From Joe Effiong, Uyo
Ekid people in the diaspora, indigenes of Eket and Esit Eket LGA.s of Akwa Ibom State living abroad have congratulated Senator Godswill Akpabio on his emergence as the 10th President of the Nigerian Senate.
The group in a press release obtained by Daily Dun said Akpabio, a former Governor of Akwa Ibom state and senate minority leader is a perfect choice for senate president and thanked President Bola Tinubu for supporting him.
The release was signed by the international coordinator of their group, Mr Manfred Ekpe; the Coordinator for the Americas, Prof. Sonny Abia; Coordinator for Europe, Mr Udofia Sam and the Middle East Coordinator, Mr Laisa Abiatu, said Akpabio’s senate presidency will herald a new era of development like the “uncommon development” era which Akwa Ibom state experienced when Akpabio served as governor between 2007 – 2015 will be recreated at the federal level.
The release reads in part; “We wish to extend our profound appreciation to the President, HE Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for insisting on Akpabio. A perfect choice has been made.”
“The Ekid people in the diaspora wish to reiterate our earlier call a few weeks ago to the Distinguished Senate President to please see to the migration of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria at Oron into a full fletch University with special military courses. We have no doubt that as a promise keeper, the distinguished Senate President as he promised, will see through the Ibom deep seaport located in Esit Eket and Mbo LGAs.”
While wishing Senator Akpabio well in his new office, the group reiterated their earlier request soliciting his support for the actualization of Ibom deep seaport, and Heritage University, a private institution in Eket.
The group called on President Tinubu to integrate artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta into the Nigerian petroleum midstream instead of destroying the indigenous technology.
“We equally reiterate the call for the Tinubu-led Administration to employ the creativity of the illegal refiners of petroleum products in the Niger Delta to setting up mini homegrown refineries for the growth of the micro and macro economy rather than destroying those talents with the unproductive effect of brain drain,” the group added.