Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has said he is very proud of Governor Udom\u00a0Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State for his great achievements in the area of infrastructure and industrialisation in the six years of his stewardship as governor of the state.
Osinbajo, who spoke while commissioning the 21-Storey Dakkada Towers on Friday in Uyo, recalled that in\u00a0 2015 the governor had shared the vision of his administration to construct the tallest building in the South-South and South-East regions.
He noted that the 21-storey smart building is not just the tallest in the region, but certainly among the tallest in Nigeria and in West Africa.\u00a0
He\u00a0 congratulated the governor and members of his team who had worked so hard to ensure the realisation of the vision as well as the project developers for delivering the edifice in good time.
His words, \u201cSo the completion of the Dakkada Towers will most definitely address the questions of the paucity of world-class office accommodation for both the local and corporate international companies, especially oil and gas companies. This will certainly boost the revenue of the state and open doors for further investments.
\u201cWith this development, the big players in corporate Nigeria, especially in the oil and gas industry should now find it entirely auspicious to relocate their administrative headquarters to Uyo. I hear that various expressions of interest have already been received from companies in the oil and gas, banking and all various sectors of the economy.
\u00a0 \u201cThe Dakkada towers is a catalyst for the private sector, to leverage on the emerging real estate market by constructing more skyscrapers which will be required, as the promoters and partners of several of the industrial projects here in Akwa Ibom State begin to demand quality accommodation for their offices.
\u00a0\u201cI am very proud of what my brother has achieved in the six years of his stewardship as the governor of this state, especially with his industrialisation agenda. There will also be new jobs created, transfer of knowledge and technology as the tower is put to use\u201d
The vice president, who earlier flagged off the 557 low density \u201cDakkada Luxury Estate, underscored the importance of infrastructure in attracting investment,\u00a0 noting that the federal government has spent over N8.9trillon on infrastructural development in the country as of last year.
\u201cAs you are aware, since the inception of our administration Mr President has prioritised the development of infrastructure. And despite the severe economic headwind we experienced in the past six years we have invested more than any administration on infrastructure.
\u201cAs of last year, we had expended over N8.9trillion on infrastructure. Just last month the Federal Executive Council approved the Lagos-Calabar rail project which will pass through Uyo as a major station. At the end of last year the council also approved the full business case for the Ibom Deep Seaport\u201d, Osinbajo disclosed.
In his remarks earlier, the state governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, appreciated the vice president for his consistent show of love towards Akwa Ibom State, saying he was greatly excited because when he started the project the naysayers said he would not be able to complete it.
\u201cBut today, we are presenting to Akwa Ibom people in Nigeria, in the Diaspora, the smartest, the most intelligent, and the tallest building that Nigeria can boast of\u201d Emmanuel said.
He noted that the IOCs will have no excuse not to relocate their administrative headquarters to the state, stressing,\u00a0 \u201cIf you check the balance sheet of the IOCs, hardly will you see them erecting any building, but they pay rent. They used to complain we can\u2019t do this, we can\u2019t have office accommodation, that excuse has ended today.
\u201cWe are spearheading innovations that will generate revenue, create jobs and put us on the world map. People see me working, and they say you are not working as a second-term governor. There is no second term in my blood vein. What I am doing is to move Akwa Ibom forward. That is why I refused to be distracted\u201d
Earlier in his goodwill message, the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Hakan Cakil, expressed satisfaction over the quality of work done at the 21-storey smart building and thanked the government for inviting him to be part of the inauguration of the edifice which was designed and constructed by a Turkish firm, VKS Construction Company Limited.
\u00a0He noted that VKS is a global company incorporated in\u00a0 Nigeria for over 40 years, adding, \u201cI hope our bilateral relations will continue to grow and made stronger\u201d
Also in his goodwill message, a former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, lauded Governor Emmanuel for fulfilling his vision to move the state forward, saying, \u201cSo today I want to congratulate you, the people of Akwa Ibom State for what is happening here. It is leadership, some may not see it, but in a couple of years to come, they will appreciate what has been done here\u201d,
On her part, the Senator representing Akwa Ibom South (Eket Senatorial District),\u00a0 Senator Akon Eyakenyi, said Akwa Ibom people were proud of the governor because they unanimously gave him the mandate to serve in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By: Reward Akwu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has said he is very proud of Governor Udom\u00a0Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State for his great achievements in the area of infrastructure and industrialisation in the six years of his stewardship as governor of the state.Osinbajo, who spoke while commissioning the 21-Storey Dakkada Towers on Friday in Uyo, recalled that in\u00a0 2015 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":276440,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n