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Tag: Akwa Ibom

  • Ritman varsity students visit slave trade site

    Students of Ritman University (RU) in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, broke down with emotions during their excursion to Old Residency and Slave History Museum in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, to see artefacts and simulations reminiscent of the slave trade era.

    The undergraduates, who were drawn from the Department of History and International Studies, took a guided tour round the museum which has become a tourist site. They were led by a lecturer, Mr. Kenneth Oforji, to the museum, which is located on the spot where captured slaves were shipped off to Europe during Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

    Mmenyene Silas and Grace Umanah, while reliving their experience, said the artefacts they saw  brought to their consciousness some of the historical incidents they were taught in class.

    The Old Residency, a colonial structure built in 1884, was the official house of British administrators from where they administered the Niger Coast territories. On exhibition were a dining table, ceramic plates, jugs and other items used by Lord Frederick Lugard and other colonial rulers.

    According to report, the Old Residency building was prefabricated in Britain and shipped to Calabar in 1884. Its ground floor served as headquarters of the British Protectorate that would eventually become the Southern part of British colony of Nigeria.

    During the slave trade era, Europeans shipped millions of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to sell as slaves in Europe and America. Calabar used to be Britain’s busiest slave trading post. About one-third of Africans abducted before the abolition of slave trade in 1807 was shipped from the spot. When the colonial rulers left, Old Residency was declared a national monument, but turned to a museum in 1986.

    The students were shown a soap and bottles of alcoholic drinks, which were some of the items the white slave traders used to deceive the natives in exchange for their people. The slave traders were said to have been told that this soap would make them light-complexioned. The drinks, according to the tour guide, were given out as medicinal liquor but made the natives intoxicated enough to give in to the slave bargain.

    The students were also shown chains used on slaves as well as pictures of anti-slave trade fighters, including William Wilberforce, Granville Sharp and John Clarkson. There were also audios and video recordings of slave transactions complete with pathetic sounds of crying and lamenting slaves who were being branded with hot irons for identification as they were snatched from their loved ones.

    Other artefacts seen at the museum include items from ancient Nok, Benin, Igbo Ukwu, Calabar and Ife cultures. The students were also shown a spinning wheel and boat in which the late Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor – the woman credited to have stopped the killing of twins – was brought back to Calabar.

  • Akwa Ibom: Taking revolution to health sector

    The primary essence of government is to protect lives and property. Apart from the physical protection which connotes well-equipped security apparatuses and personnel, there is also the protection of life through efficient healthcare system. This is of immense importance as its absence allows diseases to strut innocuously but with the collateral consequence of avoidable population decimation.

    A trite saying asserts that “health is wealth”. Aside from the various shades of meaning deducible from this expression, it could also be inferred that a population with good health is a gain to the workforce of that society. The contrary is also a deficit and places such society at a disadvantage.

    A more narrow but pragmatic narrative on the imperative of good healthcare system can be seen in the case of individuals. Of course only a healthy person can achieve set goals. A wise saying parodies this in our local parlance which could be loosely cast as “the sick cannot keep pace with his peers”.

    There is therefore a relationship between health as a factor and the economy of any society. It is why good leaders invest enormously in the health sector to achieve optimum health for the people in the understanding that it is a critical resource to economic buoyancy of the society.

    Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Premier of Western Nigeria in the 50s paid priority to education and health. When he declared free education in that region, he guided the people through what they should prioritize in schools as courses of study. They included Law, Medicine, Banking and Finance, etc. Medicine like education was given premium consideration to ensure the maintenance of a healthy workforce. He often noted that it was the absence of education and lack of access to healthcare that bred superstition that was germane to untimely and premature death of the people.

    The primacy accorded good healthcare delivery system is very eloquent in the Western world. Apart from ensuring that hospitals are well equipped with efficient medical personnel, the system also ensures that access to facilities is not hindered by bureaucratic obstacles. The health insurance policy makes access to healthcare easy for all. Those societies value and respect the sanctity of life of their citizenry in recognition that only a society of healthy people can produce a healthy workforce.

    Governor Udom Emmanuel ofAkwa Ibom State, an urbane former banker, has focused intently on the health sector even though it was not part of his 5–point agenda. Apart from his zeal that has necessitated the slogan, “working beyond the promise”, it is safe to say that the governor having studied and had reasonable grasp of the fundamentals of good governance, sees the imperative of providing for the health of the citizenry as  a non-negotiable given. It was why at the blast of the whistle for the commencement of his tenure, he headed to St. Luke’s Hospital, Anua, where he gave the hospital a massive facelift. He also added to the complex a brand new building named after Dr. Ann Ward, an Irish female gynaecologist and Reverend Sister who once worked in that hospital.

    Today, the hospital which was established in 1937 wears a fascinating look owing to Governor Udom’s magnanimous gesture. It must be stated that the said facility is not owned by government. But for him, it is a facility that Akwa Ibom people use and so must enjoy government’s intervention.

    The governor’s vision for the health sector seems to align with the postulation of a Swiss writer, Henry Frederic Amiel which noted, “In health, there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties”. His vision can therefore be said to be that of an unencumbered citizenry that have internalized the cutting edge “Dakkada” creed that is already evolving Akwa Ibom indigenes into global icons. Swarmed by the achievements recorded by Akwa Ibom youngsters everywhere on the globe, the governor understandably seeks to create a liveable environment for the people with access to state-of-art facilities including that of health.

    Governor Emmanuel’s attention to healthcare sector smacks of a revolution. Containers of medical equipment are arriving the state in droves. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Charles Udoh announced that about seven containers had already arrived the state with nine still awaiting shipment to Uyo from Port Harcourt. Currently, some of the equipment are being used to equip General Hospital, Etinan. According to the commissioner, the hitherto dilapidated GeneralHospital, Etinan, now wears the look of a rehabilitated and completely refurbished state hospital. He said that the governor is planning to replicate the same gesture in all the General Hospitals in the state. Just recently, the Secretary to the State Government, Sir Etekamba Umoren carried out an on-the-spot exhaustive facility tour of Ikot Ekpene General Hospital obviously with regard to the same intent. Not long ago, Governor Emmanuel flagged off the construction of an ultra-modern General Hospital at Ituk Mbang. Elucidating on the project, the information commissioner stated that the hospital which is strategically located at the site of the existing hospital at Ituk Mbang is meant to service Uyo metropolis and the Ibom International Airport.

    The governor’s emphasis on healthcare and sensitivity to the health of his people also draw testimony in his inauguration of an Emergency Response Training Programme comprising 25 doctors and 75 nurses. The body is designed to provide interventions to emergencies like the unfortunate Reigners Church incident. According to Charles Udoh, the governor through this massive investment in the health sector is taking a bold step to stem the tide of medical tourism abroad as well as reduce congestion on the tertiary and quaternary medical facilities in the state.

    Government’s huge investment in the health sector is in line with the Udom administration medical reforms which started in May. As the governor once noted, “a healthy population gives rise to a wealthy population”. According to the governor, an investment in the health sector is in the interest of Akwa Ibom people and therefore not an expense. He said that having been exposed to first class medical facilities in the world; he was under obligation to deliver same to Akwa Ibom people.

    Healthcare services constitute a strong human need that every responsible government must pay attention to. Sadly, the nation’s healthcare delivery system from primary, secondary to tertiary have been in comatose for years with successive governments paying not more than lip serve on its resuscitation. In 1983, in a coup speech, late General Sani Abacha said that “our hospitals have become mere consulting clinics”. Not much has changed in many parts of the country with frequent loss of lives in minor medical conditions as evidence. Governor Emmanuel’s deliberate reforms in that sector must be seen as a welcome development and an action plan by the administration to make the life of every Akwa Ibom person the state’s priority.

     

    • Iniodu is a public affairs analyst.

  • Why we chose Akwa Ibom for N9b Africa’s largest syringe factory, by foreign investors

    Africa’s largest syringe manufacturing company, Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing Company Limited (JSM), is set for inauguration in Onna Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Foreign investors committed $30 million (about N9.2 billion) to the factory located on four hectares of land in Awa Village.

    Upon opening next month, JSM plans to start production with initial capacity of 350 million units with a target to double this to 700 million units in the first year of operation and one billion units in the second year of operation.

    Speaking during a tour of the factory, its Managing Director,  Zubeyir Gulabi, said the company will achieve initial yearly revenue target of $15 million and its ultimate goal is not only to make Nigeria self- sufficient in syringe production, but also a net exporter of syringe and other medical devices to other countries.

    Gulabi said the foreign investors decided to locate the syringe factory in Nigeria and Akwa Ibom State, particularly because of the enormous potential of the economy with its huge market and the investment friendly policies of the government.

    According to him, Nigeria as the sixth most populous country in the world needs a syringe factory that can serve its domestic medical needs and help to conserve its foreign exchange in addition to helping the economy to grow by creating employment and additional source of reign exchange earnings.

    “You know that investment and money are like a fly that can easily run but Akwa Ibom investment policy convinced my investors to come here. The main attraction is the policy making. The Federal Government is also helping fully by providing what we are asking for the sector. Nigeria has an important future; that is what we believe. This factory is not for the next two to three years, it is for the next 50 years and beyond,” Gulabi, a Turkish said.

    He outlined that the company has been designed for scalable expansion and diversification of its products, noting that while it will concentrate on the production of the main product-Syringe in the meantime, the company could end up with about 20 products by the second year of operations.

    He pointed out that the factory was built on principles of local contents policy of the government with two-thirds of the raw materials available in Nigeria and Nigerian and Akwa Ibom indigenes expected to form 90 per cent of the employees.

    “Nigerian Local Content Act says 70 per cent Nigerian, meaning 30 per cent expatriates. But my board of directors’ decision is this: 10 per cent expatriates maximum, 90 per cent Nigerians. Out of this 90 per cent, minimum of 50 per cent will go to the immediate community where the company is located, 20 per cent will go to non-community members of Akwa Ibom state while the remaining 20 per cent will go to non-Akwa-Ibom Nigerians,” Gulabi said.

    He said that while the company has devised its own marketing strategy as a private business, it hopes to benefit from the friendly policies of the government, including the executive order that prioritises purchase of made-in-Nigeria products by government institutions.

    “We have known Nigeria for a long time. Nigeria needs this product; this product is a very strategic product for national interest. Nigeria is the main market and West Africa countries are the secondary market,” Gulabi, a Turkish, said.

    He pointed out that contrary to negative impression about the security situation within the country, the company has enjoyed immense support from the hosting community, assuring that the company will reciprocate by contributing to the development of the community.

    “We are in the oil community. The clan is very peaceful; all the clan has four neighbouring villages. This is their own factory; they see it like their own. We can go to the village alone anytime without security. We are much secured. On our contributions to the community, we should talk about this one after three years. Go and get a good picture of the villages now, after three years, I don’t think you will be able to recognise the villages. You will see these villages on cable television as the hub of medical devices,” Gulabi said.

  • Akwa Ibom youths protest Lagos Lodge

    Hundreds of youths yesterday thronged major roads in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, to protest the proposed Lagos Governor’s Lodge project allegedly put at N9.1 Billion by the state government.

    This is coming on the heels of a similar protest said to have been staged in Lagos last week by youths to register their grievance to the state.

    The placard-carrying youths,  led by  activist lawyer  Inibehe Effiong, defied the down pour  and marched through major streets.

    Some placards read: “Governor Emmanuel, Stop wasting our money, No! To N9B, N2B or N1.2B New Governor’s Lodge in Lagos, Where is our N14.5B, N10B Paris Club Refund? Pay our retired civil servants, Pay our late retired Primary School teachers and where is the Industrialisation you promised Akwa Ibom State? Stop deceiving Akwa Ibom people with false projects etc.”

    The protesters went through Wellington Bassey Way where the group leader  addressed the crowd, later moving though Cardinal Ekanden Avenue (Brooks Street) to the  House of Assembly at Udo-Udoma Avenue.

    Effiong, while speaking at Wellington Bassey Way Roundabout, near Government House, Uyo, said they came to register their protest and not to fight government.

    He said: “All we are saying is that, we are all victims of the collective enslavement of our people. Enough is enough, Akwa Ibom people are not slaves.”

    Governor Emmanuel had stated that the cost of the lodge is N1.2 billion and not N9.1 billion.

    Anti-riot police personnel cordoned off adjoining roads leading to the Government House while the youth moved in groups, chanting slogans.

     

     

     

  • Waiting for Uyo tragedy’s White Paper

    Waiting for Uyo tragedy’s White Paper

    On July 7, Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel received the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the December 10, 2016 Reigners Bible Church building collapse.

    Justice Umoekoyo Essang, who chaired the panel, presented the report to the governor at the Executive Council Chamber, Government House Uyo. After receiving the report, Emmanuel said: “I want to thank you for this great job that you have done and to assure you once again that the recommendations of this report would be taken seriously. We would do everything to implement and prevent future occurrence of this tragedy. May this affliction never occur the second time”.

    Emmanuel used the occasion to commiserate with families of those who lost their loved ones in the tragedy.

    He said: “Things of this nature should go beyond politics. When the incidence occurred it did not select members of a political party, it did not only affect a particular denomination, race or colour. It was a tragedy that affected all. It’s unfortunate that people decided to politicise a tragedy of this nature. Such people do not deserve to express opinion in the public.”

    The report was submitted a little over six months after the  Uyo tragedy. One of those it took away was Josephine Effiom. Governor Emmanuel survived by the grace of God. Effiom, who was a polytechnic student, a friend said, “was one of the first three brilliant chaps in my class”. Her seat at the polytechnic lecture theatre is now occupied by another, a sad reminder to her course mates that a brilliant soul had been wasted.

    Effiom was the face of a tragedy in a house of God, where fear should have been the last thing on anyone’s mind. The founder of the church was to have his ordination as a bishop. He is not a small fry. So, the church was jam-packed. Emmanuel came with some of his commissioners and aides. Some of the commissioners were new in the State Executive Council at the time having been sworn-in December 1, last year.

    Thirty minutes into the governor’s arrival hell literally came down. No thanks to human error, the church’s iron pillars gave way and the blue roofs came thumping down. Of course on people! And Effiom died. And many others too. An account even said someone was cut into two by the iron pillars. A policeman who reportedly saved the governor is now six feet below. And some others broke their necks, their limbs and their back. The founder of the church, Pastor Akan Weeks, had his leg broken.

    As typical of our nation, no one appears sure of how many people died. The day after, we saw figures as high as 160 in the media. It was attributed to the Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, who later denied it. Police gave the figure as 29.

    Commissioner for Health Dr.  Dominic Ukpong said 26 people died in the unfortunate incident. His words: “Death toll now 26. Patients in the hospitals are 168. Total out patients are 50. Total deaths 26. Nine hospitals have the following patients. UUTH, 28 patients; Ibom Specialist Hospital Uyo, 70 patients; Sifon Clinic, 9 patients; Lifecare Clinic, 24 patients; Premiers Clinic, 9 patients; St Lukes Hospital, 22 patients; Gateway Medical Centre, 2 patients; Uwah Mfon Clinic, 1 patient. First Line Clinic, 1 patient. Alma Clinic and Surgery, 2 patients.”

    And no one is willing to give the names of the dead. Thanks to Effiom’s classmates who revealed her identity, she would have died anonymously!

    This tragedy turned the University of Uyo Teaching hospital (UUTH), Anua General Hospital, Life Care Hospital and the Ibom Specialist Hospital into Mecca of some sort. In these hospitals, those who defeated death received treatment to heal their broken necks, arms, back and heads. Tears from families of those recuperating now rented the air in these hospitals for weeks. The story at the mortuary sections of these hospitals was grimmer.

    For students of the University of Uyo and the Uyo City Polytechnic, which are believed to have been worst hit by the disaster, reality looked like dream.

    Emmanuel’s men who crawled out of death’s hole had interesting testimonies to share. His Chief Press Secretary Ekerette Udoh said an iron rod nearly cut his neck, but eventually hit him on the back. The cap of his left knee was broken and pains travelled all over his body.

    The Commissioner for Information, Charles Udoh who joined the State Executive Council only some one week earlier, thought he was watching a movie when the pillars started coming down. He was on his way out of the church to catch a flight when tragedy struck. He would have been out but protocol demanded that he told the governor before vanishing from the church hall. It was this protocol-induced task he was accomplishing when death almost took him away like Effiom and the others whose true figures and names we may never know. He had to run here and there to prevent the iron pillars from turning him to a candidate for the mortuary.

    Nollywood actor Ekere Nkanga, who had acted almost all roles imaginable and was some sort of bad man in Emem Isong’s ‘Weekend Getaway’, was humbled when he had to wade through bodies to safety.

    “Shortly after the governor and his entourage and the bishops took their seats, the next thing I heard was the bang from the falling iron. By the time the iron came down, I noticed that people from the safe areas were  running to the centre, where I was sitting,” he said, adding:  “I hid under some people. A few seconds later, as I was trying to get up, the body of a man cut into two and fell on me. There were other corpses on me. I looked out for my brother but I couldn’t find him. Later, I found my phone. I called the Chairman, Uyo Local Government Area, to mobilise rescue officials to the venue.”

    He managed not to have a direct impact with falling rods, but he later discovered his neck was broken.

    “The impact of diving must have been responsible for my broken neck,” he said.

    He had to wear a neck collar and was under observation in the hospital for some time. Effiom and others would have gladly given testimonies if Nkanga’s fate had befallen them.

    Pastor Weeks argued it was the devil fighting back and he urged Christians to unite and not see it as his battle alone. The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) said the tragedy was caused by shoddiness.

    My final take: I believe the government will issue a White Paper on the tragedy and punish those who killed Effiom and others. The Reigners Bible Church Int’l Inc tragedy is one too many and everything must be done to prevent it. Everything must be done to implement the recommendations and prevent future occurrence of this tragedy. This affliction must never occur the second time.

  • DPR to shut unregistered petrol stations in Akwa Ibom

    The Eket Office of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Wednesday threatened to shut filling stations operating in the state without registering with DPR from August 31.

    Dr Joseph Frank-Briggs, its Operations Controller,  gave the warning at a meeting with officials of the Independent Petroleum Marketers of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Eket, Akwa Ibom.

    He said the office had noticed that the operators of some filling stations whose licence had expired had failed to renew them.

    “Any filling station that does not renew its licence by the end of August will pay the sum of N250, 000 before the operator is allowed to operate or be shut down.

    “To prevent any embarrassment, IPMAN members should display their renewed licences in their filling stations.

    “We want to stress that it is an offence not to display your licence in your filling stations,” Frank-Briggs said.

    Frank-Briggs frowned at marketers who were in the habit of adjusting their fuel pump to short change customers.

    He said any filling station under-dispensing petroleum products would face the wrath of the law.

    On the issue of kerosene explosion, he said that the department would partner IPMAN members to reduce adulterated petroleum products to the barest minimum.

    “DPR and IPMAN need to work together and see how the issue of kerosene explosion will be nib in the bud.

    “We cannot allow unscrupulous elements in the society to contaminate kerosene that will affect the lives of the people,” he said.

    Mr Ubong Isong, IPMAN Chairman of IPMAN in Akwa Ibom, expressed sadness over incessant kerosene explosions in the state.

    Isong said many families had been affected by such explosions.

    “From our investigation, no marketer had been involved in the adulteration of kerosene. The department should extend its investigations to surface tank operators in the state,” he said.

  • New Paris Club refund: What each state recieved

    New Paris Club refund: What each state recieved

    The federal government has released a State by State breakdown of another tranche of Paris Club refund of over-deductions on Paris Club, London Club Loans and Multilateral debts on the accounts of States and Local Governments from 1995-2002.

    A statement from the federal ministry of finance said these payments which totalled N243, 795,465,195.20 “were made to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory upon the approval of the President on May 4, 2017.”

    Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Kano and Rivers states received the largest disbursements of N10 billion each.

    This second tranche of Paris Club refunds is a “partial settlement of long-standing claims by State Governments relating to over-deductions from their Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocation for external debt service arising between 1995 and 2002.”

    The statement added that Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun explained that these debt service deductions were in respect of the Paris Club, London Club and Multilateral debts of the federal and State governments.

    Adeosun noted that “while Nigeria reached a final agreement for debt relief with the Paris Club in October 2005, some States had already been overcharged.”

    The funds were released to State Governments as part of the wider efforts to stimulate the economy and were specifically designed to support states in meeting salary and other obligations, thereby alleviating the challenges faced by workers.

    The releases the ministry said “were conditional upon a minimum of 75 per cent being applied to the payment of workers’ salaries and pensions for States that owe salaries and pension.”

    The Federal Ministry of Finance said it “is reviewing the impact of these releases on the level of arrears owed by State Governments.”

    A detailed report is being compiled for presentation to the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, as part of the process for approval for the release of any subsequent tranches.
    The disbursements are contained in the table below:

     

    S/N STATE AMOUNT PAYABLE (NGN)
    1 ABIA 5,715,765,871.48
    2 ADAMAWA 6,114,300,352.68
    3 AKWA-IBOM 10,000,000,000.00
    4 ANAMBRA 6,121,656,702.34
    5 BAUCHI 6,877,776,561.25
    6 BAYELSA 10,000,000,000.00
    7 BENUE 6,854,671,749.25
    8 BORNO 7,340,934,865.32
    9 CROSS RIVER 6,075,343,946.93
    10 DELTA 10,000,000,000.00
    11 EBONYI 4,508,083,379.98
    12 EDO 6,091,126,592.49
    13 EKITI 4,772,836,647.08
    14 ENUGU 5,361,789,409.66
    15 GOMBE 4,472,877,698.19
    16 IMO 7,000,805,182.97
    17 JIGAWA 7,107,666,706.76
    18 KADUNA 7,721,729,227.55
    19 KANO 10,000,000,000.00
    20 KATSINA 8,202,130,909.85
    21 KEBBI 5,977,499,491.45
    22 KOGI 6,027,727,595.80
    23 KWARA 5,120,644,326.57
    24 LAGOS 8,371,938,133.11
    25 NASARAWA 4,551,049,171.12
    26 NIGER 7,210,793,154.95
    27 OGUN 5,739,374,694.46
    28 ONDO 7,003,648,314.28
    29 OSUN 6,314,106,340.62
    30 OYO 7,901,609,864.25
    31 PLATEAU 5,644,079,055.41
    32 RIVERS 10,000,000,000.00
    33 SOKOTO 6,441,128,546.76
    34 TARABA 5,612,014,491.52
    35 YOBE 5,413,103,116.59
    36 ZAMFARA 5,442,385,594.49
    37 FCT 684,867,500.04
    TOTAL 243,795,465,195.20

     

  • DPR warns IPMAN against sale of adulterated kerosene in A’ Ibom

    DPR warns IPMAN against sale of adulterated kerosene in A’ Ibom

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), has warned the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Akwa Ibom against the sale of adulterated products to consumers.

    Dr Joseph Frank-Briggs, the DPR Operations Controller in charge of Akwa Ibom, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket on Sunday.

    Frank-Briggs said that the department would withdraw the operating licenses of marketers involved in such practice and also seal their stations to serve as deterrent to others.

    He spoke against the backdrop of kerosene explosion that occurred in Eket on July 4 which claimed two lives and left six persons with serious burns.

    The operations manager expressed concern over the frequent incidents of kerosene explosion in the state.

    He advised the people of the state to buy products from licensed petroleum stations only instead of patronising peddlers that are more likely to sell adulterated products to consumers.

    Frank-Briggs said that the department was collaborating with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps to apprehend those involved in selling adulterated kerosene in the state.

    He added that the department would also collaborate with the state Ministry of Information to sensitise the public on the dangers of adulterated petroleum products.

    “A lot of people are ignorant of it and if such awareness is not created, people will continue to fall victims to such explosions,” he said.

  • Total faults Akwa Ibom on N25b tax debt

    Management of Total Exploration and Production Limited (TEPNG) has faulted the government of Akwa Ibom State over the alleged unremitted tax amounting to N25 billion spanning 2011 to 2016.

    In a statement by the French oil giant in Nigeria, its External Relations Manager, Charles Ebereonwu, said: “The attention of Total E & P Nigeria Limited (TEPNG) has been drawn to stories in the media alleging that the company is indebted to the Akwa Ibom State Government to the tune of N25, 000,000,000:00 in unremitted Personal Income Tax for the period covering 2011 to 2016.

    “TEPNG hereby objects to the alleged tax liability on the following grounds: The Company does not have the record of employees being resident in Akwa Ibom State nor does it maintain any office or operational base in the State.

  • Udom emerges interim chairman of South-East/South-South Governors’ Forum

    Udom emerges interim chairman of South-East/South-South Governors’ Forum

    Gov. Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom has been appointed the interim chairman of the joint South-East/South-South Governors’ Forum.

    Udom emerged chairman at the first meeting of the forum held late Sunday night at the Nike Lake Resort, Enugu.

    He told newsmen at the end of the closed door meeting that governors from the two zones had decided to pursue inter-regional cooperation for greater integration.

    The governor said that the leaders of the two zones had agreed to realign as a people that share a common heritage, culture and affinity.

    “Having reviewed the state of the nation, particularly as it affects us in the South-South and South-East regions, we have agreed to pursue inter-regional cooperation.

    “This will be for integration and for the economic benefit of the two regions.

    “We also have resolved to politically work together and realign as a people that shared common heritage, culture and affinity,” he said.

    Udom said that he was unanimously chosen as the interim chairman by other governors, adding that their next meeting would hold in Port Harcourt on Aug. 27.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the governors of Abia, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Cross River and Rivers, attended the meeting; while the deputy governor of Anambra represented the governor.