• Governor Umo Eno
By Imaobong Koffi-Bassey
Following allegations of gas emissions emanating from a company, Golden Tripod Limited, located along the Ikot Ekpene Road, Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Umo Eno, has ordered the relocation of a Chinese firm to the Ibom Industrial Park in Itam, Itu Local Government Area of the state.
Governor Eno also directed the Commissioner for Environment, and the Commissioner of Internal Security to carry out an investigation into the activities of the company and submit a report within 48 hours.
The governor who gave the order while kicking off the construction of a 2.2km Tabernacle Road project, off Ikot Ekpene Road, on Thursday, said it was wrong to site factories in the middle of a city. He said the report available to him indicated that there were always serious emissions from the factory.
The state government and the Chinese firm have been at loggerheads over the environmental pollution arising from the company’s production of motor vehicle brake pads.
There have been reports of environmental degradation and black soot being emitted from the factory.
INSIGHT newspaper recalls that two years ago, officials of the state Ministry of Environment who visited the factory led by the former commissioner, Charles Udoh, were allegedly attacked by workers at the factory.
Two Chinese were said to have been arrested over the matter but the company had failed to relocate or cease production or modernise its production line.
Governor Eno said: “I understand that there are always serious emissions around here. Please first of all find out what they do and immediately relocate them to the industrial park. It is not proper to cite factories in the middle of a city,” the governor stated.
While urging investors to utilise the industrial park, the governor assured that with the new innovations from the government, the park would provide a conducive environment for industries to thrive.
“That park has been partitioned into one hundred and fifty plots of between four thousand and five thousand square meters.
“What we are saying is that those who are ready to establish industries should come and analyse the kind of industry they intend to create. They will tell us the time frame and the number of people that will be employed, and we will then allocate land for them.
“We are going to fence it around. We will put a police station there, we are going to get a power station to be there, we will make water available too.
“It will be like any industrial park anywhere in the world so that when we look at your project, we can allocate land for you there,” he added.
Speaking on the Tabernacle Road project, Gov Eno said, “It was your desire to have a Government that will come and remember the poor and rural dwellers. That is the kind of Government you voted for. This is that dividend of Democracy I promised you. We have come here to thank all the Uyo and Itu people who supported us during the election.”
Presenting an overview of the Tabernacle Road project, the Commissioner for Works and Fire Service, Professor Eno Ibanga, said beyond the road construction, the project is a major de-flooding work to reclaim the entire area, adding that the end result of the project will be a respite for the people of Uyo and Itu LGAs.
He said the 2.2km road project will be finished with a 0.97 km underground drain that will empty into the Calabar-Itu road drainage, assuring of his Ministry’s commitment to ensure that contractors deliver according to specifications handed to them by the state government.
Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly and Member Representing Itu State Constituency, Kufre-Abasi Edidem, his Uyo counterpart, Uwemedimo Asuquo, Chairmen of Uyo and Itu local government areas, Uwemedimo Udoh and Etetim Onuk and others who presented goodwill messages at the occasion, unanimously acknowledged how the people of the area have been plagued by poor condition of the road and thanked the governor for the intervention, assuring him of support for his administration.
Efforts to get the reaction from the company were not successful as of the time of filing this report.
