CSO Seeks Probe Of Firms Floated By Previous Akwa Ibom Govts

A civil society organisation, Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN), has expressed dismay at the termination of operations and subsequent exit from Nigeria of the Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing (JSM) factory.

Citing unfavorable business climate, the insolvent Turkish firm which specialised in large scale production of syringes and other medical consumables in West Africa, announced it was exiting the state and country over issues of cash crunch as the business was no longer doing well.

JSM launched into Awa Iman community in Onna local government area, the immediate past Governor Udom Emmanuel’s home town in 2017.

But CHRAN, a CSO committed to probity, openness and accountability in the governance process, faulted the sudden departure of the firm, whose entry into the state was announced with much fanfare by then Governor Emmanuel, as the unexpected exit left in its wake, dozens of stranded workers whose livelihood depended so much on the firm’s viability.

Therefore, to stem the exodus of more companies, the state director of CHRAN, Otuekong Franklin Isong, has made a case for the statuses of companies initiated by previous administrations in the state to be investigated with a view to ascertaining their clean bill of health.

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Towards this end, Isong urged Governor Umo Eno to “commence a facility tour of all industries and factories built by previous administrations, including those attracted to the state by his predecessors through Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements.”

Speaking in with LEADERSHIP Weekend, Isong said: “As a CSO, we are making this advocacy in the wake of the recent exit of Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing factory (JSM) from the state.The tour has become necessary so as to enable the governor have firsthand information on the prevailing business environment in these industries and factories in the state with a view to ascertaining the areas that require government’s swift intervention.”

The advocacy group expressed shock over the sudden exit of the company less than a year after it secured a credit facility of $1 million through the help of the state government.