- …Says Unity Key to Attracting Projects, Development to A’Ibom State
Uyo, Nigeria – Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. (Obongemem) Ekperikpe Ekpo has identified unity as the all-important factor that can guarantee development and progress in Akwa Ibom State.
In a media chat with journalists during the just-concluded Christmas celebration, Ekpo reiterated that Governor Umo Eno’s leadership style has enabled the state and federal governments to work together seamlessly on issues of mutual interest, putting aside differences in political affiliations.
He revealed that this collaborative governance and ambience of peace has gone a long way in making it possible to revive dormant projects in the state and attract multinational firms and multimillion-dollar investments from the federal government over the past one year.
Ekpo cited as an example, the ability to secure Jindal Group to offtake 450 million metric standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) of natural gas, noting that this commitment underpins a $4 billion investment in a 10 million tonnes per annum Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) steel plant to be located at the Ibom Solutions Hub Industrial Park (ISHIP), a free zone facility in Akwa Ibom State.
He also mentioned that a historic agreement was signed between BFI Group and China National Chemical Engineering Corporation (CNCEC) to restart operations at the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State.
This deal includes the revival of a 135 million standard cubic feet per day gas processing plant at the dormant smelter, enabling the facility to produce up to 300,000 tonnes of aluminium annually, reigniting a key industrial asset and creating jobs for Nigerians, especially from the host community.
Ekpo highlighted a promising partnership between 3W Alliance Limited and the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA) to develop an international industrial park at the Liberty Free Trade Zone in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State. This park will boast modern amenities, including on-site power and water supply, natural gas pipelines, internal roads, warehouses, and residential estates.
By leveraging Akwa Ibom’s abundant gas resources, this project aims to drive technology transfer, skills acquisition, and revenue growth for the state and country.
The Gas Minister also assured that on completion the 20,000 metric tonnes Windek Energy LPG depot at Atabrikang Aquaha in Ibeno, which was also attracted to the state last year, would become a major revenue and job generator for the State.
Ekperikpe Ekpo, a Knight of Saint John International, urged the people of the state to embrace peace and love one another in the new year, despite political differences.
Akwa Ibom State governor, Umo Bassey Eno, a church pastor turned politician who recently bagged a doctoral degree in Public Administration from the University of Uyo, is known to have admonished his political followers on several occasions to close the ranks in partisan politics and come together for the development of the State.
In his words, “Politics is over. This is the time for governance.”
