Gov Emmanuel Commissions Tissue Paper Production Factory

…assures Motor Assembly plant ready 2021, set to send 20 Engineers for foreign training in Israel

20 indigenes of Akwa Ibom State will be sponsored for training in engineering studies at Israel to man the Vehicle Assembly Plant which will be commissioned in 2021, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel has declared.

The Governor stated this while speaking at the commissioning of Dried Bamboo to Tissue Paper Production Factory, on Saturday at Dakkada Cottage Industries Ekid Itam in Itu Local Government Area of the State.

He noted with delight that 33 indigenes of the state have been trained to operate the tissue factory, while 22 that will be trained on the Motor Assembly Plant will contribute towards the locally made vehicles in the country.

Hear him, “We try to make sure that we train a lot of our youths, a lot of our indigenes to be able to take care of this particularly tissue factory. We have trained about 33 indigenes of the state who adapted easily to the technology immediately and it will make this factory easily maintained by our own indigenes”.

“I want to reassure the people of Itu that we need to send 20 people to Israel immediately for training, minimum of 10% persons will be from Itu for the company being sited in Itu Local Government Area. The Israeli Ambassador is working seriously to give us visas for them to go for the training so that when they come back those 20 engineers will be the ones to run the Vehicle Assembly Plant that is along the express way, I am sure we should be able to commission that next year”.

Continuing, he said, “The Motor Assembly Plant if you go there, work is ongoing we got some delay because of COVID our target is that as the federal government will be launching out the new scheme of locally assemble vehicles, Akwa Ibom state should be able to supply a whole into the Nigerian market especially for those luxury buses”.

The Governor explained that the factories with the limited employment needs of the people will create direct and indirect economic impact that will drive the economy, appealing to Akwa Ibom people to be involved in the supply of the raw materials which is mainly Bamboo used in the production of tissue where they will make a lot of profit.

He assured that his administration is working tirelessly to resuscitate moribund factories in the state.

In his words, “but I can assure you that like the Quality Ceramics we are working seriously to see how we can bring it back to life, we are at the last stage now, once we fire and it response by the second quarter of next year we should be able to reactivate that factory we are working seriously to reactivate that factory but we are working seriously to see how that could come back to life”.

Governor Emmanuel however commended the host community, of the Tissue Factory at Ekid Itam for their cooperation and solicited for a sustained community relations of peace so as to make the factory succeed. “Let me appreciate the host community for their cooperation so far, I just want to believe they will continue to cooperate with us as we do a lot more”, he implored.

In his remarks the Commissioner, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Prince Ukpong Akpabio, thanked God for keeping the state through the recession with the state achieving its projects.
Prince Akpabio, lauded the vision of Governor Udom Emmanuel for initiating the tissue paper production factory which he affirmed remains very significant to the people of Itu, stating that with the capacity to produce 5 tons of tissue daily from Bamboo and about 2000 tons annually, the prospect the factory holds will stimulate the economy in the area.

In a goodwill message, the member representing Itu State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon. Kufre Edidem, thanked Governor Udom Emmanuel for siting the factory in Itu noting that it will provide more than 25 direct jobs and more than 2000 indirect jobs, adding that it will take the youths off the streets and provide them with a means of livelihood.

Similarly, the paramount ruler of Itu His Royal Majesty, Edidem Dr. Edet Akpainyang, expressed in-depth joy to the governor for making history through the siting of the tissue paper factory, describing it as compensation to the people of Itu who earlier lost Oku Iboku which hitherto engaged the people in the area. He prayed God for diligence to the governor to succeed in his vision for the state.