Akwa Ibom governor set to commission 'Dakkada Tower'

The flagship project of the Udom Emmanuel administration in Akwa Ibom State, christened “Dakkada Tower,” is 100 per cent completed and awaiting commissioning, the Governor has disclosed.

Emmanuel stated this at the weekend, during the Media Parley he had with members of the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Uyo, the state capital.

Dakkada Tower is a 21-story office complex, built primarily to accommodate multinational companies doing business in Akwa Ibom State and to facilitate the relocation to the state capital of the operational headquarters of oil giants like ExxonMobil and others prospecting oil in Akwa Ibom.

According to the Governor, the Dakkada Tower was among the projects he would have commissioned during the just-concluded inauguration of inter-ministerial projects to mark his six years in office; but he had to put that on hold until tenants of the smart building completed necessary transactions to enable them to commence operations.

He said: “If I had commissioned the Dakkada Tower, there would have been criticism that I have commissioned an empty building. So I am waiting for occupants of the smart building to take over before I commission it. But I assure you that, Dakkada Tower is one hundred per cent completed as we speak now.”

The Governor drew the attention of the journalists to the massive IBB Way erosion control project his government was handling presently, from a perennial challenge to the people of the state for over 15 years.

According to the Governor, the huge investment project was the first of its kind in Nigeria, spanning through 8.4km of concrete drainage measuring 12 meters wide and 10 meters deep covering three LGAs, which will bring great relief to the people on completion.

Scoring his administration above 85 per cent in performance, Governor Emmanuel said achievements had been recorded in all sectors including; education, agriculture, road infrastructure, rural development, aviation and healthcare delivery and power.

He said the Ekim Power Station, for instance, was such a huge facility that only the Federal Government could have ventured into, but his government took the bull by the horn and ventured into the project for the good of the people all in a bid to ensure the fulfilment of his “Power-For-All" initiative.

On the International Market in Eket, the Governor said work had been completed awaiting occupation by the different merchants of various international goods while work on the Eket Sports Stadium was nearing completion, waiting for the fixing of the lighting system.

He appealed to the people to be patient and see what will become of the Eket Remodelling Project, which he said was on course.

Earlier in his tone-setting for the Media Parley, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said the forum was expedient to enable the Governor to give the journalists facts on contentious issues that guided them in their reportage.

He however commended the media community for its support as major stakeholders in the development of the state and expressed the hope that the Press would continue to contribute its quota towards the success of the government.

Ememobong announced the translation of the State Anthem into the different Akwa Ibom local languages by the Department of Linguistics, University of Uyo, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Strategy, for easy penetration and reach to the people at the grassroots.