Controversy Trails Deep Seaport In Akwa Ibom State, As Two Local Government Jostle For Name

There are indications that the proposed deep seaport in Akwa Ibom State may suffer some setbacks following disagreement by indigenes of the two local government areas where the port is sited on what it will be called.

This is even as the state government has expressed confidence that construction work on the project would soon kick start with the approval of the Federal Executive Council, (FEC).

Recall that the proposed deep seaport was named ” Ibaka ” before it metamorphosed into “Ibom”.

But in a recent disagreement by indigenes of Mbo and Ibeno Local Government Areas of the State, revealed that no substantive name has been given to the seaports.

It was gathered that the people from Ibeno prefers the proposed seaport named after the local government.

But the Commissioner for Economic Development and Ibom Deep Seaport, Mr Akan Okon , while responding on the proposed controversial port , noted that government has only the reserved right to name the proposed Ibom Deep Seaport to be sited in the two local government areas of the state.

Okon who was responding to enquiries in Uyo by correspondents over claims that Ibeno people wanted the seaport named Ibeno Deep Seaport maintained that the claims by Ibeno people or any other community was unnecessary as the seaport belonged to Akwa Ibom while the state government reserved the right to the naming of the seaport.

The commissioner said that the successful execution of the project for now remained the priority of the state government and the investors adding that the project was not meant to stand alone but to be complimented with Industrial city and other facilities over a wide area.

“A project of such nature requires Stakeholders forum and we have had that for the Deep Seaport. Moreover the seaport is not standing alone, it also have an industrial city sited side by side which will provide opportunities for heavy and small industries.

“Concerning the naming, it is government that have the legitimate right to name any of its asset and that is why you have the Ibom Deep Seaport. I don’t think the naming is a problem.

*What we are interested in is the success of the project because of the revenue opportunity it will provide for the nation and the state and the opportunities and employment opportunity for the youth of the state, he said.

Okon said that though the documentation for the project came with its own challenges, all the approving Federal authorities in the chain of documentation supported and cooperated with the state government towards the actualization of the project.

The 17.5 metres natural depth of the seaport, the commissioner said remained an attraction for the project even as he expressed confidence in the ability of the preferred bidder, Bollore/PowerChina Consortium to see to the actualization of the seaport and industrial city.

On perceived delay in the approval of construction work on the project, the commissioner maintained that projects of such magnitude required a large amount of paper work, processing and due diligence to accomplish.

He appealed for patience from communities along the line of the project and the Super highway for the payment of compensation and attributed the delay in the construction work on the highway to lack of funds occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic.

The commissioner said that the state government had paid its own counterpart funds for the World Bank N50B flood control project at the IBB Avenue in Uyo while the contract has already been awarded but for the delays occasioned by COVID-19 Pandemic.

He expressed reservations over the deplorable condition of the Calabar Itu highway and appealed for urgent action to be taken by the Federal Government on the road regretting that most federal roads in the country were in need of rehabilitation and reconstruction.

 

 

By Roland Ekama