Barely three days after President Bola Tinubu granted the final approval for the implementation of the Ibom Deep Seaport Project in Akwa Ibom State, Governor Umo Eno, has revealed saboteurs were at work to stall the project.
Describing those behind the act as internal detractors and communal actors allegedly working behind the scenes to sabotage the Deep Seaport implementation, the Governor vowed he would muster every physical or political will to surmount those opposing the mega maritime project.
Speaking during a thanksgiving service at the All Nations Christian Ministry International (ANCMI), in Eket local government area, which he personally convened to celebrate the historic State visit of President Bola Tinubu, the Governor revealed that “certain individuals have gone as far as writing clandestine letters to prospective international investors to scare them away from Akwa Ibom State.”
Reflecting on the immense political capital the State has been able to secure during the presidential visit, the sad he would tolerate any plot by naysayers to ground the project from taking off.
He noted that the seamless hosting of the presidency had evidently unsettled local critics and naysayers who had bolted critics who dismissed the notion that under no circumstances would the President visit the State under the current regime.
“Certain individuals appear habitually predisposed to finding fault with everything,” the governor observed, stating flatly that his administration refuses to be distracted by those whose only contribution to the state is targeted cynicism. By fire, by force, we’ll expose the Seaport saboteurs,” he vowed.
Governor Eno, who lamented the frustrations he faced over the years in getting the project on track, recalled the historic pattern of the saboteurs, saying; “Whenever the Ibom Deep Seaport inches closer to actual implementation, a small group of individuals systematically engineer fresh obstacles to derail it.”
The governor directly called out those using narrow communal and familial interests to try to stall a project of national significance, and condemned the treacherous act of some ill – minded elements writing directly to global financiers to damage Akwa Ibom’s reputation as a safe investment hub.
He noted that whether the seaport sits in one specific village or another, its economic footprint transcends narrow borders, explaining that “the project belongs to the 7.9 million people of Akwa Ibom, the South-South region, and the entirety of Nigeria.”
In a direct challenge to his predecessors and older political actors leading the criticism, he asked why those currently shouting about the project’s delay failed to deliver it when they held the reins of power.
“By fire, by force, we will do it,” Governor Eno declared, warning that “when the foundation stones of the seaport are laid, anyone standing in the way will face dire, systemic consequences.”
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