Akwa Ibom Government has given ExxonMobil, the oil giant, a seven-day ultimatum to comply with stipulated COVID-19 guidelines or the government will shut down its quarantine centres in the state.
The Chairman of Akwa Ibom COVID-19 Management Committee, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, while speaking with Government House correspondents in Uyo on Saturday, accused ExxonMobil of flouting the AKSG/NCDC/WHO laid-down protocols in its quarantine centres.
These breaches, according to him, are capable of endangering the lives of not just ExxonMobil staffers, but also that of the people in the state.
Ekuwem, who is also the Secretary to the State Government, said the government would not overlook the breaches, to avoid jeopardising the sustained and deliberate efforts of the Udom Emmanuel administration in curtailing the COVID-19 pandemic to the barest minimum.
The committee, therefore, believed it was imperative that ExxonMobil makes a professional adjustment, take appropriate precautions and liaise with the State Government, where necessary, for the efficient running of its quarantine centres in the state.
It would be recalled that during the COVID-19 lockdown, the government rejectloggerhead
ed 10 of the two ambulances, 20 hospital beds and 10 old vehicles donated by ExxonMobil to the state for contact tracing.
