Governor of Akwa Ibom State Umo Eno has ordered the transfer of Golden Tripod Limited, a Chinese company with offices on Ikot Ekpene Road in Uyo, to the Ibom Industrial Park in the state’s Itam, Itu Local Government Area.
Additionally, he gave instructions to the internal security and environment commissioners to investigate the company’s operations and submit a report within 48 hours.
Eno stated that it was inappropriate to locate factories in the centre of a city while launching the construction of a 2.2 km Tabernacle Road project off Ikot Ekpene Road on Thursday. He claimed that the report he had showed that the factory consistently produced serious emissions.
“Commissioners for the environment and internal security, I need a report on the products this factory produces over the course of the next 48 hours.
“I am aware that there are significant emissions here all the time. Find out what they do first, then relocate them right away to the industrial park. Citing factories in the middle of a city is improper, the governor said.
The governor urged investors to use the industrial park and reassured them that with new government innovations, the park would offer a favourable environment for businesses to flourish.
“That park has been divided up into 150 plots, each measuring between 4,000 and 5,000 square metres.
“What we’re saying is that people who are prepared to start businesses should come and research the type of business they want to start. We will allot land for them after they provide us with the timeline and the anticipated workforce.
“We’re going to surround it with a fence. There will be a police station there, a power plant will be built there, and water will also be made available. It will function similarly to any industrial park anywhere in the world so that, after reviewing your project, we can reserve land for you there.
“It was your desire to have a Government that will come and remember the poor and rural dwellers,” said Governor Eno in reference to the Tabernacle Road project. You chose to have that kind of government. This is the democratic dividend I promised you. We came here to express our gratitude to the Uyo and Itu people who helped us win the election.
Professor Eno Ibanga, the Commissioner for Works and Fire Service, gave an overview of the Tabernacle Road project and noted that, in addition to building a road, the project also entails significant de-flooding efforts to reclaim the entire area. He also noted that the project’s completion will provide relief for the residents of the Uyo and Itu LGAs.
He assured of his Ministry’s commitment to ensuring that contractors deliver in accordance with the specifications provided to them by the state government by saying the 2.2 km road project will be completed with a 0.97 km underground drain that will empty into the Calabar-Itu road drainage.
