The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, has stated that
the registration of the All Progressives Congress is a welcome
development for the Nigerian polity.
Akpabio said the Peoples Democratic Party would be happy to work with
the new party, which he said would be like any other political party.
This was just as he called on the Nigerian press to focus on things
that unite the nation rather than concentrate on attacks on
personalities and individuals.
He said: “I welcome the registration of APC and any other political party.
“The beauty of democracy is the opportunity given to all and sundry to
partake in the democratic process and as for the PDP, we won’t want
only one party in Nigeria.
“Rather, we love opposition and we look forward with working with the APC.
“PDP is fully attained and we are working hard to ensure that we rise
to the occasion in the power sector, other infrastructure and
industrialisation such as the recent plans on Ibaka Deep Seaport in
the state.
“And of course you can see the various industries that have begun to
return to Nigeria.
“Let us worry about governance and not the formation of political party.
“For it is not the beginning of a journey that matters but how to get
to the end.”
Akpabio said these while fielding questions from Government House
correspondents in Uyo in response to an editorial by The Nation
newspaper.
He admonished the media to live aboard by focusing on issues that
could unite the nation rather than denigrating individuals.
He said: “I am happy that the state government had responded to The
Nation newspapers on their editorial comment which was not a true
reflection of who I really am.
“People were even commenting on the change of the immediate past
Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, who made
history as the longest serving officer in this part of the world right
from 1979 till date and has served the state meritoriously.
“So, making a change in that office is for the state to move forward in style.”
Speaking on the Methanol Industry to be established at Ibaka Deep
Seaport, Akpabio disclosed that the process that would lead to the
commencement of the work had already started.
He said the state government had released funds for the production of
feasibility studies and environmental impact assessment.
According to him, the government had commenced the study of the water
to locate the 40,900 hectares of land for the entire industrial city,
which he said had already started and a physical structure would soon
start, pointing out that to complete the design, they have to do a lot
of work with other procedures as the work is ongoing.
Commenting on the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company
signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government, the
governor, who explained that the company had to sign an MoU with other
government agencies as the state government would be one of the
facilitators of the Ibaka Deep Seaport, stressed that as a Federal
Government and a private sector-driven project, the Federal Government
through the Nigerian Port Authority might want to invest in the land
and other things.
He further said CCECC would sign MOU with not only the state
government but also with the Federal Government.
He said this would require presidential assent, as their interest was
to fund the project by keying into the other interests that involve
foreign corporation in the deep seaport.
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