Date Published: 06/01/09

Sir,

Environmental disaster lurking (to happen) in Akwa Ibom

In the Nigerian Tribune of 26/5/09 page 24, an advertorial on the raging controversy over the controversial, proposed N33billion Tropicana Centre, Uyo entitled “Ex-Governor Victor Attah: His Rhetoric and Vail Self Adoration” was placed by a no-name Concerned Citizen.. The same material was in The Nation of 27/5/09 page 39, this time with a name believed to be fake of the Concerned Citizen ‘Umeh Ukpan’.  It was a response to Obong Victor Attah’s reasoned argument published in the media recently concerning the project.

Attah’s argument was two-folds. One, that project Tropicana is not a priority in a State like Akwa Ibom that has many pressing needs especially in the area of infrastructure. Two, that Tropicana poses serious environmental threat to Uyo because of its proposed location.

Although the Concerned Citizen does not want Attah to compare Akpabio with the likes of Hitler and Stalin; and though he traces Attah’s problem to ‘post-power hangover’, he fully indirectly agreed with Attah on the two points: profligacy and environmental disaster.

On the issue of cost, he said it is neither here nor there; meaning that we should discountenance that even though it stinks in the ear and the nostrils. Well what can we do? Then on the issue of environment threat, our faceless Concern Citizen said “Having said that, my reservation about the project is the underground drainage system that would have channelled water, starting from Nsikak Eduok road through Udo Udoma Avenue and through the proposed Tropicana site to a ravine around Ibesikpo”.

God bless our Concerned Citizen; at least he agrees with professionalism in Attah’s reservation: That Tropicana project is a real environmental disaster waiting to happen.

Engineer Etim George,

Plot 239 Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island, Lagos State