Akwa Ibom Orders Relocation Of Chinese Factory Over Emission Of Toxic Fumes

Worried by the emission of toxic fumes and the attendant environmental pollution threatening residents of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, Governor Umo Eno has ordered a detailed investigation into the activities of a Chinese firm, Golden Tripod Limited (GTL), manufacturing vehicle parts including brake shoes along Ikot Ekpene road, and its immediate relocation to the Ibom Industrial Park in Itam, Itu local government area.

Governor Eno gave the order while flagging off the construction of a 2.2Km Tabernacle Road project , off Ikot Ekpene road, traversing Itu and Uyo LGAs.

LEADERSHIP gathered the order was predicated on reports of environmental pollution from the factory following a directive to the commissioners for environment and that of internal security to provide him a report on activities of the factory within 48 hours.

He said: “ I understand that there are serious emissions around here. Please first of all find out what they do and immediately relocate them to the industrial park. It is not proper to cite factories in the middle of a city.”

He urged investors establishing  industries in the state to utilise the  lndustrial park, assuring that with the new innovations from the government  the park would provide a veritable environment for industries to thrive.

He said: “That park has been partitioned into 150 plots of between 4,000 and 5,000 square meters. What we are saying is that those who are ready to establish industries should come and analyse the kind of industry they intend to create. They will tell us the time frame and the number of people that will be employed, and we will then allocate lands for them.

“We are going to fence it round. We will put a police station there, we are going to get a power station to be there, we will make water available too. It will be like any industrial park anywhere in the world so that when we look at your project, we can allocate a land for you there,” he stressed.

The governor also assured that his administration would utilise the park to support entrepreneurship to check capital flight in the state, reaffirming that all clothing to support the education innovations of his administration would be produced by Akwa Ibom youths through the various skills acquisition programmes and support by state government.

“We want to move and motivate our young people to be able to have what to do. We will ensure that when you finish your training in the Ibom Leadership Entrepreneurial Centre, we will provide you a shop in the industrial park and provide you necessary equipment and tools to start practicing what you learn,” he added.