In early 2004 or thereabout, while working with Benchmark Surveys and Engineering Ltd, we were engaged in calculating the volume of water in all the drainage systems at Qua Iboe Terminal (QIT), ExxonMobil facility. I led the team and we took measurements of all drainages in that facility. From administrative block to dormitory, from warehouse to process area, we were able to take measurement of all the gutters within few days, calculated the volume of water that passes through them and submitted same to the contractor.
In the course of our engagement, we traversed the entire land area of Qua Iboe Terminal and I was wow with the landmass of that facility. As we are all aware, anytime you mentioned Akwa Ibom State, the only known industrial entity that people can quickly identify in the State is ExxonMobil now Seplat Energy.
Some decades ago, one company that was familiar in the lips of Akwa Ibom people anytime Ikot Abasi is mentioned was Aluminium Smelting Company, ALSCON. Fast forward to 2023 till date, one company that continue to ring bell in the lips of an average Akwa Ibomites in Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency is Sterling Global. I learnt that the company employed so many people but what attracted my attention was a day I was returning from Port Harcourt and along Ikot Abasi-Eket route, I saw numerous CNG buses plying that route and coupled with the numbers of buses seen within Eket alone. It aroused my curiosity and I decided to find out what exactly is going on in that part of the country.
So I embarked on my adventure and behold I didn’t know that there is a goldmine in Akwa Ibom State known as Ibom Developers FZE, a registered infrastructure service provider company specializing in diverse range of services including roads, drains, lighting, housing, and water treatment, etc. The company possesses extensive expertise in developing innovative and cost-effective solutions, particularly tailored for challenging environments and remote locations.
On my way going to the company site, I observed there were more than 200 to 300 CNG buses carrying workers while over 200 trucks were also going to the same site. From the toll gate, I saw a water project I learnt will serve the entire facility and adjoining communities. Going inside I saw something different from my experience at Qua Iboe Terminal. The landmass was 20 times of what I saw at QIT and more than 1000 CNG buses, trucks, trailers and movable equipment were moving within the facility. I was told they have over 2000 drivers as each vehicle has a driver and second to relieve the driver on duty. I saw massive structures including housing estates for the foreigners, big tank, administrative buildings, some under construction, the fertilizer plant, cargo ship and other auxiliary ships in the bay, among others. I saw thousands of artisans working including scaffolders, welders, iron benders, crane operators, drivers, carpenters, safety personnel, mechanics, etc. The most interesting part was seeing many of my guys working in different sections earning a living.
Please don’t allow anyone to deceive you that Sterling Global is not paying well. I dispute that narrative. The company is paying well. I saw two young lad, I mean young men below 20 years and none of them as iron bender earned below N200,000 while others are earning higher.
I must confess that in my entire life, I haven’t seen such huge investment before. I have visited ONNE Free Trade Zone and must say that it is not to compare with what I saw at Ikot Abasi. I also learnt that some section of the same company is in Eastern Obolo. I will find time and visit so as to give proper account of the investment ongoing in Akwa Ibom State under the Ibom Developers FZE. I was so excited that all these are happening in my state. So next time anyone refer Akwa Ibom State as a civil service state, I will counter it with empirical evidence in the voice of Rufai Oseni. Akwa Ibom is no more a civil service state but an industrial hub in the East of the Niger Delta region. What is happening in Ikot Abasi and Eastern Obolo is more than an industry but a goldmine. It is incumbent on our people to take advantage of the numerous opportunities embedded in this huge investment in the State. By the time the project is finally concluded, I am hopeful more 10,000 people will be employed in different departments.
Note: The Pictures you are seeing is not ONNE or Apapa Port but Ibom Developers FZE. God bless the investors and bless Akwa Ibom State with former governor Udom Emmanuel .
By Akwa Ibom State Republic
