By Emmanuel Nicholas
It is true that one of the cardinal projections of Governor Udom Emmanuel administration is the vision to industrialize Akwa Ibom State. And, in just one year a lot has been done to ensure this is archived. One can also understand the plight and anxiety of the people of the State and, why they are desperate to witness the take-off of all the industries that ground breaking had been performed.
This is even while considering the level of unemployment and the hardship that is traumatising the common man on the street .It is an agreeable fact internationally that unemployment is one of the catalysts to all forms of criminality in any society.
The current estrangement between employers and their employees within the private sector are proofs that Nigeria’s economy is experiencing problematic times but not minding the paucity of funds Governor Udom Emmanuel is breaking new grounds to ensure his campaigns promises materializes and when other State are owing salaries up to nine months, the workers in Akwa Ibom State are enjoying their monthly benefits without delay.
The only way to fast track the economy of Nigeria therefore is to diversify and, one of the most potent areas to anchor is manufacturing. This will not only reduce commodities on the import list of the country but also ensure they are not delisted in the requirement list simply because the commodity is not produced in the country. Not doing this will, rather than improving the economy opens the floodgates of smuggling. By so doing you lose revenues to the neighbouring countries that serve the smugglers’ demands for such commodities.
Governor Udom Emmanuel’s decision to industrialize Akwa Ibom State is not a political jamboree to either persuade or cloud the electorate for votes, rather, his burning desire to transform the State from a civil service Status to a private sector driven economy, having come from a very vibrant private sector economy.
He understands that no economy can grow without full participation of the private sector. And manufacturing is the bedrock of becoming a developed economy. Manufacturing courts active collaboration of the private sector
That is why the governor pledged in one of his speeches during his declaration to contest for the position of the governor of Akwa Ibom State, ‘’Great People of Akwa Ibom State, We will not throw your goodwill to the dust nor crush your hope like men with dead conscience or bring your free mandates to frustration. Though the thoughts of men may not be known by others but hold me by my words, for I will not lead you to ruins but to greatness and much glory’’. He has further assured, ‘’The will power to transmogrify Akwa Ibom State burns within me as conflagration, I pledge to you all that I will put my exposures to use and draw in all my associates to ensure overall success ,while making God the benefactor of my government , for without him we will all fail.’’
The government of Akwa Ibom State under Mr Udom Emmanuel’s administration had performed ground breaking for Automobile plant, LED factory, Metering Factory, acquired Land for coconut Refinery, Ground breaking for the fertilizer Plant , site clearing for 100,000 barrel a day Refinery . On the revival of the ailing industries, Governor Udom Emmanuel has resuscitated the hitherto distressed Peacock Paint and added another line of production, the marine Paints. Plasto Crown was another moribund industry in Akwa Ibom State , but in less than six month, it is back in full stream. These were brought to fruition by Governor Udom Emmanuel’s Government . The Ibom Science Park project, that was abandoned due to irregularities in its funding, (where more than 90 percent of the contract sum was paid , and the project was not even up to 30 percent completion stage) has been revisited . Governor Emmanuel has decided to bury the past and has already set up a committee to complete the project in partnership with some Chinese investors.
The Ibom Deep Sea Port is truly the flagship of his administration’s cardinal projects as he set up an implementation committee on the project in the first two weeks of his Government. The Chairperson of the Implementation Committee, Mrs. Mfon Ekong Usoro, is also the pioneer Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA and the current Secretary General of the West and Central Africa Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control. The committee’s composition has the expertise to realize the seaport project. All the members are bringing in to bear, their collective wealth of expertise, experience, contacts and goodwill. The State has never had a Committee that has been constituted in this manner.
All members of the Committee are experts in the shipping and maritime industry, spanning areas, such as, infrastructural projects, marine engineering, marine surveying, hydrographing, maritime security, maritime administration, maritime law, infrastructure financing, ICT, all in the project team.
Just recently the Governor signed a contract for the Full Business Case, FBC, and the official hand over of Certificate of Occupancy during the kick-off meeting with the Transaction Advisers and Master Planners for the project.
Governor Emmanuel assured that the state government was determined to complete the project in 2018 and is willing to do everything necessary to assist the various groups involved in the deep seaport to bring it to reality. He stressed the importance of maritime to the development of the country, noting that the state government was desirous of creating the right environment for developing the economy of the state and by extension, the nation. “Recently, Nigeria has been battling with a dwindling economy which over the years thrived on crude oil as a mono- product. The fall in the price of crude oil in the international market has taken negative toll on the economy of many states including ours. “
The new wave of challenge therefore, is for states in Nigeria and particularly leaders, who hold the people’s mandate in trust, to arise and evolve alternative ways of achieving sustainable economic growth and prosperity as well as guaranteeing survival for its teeming populace. Governor Udom Emmanuel during his declaration told the people that he will develop more manpower for his industrialization bid. Hear him, ‘’The development of manpower is another aspect that we will not allow to crash on stones of the lame hands, as we will empower our people with knowledge that will salvage the State from lack of skilled manpower during the coming explosion of industries in the State.
My government will sponsor Akwa Ibom youth to acquire knowledge and skills from both home and abroad, thereby relegating the importation of skilled manpower to zero percent. The women of Akwa Ibom State have shown to greater percentage, that they are ready for improved representation in governance and to contribute immensely to the economic advancement of our dear State”.
In fulfilling the promise, more than three thousand youths have been trained by his administration on series of skills development and manpower.
From the Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering training in Israel, Oracle Software -training , Photography and film making , Power Sector Training sponsored by both State and Federal Government , and other professional skills acquisitions programmes youths continue to acquire new techniques. Governor Udom also promised to run a transparent Government. Many Akwa Ibom people and Nigerians who reside in Akwa Ibom State want this process to be fast-tracked so that they and their children can be gainfully employed considering the hard times Nigeria as a nation is facing .
Industrialization has a process and, when government is partnering the private sector to bring about industrialization, there must be due process. First, availability of raw material in large quantity must be ascertained, the sitting of the factory , and its proximity to the raw material is a productive criteria .
Another aspect is the market survey: There must be a ready market for the items to be produced , so that the private investors will not lose their investment and, the last is environmental impact assessment. This will enable the government and the investors to know how to protect and maintain the environment in which the factory is seating and where the raw material will be extracted from .
Most of the industries that the Akwa Ibom State government has done the ground breaking have passed through those stages .
Automobile plant in Itu Local Government Area since it has a mother company in Israel , the fabrication of the plant is in process and as soon as it arrives Akwa Ibom State the installation will be carried out in a few months and the factory will be operational . So also the metering company, the Led factory and the Refineries etc .The ground breaking only gives room to carried out area survey which will become a guide to the type of mould they will fabricate that will suit the land acquired for them by the State government .
The populace must also know that without the complete fabrication of these industrial moulds or plants, structures cannot be erected. This is to avoid none compliance with fabricated plant and rules.Nigeria is going through trying times; the high level of employment is alarming but our people must understand , that to have sustainable private sector , there is a lot of planning behind the scene.
Governor Udom Emmanuel does not belong to the flock of politicians who believe in lying to the public to get cheap applause but working tirelessly to ensure he brought about industrialization to Akwa Ibom State , where unemployment will be a thing of the past .