Date Published: 09/22/11

Technical Experts to reactivate ailing industries underway

A team of technical experts are being expected in Akwa Ibom for the reactivation of some ailing industries in the state soon, Governor Godswill Akpabio has said.

Chief Akpabio who addressed women of different socio-political groups Tuesday at Akwa Ibom International Airport shortly on arrival from Lagos mentioned the ailing industries to include Biscuit Industries, Ikot Ekpene, explaining that this was aimed at creating employment opportunities for youths and people in the state.

The Governor explained ‘’A team of people are coming to reactivate the ailing industries… We are going to commission the Gas Processing Plant in Esit-Eket. It would be better when eventually we can create employment oppportunites for our children. We need to have industries working in the state. We need to take a lot of of children off the streets which is a major concern that I have. With your prayers, I am sure we can turn things round’’.

Commenting on the award of honourary Doctorate of Management Sciences by Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, the Governor observed ‘’I thank the Akwa Ibom people for giving me the opportunity to win this award which is attributed to the Akwa Ibom children and people. It is a total turn around for the Akwa Ibom people’’.

‘’it is a great pride for Akwa Ibom child. But for me, award or no award, I feel very challenged for the support of Akwa Ibom people. The fact that the people have overwhelmingly stood by me from 2007 till date, remains a basic challenge for me to do more for Akwa Ibom people to regain their confidence. I have to redouble my efforts for government by working harder than the last four years. And this is the time to prove it by industrializing the state and must complete and turn Akwa Ibom into a destination model so that whenever an Akwa Ibom child comes home, he comes home with pride and brings friends from far and wide. I think together, we can achieve that’’, Akpabio stated. On the national awards to be conferred on some Nigerians in Abuja on October 1, this year, Akpabio remarked ‘’You heard President Jonathan saying ‘Of the five prominent Nigerians honoured by NDA three of them were honoured with national awards by his predecessors and I have selected two of them’, whom I am among the two, to be given an award on October 1, 2011’’.

He added ‘’I give  all the appreciations to all Akwa Ibom people who stood by me and I am assuring you that there are more Godswill Akpabios out there in which we need to go out there and discover them. I must be a major trainer at the Train, the Trainer Scheme project which is the training of the young people. That is what we can prove here by releasing money to this scheme and for the Women Agricultural Programme and Integrated Farmers Scheme. We must try to create employment opportunities for the Akwa Ibom children’’.