Community Appeals for Completion of Ibeno Skills Acquisition Center

The Iwuochiang community, host of the Ibeno Skills Acquisition Center project which was awarded in 2010 by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, has appealed to the federal government to complete the project for the benefit of Akwa Ibom youths and other Nigerians in general.

The family head of Iwuochiang, Chief Victor Udofia, made this appeal while speaking to media unit of Niger Delta Network, which was on tour of the abandoned multi-million Naira project.

Udofia informed the team at the project site that his community is eager for the project to be completed and put to use so that jobs will be created for youths of Akwa Ibom State and others. He also solicited for the employment of indigenous security personnel who know the terrain to guard the facility against vandalism.

Similarly, the Chairman of Stegis International Agency Ltd, one of the contractors handling the project, Highchief Isaac Abakam, has appealed for completion of the project. He spoke in his country home in Ukpenekang, Ibeno when members of Niger Delta Network visited him.

Abakam disclosed that the project was conceived by the Goodluck Jonathan adminstration, and executed under the then Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, across the nine states of the Niger Delta region, to train Niger Deltans in their respective states on various areas of specialisation in oil and gas, and maritime sectors.

According to him, his firm was awarded contract for the first phase of the project in Akwa Ibom in 2010, and which ninety percent completed, when the project was abandoned due to lack of funds. As such, a project that was to be completed in 3 years remains uncompleted till date.

In addition, he hinted that there could be variation in the projects due to high cost of materials. “You know, prices of things get higher everyday. Four weeks ago, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs came to inspect the project. They questioned why the project has not been completed till now. We simply told them that the project is hampered by lack of funds. They also asked if we can deliver the project between when they visited and December if money is released to us. We told them that if funds are made available, we can deliver the job in a matter of just one month. It wasn’t even in this October that they came. It was last month. We have actually gone very far. In fact, we have very few things left to have the project completed. Painting is what is left. The painting that was done four years ago is gone. One thing about a building is that if it is not inhabited by people, definitely the house would not last long.

“There are places windows have not yet been fixed, but we had fixed windows in most places. So, I told them that if they release funds, we will do the painting and every other thing between one and half months and two, we will deliver the job.The people wanted to know if they can come for commissioning in December and I told them that for lot one, it is possible”.