Tag Archives: Udom Emmanuel

Akwa Ibom Government Signs MoU On Industrial Park.

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As part of the drive to industrialise Akwa Ibom and create business opportunities, the state government has reached an agreement with some private developers for the commencement of an industrial park and jetty project in the Ikot Abasi area of the state.

Governor Udom Emmanuel, who headed the government delegation, assured the contractors, 3W Alliance (Ltd) and allied partners that his administration would do everything possible to support the speedy completion of the project which spans five Local Government Areas.

He maintained that he has put in place a structured transaction process that would ensure that the project is sustained beyond the lifespan of his government, saying: “The business is structured to survive no matter who is in the saddle tomorrow”.

Stating that natural resources are useless if not properly harnessed into effective productivity, Governor Emmanuel affirmed that he has extracted support for the project from the host communities.

The Governor, who jokingly said that water can only be transformed into wine, depending on who is conducting the prayers, added that he has reached an understanding for an harmonious relationship between the developers and the host communities.

“Before all of us were born, the water was there and it was not yielding dollars to the people, today we want to drive that water to become wealth, and we deserve all the support and cooperation of the public.”

He said the success of businesses depended on reliable infrastructure, security and transparent legislation.

He also expressed satisfaction that the arbitration of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was under the country’s jurisdiction and assured residents that the projects would commence in earnest.

Chairman of 3W Alliance ltd and leader of the delegation, Umaru Abdul Mutallab, while signing the agreement on behalf of the contractors, assured the government of their readiness to urgently execute the project as demanded.

Mutallab, a former Minister of Economic Development said: “We look forward to immediate commencement of the project and we will do our very best to ensure its speedy completion”.

He then commended the governor for his foresight, describing the industrial park as a significant economic investment for the people of the state.

Other partners in the project who accompanied Mr Mutallab included, Emilio Magoni of Impresit Bakolori, Oliver Zheo representing Longxin Group, Jackson Ilusiantei from Nebei Port in China, Emmanuel Okon of Eminence Oil and Chemical and Rabi Momoh who led the team from Heritage Bank, Olojede Alani of New Insurance and Bolarinwa Sanmi of Pan Africa Capital.

Those who signed the agreement on behalf of the state government included the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Uwemedimo Nwoko, Commissioner for Investments, Trade and Industry Prof. Eno Ikpe and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Technical Matters and Due Process Elder Ufot Ebong.

 

Source: Channels TV

Church collapse: Akwa Ibom governor denies aide died while saving him

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The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, has countered a witness account as reported by Omojuwa.Com here, that his aide died while saving him from the collapsed church in Uyo.

The state is mourning the collapse of the Reigners Bible Church building, along Uyo Village Road, which led to scores of deaths and injuries.

Governor Emmanuel said 26 people lost their lives, while the police had earlier put the figure at 27.

Ubong Mboho, an evangelist, who was inside the collapsed building, told reporters, Sunday, that he saw the governor’s aide, Ernest Idem, push Mr. Emmanuel away from the falling iron beams.

“He (Mr. Idem) was standing close to the governor. I saw him push the governor away from danger when the building started falling,” said Mr. Mboho whose father, Elijah Mboho, an influential arch bishop in Akwa Ibom, was scheduled to ordain the church pastor, Akan Weeks, as a bishop at the ill-fated ceremony.

Mr. Mboho said Mr. Idem was hit by a beam before he could get out of the collapsed building.

Two other persons who spoke on Sunday corroborated Mr. Mboho’s story.

But Mr. Emmanuel said no such thing happened.

The governor, during a solemn assembly held on Monday in the state banquet hall in honour of the victims of the incident, said the late Mr. Idem was a driver who worked “directly in his service”.

He said the late driver “sat elsewhere in another location within the church because he was also a member of the church”.

Raphael Edem, Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the governor, gave further insight.

“On that occasion, as on every event the governor attends, those seated beside him (Mr. Emmanuel) were senior officials of Government while those behind him were security detail,” Mr. Edem said on Facebook.

“There were commissioners, chairmen of boards and commissions, permanent secretaries seated up to four rows behind the governor. My friend Ernest was nowhere around there. I was in that church and I saw those beams and heavy metal and roof come down.

“It is a scene you should pray never to witness as it all happened within a matter of seconds. Do you know the distance between where the governor sat and the exit and that it isn’t possible to push someone that distance?

“Is it possible that someone who wasn’t even close to the governor would somehow manage to jump in between his close body protection detail and push the governor?” Mr. Edem said.

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, were among the dignitaries present at the Akwa Ibom solemn assembly.

Mr. Emmanuel said at the solemn assembly that he had to chartered aircrafts to fly in neuro-surgeons to help treat the victims of the incident, and appealed to the federal government for assistance.

The governor told the people of the state not to despair, as God was still with the people.

“The second chance is for everyone and not just the survivors, and we should be more concerned by the account we would render before God, because He will certainly not be interested in our titles and positions,” Mr. Emmanuel was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the state government has announced the postponement of the Ibom Heritage Festival, a three-day cultural event which was earlier scheduled to commence on December 15.

Ekerete Udoh, the spokesman to Governor Emmanuel, said the postponement was in honour of the victims of the church building collapse. He said a new date for the festival will be made known to the public.

Akwa Ibom government set to establish cattle ranch.

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Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has reiterated his administration’s commitment to harnessing the available natural resources in the state to create wealth for sustainability.

Governor Emmanuel stated this when he played host to San Carlos – a group of Agro Allied Investors from Mexico, who visited him at Government House, Uyo.

He said: “It behooves on the leadership of the state to harmonize the God-given resource to fight poverty and hunger.

“I am often appalled by the vast lands surrounding the state and not cultivated yet we depend on importing food items from neighbouring states whereas 80% of what we consumed should be produced locally”.

He hinted that in keeping with the focus of hi administration to ensure food sufficiency, he had “evolved an environment induced diagnosis by partnering with other investors to achieve set goals and make Agriculture a big business for farmers in the state”.

He expressed gratitude to the San Carlos Group for their decision to invest in the agricultural sector of the state’s economy.

The Chairman Technical Committee on Agriculture, Professor Edet Udoh, had earlier lauded the enterprise vision of Governor Emmanuel who has created an enabling environment to attract investors to the state.

“A Memoranda of Understanding has been signed with the San Carlos Group on areas of comparative advantage and a cattle ranch is to be established at Adadia, Uruan Local Government Area beginning with 2,000 herds of cattle in the first phase.

“They will take off with the harvest of cocoa yields using the international standard to control quality for export as well as introduce a new breed of cocoa and provide a nursery to nurture the new variety that would be given to farmers,” he said.

The investor, Mr Carlos Cabal said that modern agriculture is driven by technology and after an accurate feasibility study, his group resolved to invest in the livestock by bringing high breed cattle.

He said that they would carry out an insemination programme to provide new breeds for consumption and export.

Mr Cabal also spoke of the white almond cocoa variety that would be introduced to cocoa farmers in Ini Local Government Area of the state while a fermentation plant would be established in the area to save the grower the stress of wastage due to poor processing and ensure good quality of the cocoa seeds for export.

He expressed appreciation to Governor Udom Emmanuel for welcoming them to the state and pledged to abide by the MoU entered into with the state government.