The Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, Thursday, ordered the State Government to clear the seven-month salary arrears owed workers of moribund St. Gabriel Coconut Plantation and Oil Refinery.
The company, which was flagged off on May 24, 201, was established by ex-Governor Udom Emmanuel who ruled Akwa Ibom State from 2015 to 2023.
The company spreading across Mkpat Enin, Ikot Abasi, and Eastern Obolo Local Government Areas and named after Gabriel, the father of the ex-Governor occupies 7.88 hectares.
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Moving a motion, the member representing Mkpat Enin State Constituency, Hon. Uwem Peter Imoh-Ita, who drew the attention of the House to the urgent need for government’s intervention on the plight of workers.
Emmanuel had floated such companies as Flour Mill, Syringe Manufacturing Company, Plywood Company, and toothpicks and pencil manufacturing companies, which are moribund.
The Mkpat Enin lawmaker noted that the affected workers, employed since 2016 as part of the State’s agricultural and industrial development drive, had their salaries abruptly stopped in December 2024 without formal communication.
“Aware that in 2016, the Akwa Ibom State Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, employed several indigenes to work at the Saint Gabriel Coconut plantation and Oil Refinery, with operational sites in Mkpat Enin, Ikot Abasi, and Eastern Obolo LGAs as part of the State’s agricultural and industrial development drive.
“Further aware that these workers diligently rendered their services and have been receiving their monthly salaries from 2016 until December 2024, after which salary payments were abruptly stopped without formal communication, leaving the workers unpaid for seven months to date.”
Imoh-Ita said he was concerned that despite workers who are parents and breadwinners who were compelled to stop going to work due to non-payment and lack of transportation visiting the Ministry of Agriculture, the ministry was doing nothing.
“Concerned that despite visits by the affected workers to the Ministry of Agriculture, assurance given to them regarding payment has not been fulfilled, thereby exacerbating their financial hardship amid rising living and transportation costs.
“Worried that some of these workers, who are parents and breadwinners, have been compelled to stop going to work due to inability to avoid consequences of the non-payment,” he stressed.
While urging the state government through the ministry of agriculture, to urgently pay the seven months salary arrears and other entitlements owed to the affected workers, Imoh-Ita said he was disturbed that the situation has put the workers in a fix, as they do not know their present status, “whether they are still employees of government or have been silently disengaged without due process.”
The motion, seconded by Hon. Selina Ukpatu of Ikot Abasi/Eastern Obolo State Constituency, highlighted the untold hardship faced by the workers, many of whom are breadwinners.
She emphasised that the non-payment was in contravention of labour laws and constitutional provisions guaranteeing fair wages.
Following extensive deliberations, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon.(Elder) Udeme Otong, constituted a Joint House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, Commerce and Industry, Labour and Productivity to engage with the Commissioner for Agriculture and that of Labour Matters with a mandate to report back to the House within one month.
The House urged the State Government to urgently pay the seven months’ salary arrears and entitlements of the affected workers, redeploy workers to relevant ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) if the plantation and refinery are found to be non-functional or operating below capacity.
The lawmakers also called for the establishment of a sustainable salary payment plan for all State agricultural projects to prevent similar issues in the future.
The motion was underscored by the Biblical principle in 1 Timothy 5:18 which admonishes that “The labourer is worthy of his wages, further reaffirming the Assembly’s commitment to protecting the dignity of labour and upholding workers’ rights in Akwa Ibom State.
House urges Govt to compensate Oron community
In another development, the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, Thursday, passed the Akwa Ibom State Statistics (Amendment) Law 2023, which took effect on August 7, 2025.
The amendment Bill was forwarded to the House for consideration through a letter from the Governor, which was read by the Clerk, Mrs. Nsikak-Abasi Orok.
The motion to receive the governor’s message was moved by the Deputy Chief Whip,Prince Sampson Idiong, member for Oruk Anam State Constituency, and seconded by Hon. Lawrence Udoide, representing Ini State constituency.
Following an expedited hearing, the amendment was read for the first time at the request of Governor Umo Eno. It subsequently passed a second reading after a brief debate on its general principles.
The bill was passed after its Third Reading, with the relevant clauses considered and adopted by the Committee of the Whole.
Now designated as the Akwa Ibom State Statistics Law 2025, the amended legislation grants the governor the authority to appoint the Chief Statistician of the State, among other provisions.
During the plenary session, the House also received the proposed Akwa Ibom State 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP), submitted by Governor Umo Eno and read by the Clerk, Mrs. Nsikak-Abasi Orok.
In his correspondence to the House, Governor Eno explained that the MTEF/FSP, based on macroeconomic assumptions, was presented by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning to the State Executive Council for review and approval on July 24, 2025, in accordance with Section 18(1) of the State Fiscal Responsibility Law.
In response, Speaker Rt. Hon. (Elder) Udeme Otong, referred the letter to the Committee on Economic Planning for further legislative action, with a report due back to the House in one month.
Meanwhile, the House has urged the State Government to compensate communities in Uya Oron affected by the right-of-way for land utilised by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) for the 2 By 60MVA 132/33KVA power station awarded in 2022.
The House also called for a high-level government delegation to visit the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) regarding the transmission substation project.
In addition, it urged the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) to promptly replace prepaid meters for affected customers in Ewet Housing Estate and other areas of Uyo, while implementing measures to prevent future electricity billing irregularities.
The resolutions were adopted following the recommendations of the House Committee on Rural Development and Public Utilities, which addressed motions concerning the completion of the transmission substation project in Oron and the electricity billing issues stemming from the discontinuation of prepaid metering in Uyo.
The report was presented by the Committee Chairman, Rt. Hon. Asuquo Udo of Ikono State Constituency.
Following the report, the Speaker directed the Clerk to communicate the House’s resolutions to the Governor and relevant authorities for necessary action.
