- Says it is not proper to site factories in the middle of a city
Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom state has ordered the immediate relocation of a Chinese manufacturing firm, Golden Tripod International Limited, located in Ikot Ebido Oku, Itu Local Government Area, in response to increasing public allegations of unhealthy emissions from its factory.
Eno as a fallout of Thursday’s flag-off construction of 2.2Km Tabernacle Road project gave the order to move the Chinese firm which deploys aluminum for production of brake pads for tricycles and motorcycles to the State Industrial Park as befitting location for such ventures.
The governor directed, “The Commissioner for Environment and Commissioner for Internal Security, I want to have a report on what this factory manufactures in the next 48 hours.
“I understand that there is always serious emissions around here. Please, first, find out what they do and immediately relocate them to the Industrial Park. It is not proper to site factories in the middle of a city”
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that the immediate past administration in Akwa Ibom had on July 2022 ordered shutdown of the firm’s operations for same violation of environmental standards.
The penultimate directive came after then Commissioner for Environment and Solid Minerals, Charles Udoh led team from his ministry, the State House of Assembly Committee on Environmental Pollution and Akwa Ibom Waste Environmental Protection Management Agency (AKSEPWMA) paid an unscheduled visit to the factory.
Angered by interrogation and demand by the state government fact finding team for necessary documents authorizing the company’s operations in the state , the managers had allegedly ordered their workers to attack the government officials.
The development which created tension in the area, led to arrest and subsequent arraignment of the firm’s Managing Director, Mr. Lin ZI and the Marketing Manager, Mr. Peter Yuan at the time.
It was gathered that the state assembly had earlier invited the management of the company to appear before it following series of petitions from the host community, but the company had ignored the invitation.
Since the July 2022 encounter, the company had assured the State government that they would move out of the location even as they had pleaded for sometime to enable them move their heavy factory machines.
The failure of the firm to meet the relocation promise had increased the agitation by residents in the area who are worried that the delayed exit of the firm portents greater environmental dangers to the public, prompting the latest response from Governor Eno.
Urging investors in manufacturing in the State to utilize the designated lndustral Park, Eno assured, “We are going to fence it round, put police station there. We are going to put a power station there and make water available too. It will be like any industrial park anywhere in the world.
“The park has been partitioned into one 150 plots of between four thousand and five thousand 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.”