Daily Independent (Lagos)
Rafiu Ajakaye
13 October 2008
Lagos — The investment-friendly climate in Akwa Ibom State has continued to yield positive dividends as $12 billion Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) investment deal in the gas sub-sector is being worked out, Governor Godswill Akpabio said.
He made the disclosure in an exclusive interview coming on the heels of another N35 billion gas to gasoline project that is in the pipeline being worked on by Exxon/Mobil and attributed the feats to the favourable investment climate his administration has been able to put in place.
He explained that part of the efforts of his administration in making the state investment-friendly are some of the projects being erroneously described as elitist, stressing that are indications that investors are seeing and for which huge investments are coming into the state.
"I tell you this project is not elitist. The project is one of the ways I want to realise my ambition for Akwa Ibom. My vision for the state is that it should be a model state. "If you have a place of amusement in Akwa Ibom like the type in Apapa, Lagos, it will attract children from different parts of the nation- Aba, Umuahia, Calabar, Bayelsa etc.
"We have a lot of oil companies working in the state like Exxon Mobil, Adax and another new one that is coming to invest about $12 billion in LNG. They need a place like that for their children.
"A place of leisure for children if exists in Akwa Ibom State means that a lot of people, who spend money taking their children for holidays in Wonderland, Apapa Amusement park etc will now be spending such money in the state.
"It means that they can keep their children during holidays totally engaged in the state. Also in the place you will have a lot of workers, people from the state would be employed there. And that will create employment opportunities," he said.
He listed the projects to include a galleria, an amusement park, a five star hotel, shopping mall, among others.
"We are clamouring for oil companies to move their headquarters to the state. If they do, where would their women go for shopping? Definitely it can't be at the local market. So, having a mall where they and many others that come to the state will do their shopping is very important.
"Julius Berger, for instance, has moved its regional headquarters to the state. With all these, you must cater for their social interest," he added.
The governor, however, said his administration has initiated and commissioned over 260 projects in just one year and argued that Akwa Ibom State is the only state in the South-South zone that offers free education to its people.
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