***Sends Open Letter To Akwa Ibom Governor, Senate President, Others
A civil liberty organization, Oron Youth Movement, (OYOM), on Monday kicked against the ‘dubious’ plan to relocate Ibom Deep seaport from the natural harbour of Ibaka bay elsewhere to be built as a dugout deep seaport in an artificial ocean dugout from a dry land.
OYOM stated their position in an open letter addressed to the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD.
The open letter with the title: “OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR OF AKWA IBOM STATE, HIS EXCELLENCY PASTOR UMO ENO PhD ON THE PLAN TO RELOCATE IBOM DEEP SEAPORT FROM THE NATURAL HARBOUR OF IBAKA BAY TO ELSEWHERE TO BE BUILT AS A DUGOUT DEEP SEAPORT IN AN ARTIFICIAL OCEAN DUGOUT FROM A DRYLAND” was also copied to Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, the Senate President; Chief Adegboyega Oyetola, the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy; IG Tunji Disu,the Inspector-General of Police; the Speaker, House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria; The Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS);His Excellency, Obong Victor Attah, Former Governor, Akwa Ibom State, and The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
The letter made available to DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS was jointly signed by the National President of OYOM, Comrade Edet Eyo Mnse, Mshe; the National Secretary, Comrade Edet Iyahakwa, OYOM National Director, Women Affairs, Comrade Sylvia Ekpot and the Nat. Director, Media & Publicity, Comrade Victor Obiosio.
The group recalled that “In 2012, under the Port Development programme of the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, the Federal Government of Nigeria took a decision to build the first Deep Seaport in Nigeria at Ibaka so as to take advantage of the Natural Harbour of Ibaka Bay.
”The then Hon Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar set up a Ministerial Steering Committee with a Project Delivery Team to drive the Ibaka Deep Seaport and Free Trade Zone development project.
”A comprehensive Due Diligence Study including Site selection for the Deep Seaport was conducted and a Due Diligence Report dated January 2013 was issued. A location in Ibaka Bay was selected as the Preferred site for the Deep Seaport. Upon the approval of the Due Diligence Report by the Steering Committee, a go-ahead was given by the Steering Committee for the conduct of the Feasibility Studies. An Outline Business Case (OBC) dated April 2013 was issued, which puts the cost estimate for building the Deep Seaport at the preferred location at only Two Billion USD. This could have been the lowest for such a Deep Seaport in world, due to the availability of the Natural Harbour with a deep draft. Oron Nation is in possession of these two reports. Appropriation was done by the National Assembly in the 2012 budget for NPA as part of the Federal Government equity in the Deep Seaport project. The Senate Committee on Marine Transport visited Oron Nation as the Host Community for the Deep Seaport for sensitisation on the project. Ground breaking Ceremony was performed at the preferred site in Ibaka Bay by the Government of Akwa Ibom State under Godswill Akpabio. Nobody could have thought that anyone would be against the building the Deep Seaport at the duly studied and selected preferred location in Ibaka Bay.
The Civil Rights Group however sated that “Most unfortunately, in 2015, the Government of Akwa Ibom State under Deacon Udom Emmanuel, set up an Implementation Committee headed by Barr (Mrs) Mfon Usoro who completely changed the entire development concept of the Ibaka Deep Seaport. The Deep Seaport development which was driven by the Federal Government of Nigeria with equity participation and investment guarantee to encourage the Core Investor was changed to a Port Development driven exclusively by Akwa Ibom State Government with no equity participation by the Federal Government and no investment guarantee to the Core Investor.
”The Port name and location were changed from Ibaka Deep seaport to Ibom Deep Seaport and the preferred location in the shielded Natural Harbour of Ibaka Bay changed to a location exposed to intense Ocean Surge (The Ibeno Surge). The concept of the Port was also changed from a normal Port on the shore of a shielded Bay to a Dugout Port in an Artificial Ocean, dugout from a dryland. In 2021, when the clandestine manoeuvring of the Mfon Usoro’s led Committee to effect the above changes which lasted for over 6 years, and said to have gulped billions of Naira, eventually came to light, Oron Nation forwarded a strongly worded petition to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
”The petition was copied to all the stakeholders in the Deep Seaport project to seek their understanding, and to advise the State Government appropriately. It is believed that the facts presented in the Oron Nation petition caused the preferred Core Investor in the Ibom Deep Seaport project, Bollore of France to withdraw from the project. In the upheaval of accusation and counter accusation between the people of Oron Nation and Akwa Ibom State Government that followed, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Deacon Udom Emmanuel, in a meeting with some stakeholders of Oron Nation, distanced himself from the Dugout Deep Seaport concept of the Port. He is quoted to have said, “I was misinformed. How can I contemplate a Dugout Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom State which is surrounded by water? Where in the world is such a Dugout Deep Seaport operated”. Oron people had thought that with the statement of Deacon Udom Emmanuel, under whose Government the Dugout Port was conceptualised, the idea of a Dugout Seaport in Akwa Ibom State had perished for ever.
”This appeared to have been further confirmed by Pastor Umo Eno, the current Governor of Akwa Ibom State who, during his defection ceremony from PDP to APC, appealed to the APC led Federal Government to support the development of the Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom State, due to the availability of a Natural Harbour in the State with a non-dredged draft of 19 meters, thus ruling out a Dugout Port.”
The group Alleged that the recent development in which Governor Umor Eno working with the clandestine report of Barr Mrs Mfon Usoro committee is seen as a grand deception on the part of the state Executive Governor who incidentally is a preacher of the gospel as a Pastor.
The statement added that “The Youths of Oron Nation noted that the current Government of Akwa Ibom State under Pastor Umo Eno is still working with Barr (Mrs) Mfon Usoro to implement the Dugout Deep Seaport which the Implementation Committee headed by Barr Mfon Usoro, obtained approval for in 2021 based on false premise.” The group therefore called for a retrace of steps by the Akwa Ibom State Government in order not to push Oron Youths to become an agitator.
The group queried the connection of a Lawyer to such a huge project that demands engineering acumen and caution every responsible foreign firm not to enter into agreement with the Akwa Ibom State Government on the ‘Fictitious project”
”How can any sane person approve the removal of a Deep Seaport from a Natural Harbour with a natural deep draft, to elsewhere to be built in an Artificial Ocean dugout from a dry land”, the group wondered .
”We are informed that that the Government of Akwa Ibom State under Umo Eno, through Mfon Usoro has already procured the services of the following for the implementation of the Dugout Deep Seaport.
GMAPS of Singapore as Transaction Adviser; PWC as Project Manager
Intetaf Group as Partner and Investor (MOU signed)”
”Oron Youths see these as conduits to continue the syphoning of the funds of Akwa Ibom State. Since 2015 when the Mfon Usoro’s Implementation Committee was constituted, there is nothing on ground to account for the huge expenditure so far on the Deep Seaport Project. It is instructive to recall that when Barr (Mrs) Mfon Usoro was appointed the DG of NIMASA in 2006, she was arrested, detained and investigated by EFCC on allegation of procurement fraud. Though no criminality was established against her, she could not sustain that high profile appointment. She was removed from office barely after 10 months of being appointed. We do not understand why she should be made to handle the development of such a huge Engineering Infrastructure as a Deep seaport, which should have been better handled by a seasoned Engineer,” the statement concluded.
Oron Youth Movement (OYOM) is an organisation of Youths in the Five (5) Local Government Areas of Oron, Okobo, Urueoffong/Oruko, Mbo and Udung Uko all in Oron Nation in Akwa Ibom State.
