Akwa Ibom govt. rejects alleged relocation of QIT

Against the backdrop of the purported relocation of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited Operational base from Ibeno to Lagos , Akwa Ibom Government says it rejects the move and would not tolerate the exploitation and harnessing of the state natural resources elsewhere.

Akwa Ibom Governor, Chief Godswill O. Akpabio, who stated this when members of  Afigh lwaad Ekid, a socio-cultural organization embarked on a solidarity/protest march  to him in Government House, Uyo, said he would not see another person taking away  the right of Akwa Ibom people.

“We have a right to benefit from oil exploration and as such nobody can come and exploit the resources from the state and take such to elsewhere,” the governor said.

Akpabio recalled that he had a meeting with the Executive Director and Managing Director of the company who dismissed the rumour of the relocation as untrue, disclosing that “Government has done its best in terms of security particularly by deploying three bullet-proof gunboats to the state waterfront to contend any incursion by militants.”

“If it is true that having put in place the security measures including the Joint Task Force Mobil has relocated, then there is a political agenda.  It means somebody is trying to deny the state of its resources and the people of this state would not accept it”, he noted.

The governor, therefore, directed the Secretary to the State Government to issue a letter intimating Mobil of his official visit to Qua Iboe Terminal, Ibeno to see the level of relocation by the company.

Akpabio expressed happiness to Eket youths for their peaceful disposition in employing dialogue and rather than confrontation to pursue their legitimate demands, warning that “People should not take the peaceful disposition of the youths as a sign of weakness because if Afigh Iwaad Ekid were to be violent like other Niger Delta groups, not only Mobil but also Akwa Ibom people would know no peace.”

He announced government’s plan to set up a committee on Ibaka Industrial City Project to harness the shoreline of Ibaka, hinting that government has acquired a long stretch in the area and was ready to partner with investors to develop the deep seaport including building fertilizer plant as well as oil and gas plant.

The governor, who disclosed that the state would soon dualise Ibaka-Oron and Eket-Etinan-Ekom Iman Roads, mandated the organization to send one of their members who must be a graduate with working experience for appointment as a personal assistant to the governor with effect from April 1, this year.

The President-General of Afigh Iwaad Ekid, Obong Ibanga B. Etang, noted with dismay the clandestine activities of Mobil in relocating from Akwa Ibom to Lagos despite several promises that the company would not relocate to anywhere.

“It has been confirmed and we have incontrovertible evidence that several departments have already been relocated in what is to be a two-year relocation secret agenda of Mobil. Departments already relocated whose staffers have been directed to report at Lagos Office include: Procurement, Marine Service, Maintenance, Field Human Resource,” Etang disclosed.

He, therefore, appealed to the state governor to stop Exxon Mobil from relocating additional departments to Lagos, impress on Mobil to recall those departments and staff had already relocated, as well as cause Mobil to restore the operators of the jetty which was removed to Rivers State two years and recall those youths laid–off as a result of the purported temporary movement of the jetty.

Other requests, according to him, are impressing on Mobil to enter into dialogue with the host community representatives and reach a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), impressing on Mobil to sort out outstanding issues bordering on environmental depredation due to the last oil spill in 2003 and asking Mobil to put an end to gas flaring.