of 300,000 special breed of coconut seedlings in Akwa Ibom, announcing September 18 as the annual state coconut day in the state.
This follows the government’s target of cultivating two million coconut seedlings in the State to serve as raw materials for the just completed St. Gabriel’s Coconut Oil Factory at Mkpat-Enin.
Performing the flag off, Governor Emmanuel who led other top government officials by example himself, planted 50 seedlings at the Government Coconut Plantation, Ekeya, Okobo, saying coconut which is of high yielding value in the international market, has the potentials to replace crude oil.
He said the coconut planting exercise was being performed simultaneously across all the local government areas in the state, adding that planting coconuts in schools were also being targeted in the scheme to ensure that the state coconut oil refinery was fully supplied with coconut fruits.
He called on the federal government and Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to partner the State in coconut investment.
“Today is a very special day. It is the day that is borne out of vision.
“The At Gabriel’s Coconut Oil Virgin Refinery we have in the state is first in Africa. We want to create a future for our young ones. Coconut has 365 uses which means that every single day that God created has a use for coconut”
“The Coconut refinery has been completed. What is next is a test run and knowledge transfer.
“Coconut is of high value and can possibly serve as alternative to crude oil. This is a great investment for CBN and the Federal government”
“We have a much bigger plantation in Mkpat-Enin, Eastern Obolo and Ikot Abasi.
We are embarking on a campaign to cut down trees without economic values in schools, to replace them with coconut. Each student in public schools will be given a coconut seedling to plant. In one day, one million students of secondary school would have planted one million coconut seedlings.
This will create competition among the youngsters. These are high breed seedlings we’ve been able to acquire across the world. The refinery is going to be a master economic breakthrough”, said the Governor.
He appealed to the host communities to ensure the coconut plantation is nurtured and protected.
“This is the resource of 7.2 million people. We believe that you will nurture, protect and sustain it”
Earlier in her speech, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Emmanuel Edet said God has blessed the state with fertile soil, and hailed the Governor for paying premium to agriculture and food security.
She noted that the massive investments in coconut plantation is part of measures to further diversify the economy of the state, adding that Akwa Ibom is set to take over the International coconut oil market in Nigeria.
“Coconut oil is taking over the crude oil market, Governor Emmanuel is a visionary leader for planting coconut across the state and building the coconut refinery at Mkpat Enin.”
She further lauded Governor Udom Emmanuel’s numerous developmental strides in the agricultural sector.
” In your first tenure agriculture was key and now agriculture has been revolutionised. We can only reduce poverty through agriculture, You have empowered farmers by giving farm inputs. We now cultivate onions and other vegetables. You have made farmers to go back to cash crops, just two months ago cocoa seedlings were distributed to farmers . Farmers are so happy with the cocoa processing factory at Ini.” she added.
The State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Uyobong Uko commended Governor Emmanuel for spreading the coconut planting initiative like wild fire across the state, adding that he has witnessed several farm inputs shared to farmers across the state on a regular basis through the Governor’s initiative.
He reiterated the support of the Federal Government towards the coconut initiative and said that, they will continue providing rural infrastructure to farmers across the state.
Speaking also, the Chairman of Okobo local government area, Sylvester Attah described the Governor as a visionary and creative leader whose creativity has brought great development in the Agricultural sector of the state.
He further appreciated Governor Emmanuel for having the interest of Okobo people at heart by intervening in a communal war in the area, as well as the construction of a major road in the area, and pledged their undying support towards his administration’s Completion Agenda.
Also speaking on behalf of Farmers, the President , All farmers Association of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State chapter, Prince Bassey Inwang , thanked the Governor for his endless agriculture programmes through the ministry of Agriculture aimed at bettering the lives of farmers in the state.
“We have been distributing to farmers all you have given to us through the ministry, fertilizer, knapsack sprayers, seedlings and loans, we can’t thank you enough,” he said.
In about 20 months, one of the most significant socio-econo-political chapters in Akwa Ibom State’s history book will be written, sealed and nicely placed in the archives.
For those of us who have a fine background in literature, the ending is the most important part of a dramatic narrative. Novelists, movie script writers usually have sleepless nights on what perfect end its story should have. Why is that so? The ending is the section of the story that gives the piece its meaning – in which the theme of the overall narrative crystalizes into dramatic action. That is the point the protagonist completes the arc he has been making throughout the story. It is the point the audience expects that the comedy should be at its funniest; a horror film at its scariest; a love story at its most romantic; etc.
A story without a good ending isn’t satisfying – after watching a movie for three or so hours, you want to know if the lovers got together; you want to see the hero triumph, you want to see the falsely accused vindicated, you want to find out who committed the murder; you want to see villains defeated, obstacles overcome; and demons (inside and out) quelled and if they are not, you want to have a clear understanding of why. Anything short of that is a disappointing end.
But, alas, the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel is about to have a fantastic end; everything points to it. The demons of the past have been defeated, the state has enjoyed mature and stable leadership, in and out of a harsh economic climate, yet devoid of deafening noise and razzmatazz, peace has found a home here in Akwa Ibom State, even when many parts of the country are battling one security issue or another. The Dakkada philosophy is now rooted in the hearts of the people, entrepreneurs are now flung and scattered all across the state, doing their best to rise to greatness.
Governor Emmanuel has broken the jinx that it is impossible to build and attract industries, run profitable and expandable businesses. Take a look at Ibom Air, the nation’s pride in aviation. Look at the success, the company ethics, culture and standards, the returns on investment, the expansion and the blueprint for international domination. What a beautiful end to a story of years of false starts and vain promises.
Now, nobody can again promise 31 industries in 31 Local Government Areas, that is an obsolete impracticable promise. It is not done that way. Industries are not planted like Local Government headquarters, you plant industries only where they are needed and if you wish to expand massively, you create a hub, an industrial layout where common resources are shared.
That is why it is not surprising that the Turkish investors, have partnered with the State Government and have helped translate Governor Emmanuel’s industrialization policy as seen in such economically significant industries like the Jubilee syringe company, the flour mill, and are in the process of expanding into textile making and several other investments. A key variable in this drive, is the peace and ease of doing business which Governor Emmanuel has provided. According to Mr Onur Kumral in a recent interview, “We have signed our preliminary contracts with our partners in Turkey again. Of course, you know Turkey is a big textile country. We want to bring that textile company to start production in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. We hope to start the construction before the end of this year. Hopefully, next year, you will see the opening of a textile company here in Akwa Ibom State. It will be designed by local designers. It will be in the quality of Turkish textile. That is what we want to achieve. Our first target will be to produce 3,000 dresses a day which will be a standard of 3000 to 5000. That will create about 5000 direct employment and maybe 23,000 to 25,000 indirect employment. This is the first target we have in 2021. When we succeed, in 2022, we will want to add some more. But we have to go step by step. We have some principles. We have to succeed before we get to the next one.”
That is not all, the Turkish investors are also planning to expand their existing capacity in the already established business lines. Onur Kumral offers more insights, “What we have planned now is that we want to raise the capacity of our Flour Mill as soon as possible. This is because the demand now is much more than supply. For the syringe, we want to add more lines to new kinds of products, not just syringes. We want to add drip lines to it. However, we want to expand on these two sectors first. Also, with our partners in Turkey, a huge oil and gas group, we have signed a deal on exclusive distribution of oil lubricants for the ECOWAS region. Of course, it will first start in Nigeria. Our first target is to start trade in oil. But the main target is to see if we can create that same success in what we have done in Kings and Jubilee. When we can create the same distribution lines, we want to start packaging.”
The completion agenda is firmly on course, contractors are busy on road sites to beat deadlines, dualized roads springing up in major cities like Uyo, Etinan, Eket to open up the state to commerce and development. Hospitals are wearing new looks like in Ikot Ekpene, Asong and Ikot Abasi and the earlier ones already done. There is no doubt that this administration under Governor Udom Emmanuel will end well. That is why succession by 2023 WILL NOT and SHOULD NOT be based on sentiments or entitlement mindset. The people, guided by God will choose a befitting leader in tune with the times and demands of the future.
It must be stated here that the Governorship position is not a compensation package or a take away pack for any politician who feels entitled to it because he supported and ‘sacrificed’ so much to re-elect Governor Emmanuel in 2019. We are talking about the destinies of millions of Akwa Ibom sons and daughters for the next 8 to 100 years. It is too serious a matter to be discussed lightly. However, anybody who ‘stuck out his neck’ for the Governor in times past and is currently experiencing pains in the neck region, that is, the anterior cervical and posterior cervical triangles or indeed any part of the cervical spine can visit any of the new hospitals built by the Governor and get an MRI scan and x-ray done and be treated on the Governor’s bill. Akwa Ibom is on the march to greatness under Governor Udom Emmanuel, with many life touching projects set to be handed over to the Akwa Ibom people. And like the wise one writes in Ecclesiastes 7:8, “Better is the end of a matter, than the beginning thereof”
Governor Udom Emmanuel’s vision for food sufficiency in Akwa Ibom State was on Thursday further boosted with the distribution of fingerlings, fishing nets and other inputs to fish farmers and fishermen in the state.
The distribution exercise carried out by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Glory Edet, at the Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat Field, Uyo saw fish farmers, fishermen and other stakeholders in the fishing business empowered by the state government.
The Agriculture Boss appreciated Governor Udom Emmanuel for prioritising the Agricultural Sector and ensuring that farmers are empowered with the needed farm inputs to yield productivity.
While reeling out the milestones recorded by Governor Udom Emmanuel in the agricultural sector, she noted that the exercise was part of the efforts to develop the agricultural sector, increase production, and encourage fish farmers.
“We are here to empower the fishermen and fish farmers so they can yield their production because with these any fish farmer that did not have money to buy the farm inputs and fingerlings, will start the production after harvesting will expand the business which will, in turn, make food sufficient for all”
Dr Glory Edet intimated that the Fingerlings, fishing nets and inputs were given to them for free and urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the fingerlings given to them
She charged intending farmers to stop procrastinating and choose a sector of agriculture they will like to indulge in adding that the ministry of Agriculture is committed to collaborating with such individuals to provide them with the needed assistance through experts in the ministry.
“If you are interested in any sector in agriculture, feel free to come to the ministry of Agriculture, we have experts and will make sure we train you”
In his message of Goodwill, the Deputy Governor represented by the permanent secretary in the office of the Deputy Governor, Mr Nkopurok Ekaiko, said Agriculture remains the mainstay of the Economy and lauded Governor Udom Emmanuel for repositioning the Agricultural sector in the state.
He also commended the Commissioner for interpreting the vision of Governor Udom Emmanuel in the sector.
Mr Ekpo Urged farmers to take advantage of the numerous investment made available by Governor Emmanuel in Agriculture to enhance productivity.
Others who spoke were the Commissioner for Economic Development and Ibom Deep Sea Port, Mr Akan Okon, Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr Ini Adiakpan, Commissioner for Education, Mrs Idongesit Etiebet, among others.
The highpoint of the event was the distribution of fingerings, fishing nets and other farm inputs to fish farmers.
Aktv News 