By Essien Ndueso
It
is no longer news that Nigeria’s number two citizen will be arriving Akwa Ibom
on Saturday as the state celebrates 30 years of statehood. A walk round the
major streets in the state, the events of the last couple of days and the
orange festivity in the air, are indicators that the state is in celebration
gear. However as Prof Osinbajo arrives for the second time in less than a year,
what is he expected to see?
It
is evidently clear that Governor Udom Emmanuel’s vision to launch Akwa Ibom
State in the rare space of the big league of modernization, industrialization
and wealth creation is cast in concrete. Shining testimonies to this, being the
establishment of the Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing Company Limited, and the
Electric Metering Factory, both of which were attracted to the State through
the governor’s Foreign Direct Investment Initiative. These two factories are to
be commissioned by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as an epitaph of 30th
anniversary of the state’s creation.
Located
on an 8,000 square meter of land area in Onna Local Government of Akwa Ibom
State, Jubilee Syringe is a public private partnership firm owned by a
Turkish-born businessman and investor, Mr Onur Kumral. The Company which is the
first manufacturer of disposable Syringes in Nigeria and the whole of West
Africa will literacy inject economic life blood into Akwa Ibom State without
any feeling of pains.
Managing
Director of the Company, Engr Zubeyir Gulabi says the company has the capacity
of manufacturing Four Hundred Million syringes per year and Akwa Ibom for the
industry has the best leadership, infrastructure and security for the concern.
The managing director said their decision to berth in Akwa Ibom was as a result
of their understanding of the track records and reputation of the state
governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel. It is believed that by the end of 2018, with a
target of one billion syringes per year the syringe factory will be the biggest
in the world.
The
raw materials for the industry are produced by Nigerian Petrochemical companies,
and the machinery needed to start the production of syringes is in place. For
instance eight Production lines have been installed preparatory to the talk off
of the project. There are also the raw materials warehouses where officials
hint that processing actually starts from there. The finished products
warehouse is indeed a wonder to behold as it unmasks technology of a modern
world. There is also the ‘clean room’ where manufacturing actually takes place,
and the sensation room where people are restricted. The Syringes will be kept
there for eight hours before they are moved. Forty Eight Syringes will be
manufactured in every 10 seconds.
Earlier this year in May, a visibly impressed Governor Udom Emmanuel during his
visit to the syringe factory, had assured Akwa Ibom people that more industries
will be established in the state to engender job opportunities and stimulate
the economy.
Through
the aid of the Governor, 12 sons and daughters of the state were sent to
Istanbul, Turkey, for training in key areas of Injection Machines. They were
trained on the operation of Injection Moulding Machines, Maintenance of Moulds
and Quality Control.
The
Metering Solutions Manufacturing Services Limited is a conglomerate of several
companies, which would partner to proffer solution to problems arising from
electricity generation and distribution. The company is expected to produce
single-phase and three-phase electricity meters in various configurations and
mountings, light weight, slim skeletal, compact meters for pole top
installation, prepayment type meters, split type electricity meters, standard
one unit electricity meters, bulk electricity meters, maximum demand meters and
smart electricity meters.
The
arrival of the Vice President shall also signal the take-off of a meter
manufacturing company, Metering Solutions Manufacturing Services Limited
(MSMSL), which ground breaking was performed in December 2015 in Awa – Iman,
Onna Local Government Area. When the technical partners from China, Pakistan
and India visited the state, they confirmed through their spokesperson Mr.
Zhang Loohang, that the facility is sited in Akwa Ibom because of its strategic
location in the Gulf of Guinea and attributed its establishment to the passion
in making electricity available and affordable in the state by Governor
Emmanuel. Already, the company has employed 150 Akwa Ibomites in the
administrative and technical sections of the company.
Governor
Emmanuel is also welcoming the Vice President to commission the newly
rehabilitated General Hospital in Etinan. Recently, while flagging off the
construction of a modern General Hospital in Ituk Mbang to serve the Uyo
metropolis, Governor Emmanuel had said his administration was committed to the
maintenance of a healthy population. The General Hospital Etinan, the Modern
General Hospital, Ituk Mbang, the General Hospital Ikono and the Immanuel
Hospital, Eket are among the hospitals at different stages of renovation and
re-equipping.
Etinan General Hospital has recorded an exceptional testimony, for a center
that had virtually been abandoned to rodents and reptiles for over ten years.
Commenting on this development, the medical superintendent of the General
Hospital, Etinan, Dr. Eshiet Ime thanked the governor for raising the standard
of the hospital with modern facilities and technology to harness the work
force, saying that it's clear departure to the recent past when the place was a
complete eyesore.
The hospital has witnessed a facelift with modern facilities and structures,
wards endowed with new electrical beds, well equipped theatres to manage all
kinds of surgeries, fully stocked pharmacies, and a handful of trained nurses
and doctors.
Governor
Udom Emmanuel has repeatedly noted that the development at the General hospital
Etinan is just a tip off the iceberg as proper measures were being taken to
rehabilitate all secondary health centres across the state. The equipment that
are being brought in, are of best quality and world standards; resulting from
the administration’s resolve to partner with international agencies to provide
quality healthcare services in accordance with international best practices.
The
Jubilee Syringe and the Metering Solutions companies are on the verge of
creating new jobs and stimulating the growth of the country’s economy. Apart
from providing security and land for the business, the state government is
ready with a 2 x 60KVA power sub-station that will provide 24 hours daily power
supply to five local governments, including the host community of the syringe
company. It has also building a 29 kilometer dualised road network from the
factory location in Onna to Etinan local government main town, which the
government is also connecting to Uyo the state capital, with a 25kilometer dual
expressway. On the other end, the Syringe Company also links effectively with
the East West Road and connects with the 19.5 kilometer Eket – Ibeno dual
carriage way constructed by Governor Emmanuel for unfettered access to the
locations of multinational oil and gas firms in the state.
Professor
Yemi Osinbajo, it can be said, is arriving Uyo to witness a chip of how
beautifully, Governor Udom Emmanuel has positioned Akwa Ibom on the radar of
economic development and wealth creation. At thirty, Akwa Ibom is sipping the
nectar of dividends of good governance with Governor Udom Emmanuel the
architect of this loveable magic.
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