Emmanuel Ufon
The allegation against Pastor Imoabasi Jacob on his move with some others to lure the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno into the sale or concession of the indigenous state’s asset, Ibom Power Company, IPC has continued to elicit reactions from groups and patriotic Akwa Ibomites.
Findings revealed that Savannah Energy/ACCUGAS, the company allegedly seeking to take over the running of Ibom Power Company does not specialise in power generation, but deals in gas supply and oil-related ventures.
In his reaction to the alleged plots, the State Chairman, Federation of Informal Sectors Employers Association of Nigeria and the National Chairman, National Artisans, Traders and Allied Technicians Association (NAKATA), Mr Daniel Ekwere, on Thursday, 18 April 2024, said his group during the state emergency meeting resolved for a massive protest against the sinister motive to sell or concession of the Akwa Ibom people common patrimony to an outsider who is not even an expert in the power industry.
He said: “The same people took over Dr. Pepper from Eket to Ibadan, Mobil to Lagos with all top Managers, Syringe Company from Onna to Ogun State, Anchor Insurance managed by the same people, Champion Breweries also lost and even “Champ Malta” is not permitted to enter or be sold in Western Region. Now, they have come again to take over Ibom Power Company.
The group chairman, in an interview with journalists after a closed-door meeting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, urged Eno whom he described as a man of conscience and leader with good governance initiative to look inward to the escalating unemployment rate in the state by not allowing Jacob and others to lure him to concession or sell Ibom Power Company, otherwise the group would mobilise Akwa Ibomites and Nigerian youth to stage massive protest in the state against the sinister plots.
According to him, “If this oppressive move continues, we are going to mobilise ourselves in our numbers. We will approach the State House of Assembly; we will stage a massive protest till our prayer is answered.
“Let us be a little patient to see how the events unfold. We will lead our protest to the Government House, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly because Akwa Ibomites are not fools. We know what is good for our people and selling or concessioning our choice asset is not one of those”, he said.