By Adedapo Adesanya
Akwa Ibom State has received the official gazette from the federal government, signalling the approval for 50,000 hectares Liberty Oil and Gas Free Zone in the state.
The Gazette of the approval was presented to Governor Udom Emmanuel by a delegation from the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA) led by its Managing Director, Mr Umana Okon Umana, at the Government House, Uyo over the weekend.
Governor Emmanuel thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the timely approval for the establishment of the Liberty Oil and Gas Free Zone in the state, noting that it will give a boost to the state’s coconut refinery project and its consequent economic diversification.
The Governor said the free trade zone, which covers six local government areas including Ikot Abasi, Oruk Anam, Onna, Eastern Obolo, Mkpat Enin and Ibeno, is proposed to be the largest in Nigeria when completed.
Mr Emmanuel urged the management team of OGFZA to take advantage of the 21-storey office accommodation by moving their office to the state, maintaining that the building has been affirmed the smartest building in the country
He said the state government has had elaborate consultations and sensitization of relevant communities through the traditional and other grassroots institutions and gave assurances on the acceptability of the project and cooperation of locals to enhance security.
Speaking at the meeting, the Managing Director of OGFZA, Mr Umanah, described the visit to the state as historic and lauded the Governor’s effort in working with the federal government to promote the establishment of the Liberty Oil and Gas Free Zone in Akwa Ibom State.
The OGFZA boss explained that the Governor deserves commendation and congratulated him for earning the President’s approval through his deliberate efforts.
Mr Umana commended Governor Emmanuel for working hard to ensure the peace in the state which, he added, has created an attractive business environment for Foreign Direct Investments in the downstream and upstream sectors of the oil and gas industry.
He assured that the project was already up and running as his agency was already with the various multinationals for the takeoff of the construction phase.
