Akwa Ibom State government has admitted that the two industries inaugurated last year in Onna local government area of the state are owned by private investors.
The industries- syringe factory and Electric Metering Factory- were inaugurated by Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, in September, last year, as part of the activities that marked the 30th anniversary of the state.
Both industries are located in Awa Iman, Onna local government area, home town of Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Charles Udoh, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, said the two companies are owned by private investors and that the government only helped in attracting them to the state through the creation of “an enabling environment.”
Mr. Udoh, who spoke this Monday during a live interview on Inspiration 105.9 FM Uyo, noted “Let me say something clearly, what the government is doing is not building industries from the pockets of government; nobody does that anymore.
“The trend in the world is that you set an enabling environment and then attract investors to bring their investments to your territory.”
Governor Emmanuel has been accused by the opposition of covering up on the true ownership of the companies.
One of the critics, Senator Ita Enang, Senior Speical to the President on National Assembly (Senate) had severally on Planet 101.1 FM Radio, Uyo under Team Nigeria programme had accused the governor of being secretive in the ownership of the industries.
Enang vocally condemned the governor of not announcing to Akwa Ibom people the equity shares of Akwa Ibom government in the said industries.
At times, public analysts and critics reasoned that governments the world over have come out from the cocoon of establishing and running industries in this age.
They rather consented to the view that in this era it is the primary duty of government globally to provide an enabling environment for industrialists.
According to them, “Government can only engage under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) by owning shares instead of dabbling wholly into what is largely seen as a private sector-driven business.”
With the commissioner’s statement, the controversy surrounding the ownership of the multi-billion naira industries in the state has been laid to rest.
