Nothing has Changed Since I left office in 2015 – Akpabio … Explains Why He could Not Complete Tropicana, Science Park

By UbongAbasi Ise

Senator Godswill Akpabio, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, was recently at Comfort FM in Uyo to ventilate his mind over the state of affairs in the state and country. He said nothing has really changed since he left office as governor in May, 2015.

The Akwa Ibom Northwest District Senator said the infrastructural composition of Uyo, the state capital, still remains largely unchanged despite the incumbent state government receiving at least the same or more amount of money his administration collected under four years. He advised the listeners to check the Ministry of Finance website to confirm how much is coming into the state from the federation account.

While mentioning Tropicana as one project his administration could not bring to completion, the Senator said government is always in continuum, noting that it took 25 years for United Kingdom to complete Heathrow Terminal 5. According to him, there is probably no British Prime Minister that stayed up to 25 years. He further cited paucity of funds as impediment to the execution of Tropicana project especially as the NNPC was not remitting funds into the federation account at the time, but stressed that since government is in continuum, there is no reasonable excuse from the present government not to have pushed the project to final completion. 

Senator Godswill Akpabio said there was no uncompleted project initiated in Obong Victor Attah’s administration that he did not finish during his tenure except the Ibom Science Park which was calculated to cost N5.6 billion but before then 4.5 billion was paid upfront to a South African firm which made it difficult to take over the project.

Akpabio, while comparing his administration to the present state government under his estranged Godson, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, said he was able to complete a brand news governor’s lodge along with a lot of signature projects during his tenure.

“This present administration has received either more money or the same amount that I got under four years, and, of course, you can check that in the Ministry of Finance. I’m in government and I am the Senator so I know what I am talking about. Go and check from Ministry of finance website and then you will know how much is coming into the state. What happened in my four years? A brand news governor’s lodge was completed along with a lot of guest houses. We did the urbanization of Uyo; we did about 49 roads in Eket; we did about 22 roads in Ikot Abasi commissioned by President Jonathan in my first term. We did over 35 roads in Ikot Ekpene; we were able to undertake about 34 roads in Oron. I can remember when I commissioned the street of Etim Okpoyo; I can remember when I commissioned the street of Udo Udoma in Ikot Abasi and then we went to Uyo and we did over 50 roads. And at the end we dualized from Ikot Ekpene to Abak, a road that for over 30 years nobody could pass through, we dualized and finished it in my first term. We also finished a 29 Km of road from Idoro all the way to Itu,” he said.

Senator Godswil Akpabio also named Victor Attah International airport as one of the achievements of his first term in office. On Ibom Le Meridienne Hotel and Golf Resort, he said he met it with just 17 rooms without mechanical electrical work being undertaken, but he was able to complete and expand it to 153 rooms and also completed Nwaniba Road leading to the five-star hospitality facility, which was handled by a construction company, Zerock.

The Essien Udim-born politician said he came to meet the Independent Power Plant in Ikot Abasi and improved upon it in his first term. Other major project undertaken in the first four years in office include checkmating of gas-flaring in Esit Eket local government area  which cost about $520 million as well as the construction of over 60km underground gas pipeline from Esit Eket to Ikot Abasi. Free and compulsory education, Ibom e-Library, and flyovers also formed the number of projects executed by his government under four years.

©The Sensor Newspaper

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