Janauary 07, (THEWILL) – The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State on Research and Documentation, Mr Essien Ndueso, has blamed the continued exit of multinational companies on the prevailing Nigerian economic environment.
The SSA laid the blame at the weekend while responding to criticism of the International Worship Center and the temporary suspension of operations at the Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing (JSM) company in Onna.
According to him, it is improper for anyone to criticise the sitting Governor, Pastor Umo Eno or his predecessor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel for any delay in project delivery and suspension of operations, considering the prevailing economic situation in the country.
Ndueso recalled that the company capped the largest syringe manufacturing company in Africa. It was inaugurated in 2017 by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
He said the firm, while announcing a temporary suspension of operations on January 3, 2024, cited unforeseen circumstances affecting its business operations as the major reason for its decision to leave Nigeria.
He frowned at some critics who attempted to score cheap political points from the unfortunate situation, noting that the current national economic crisis is the major reason for the company’s temporary setback
“We all know that since the removal of fuel subsidy, Nigeria is undergoing a serious economic crisis. Foreign exchange, import duties, and interest rates are basically the reasons companies are closing down in Nigeria.
“Outside Akwa Ibom State, several SMEs, according to reports, have completely shut down operations while several big names have also scaled back operations. Reports on Business Day Newspaper indicate that companies like GSK Plc, Nigeria’s second-biggest drug producer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Unilever, producers of famous brands like OMO, Sunlight and Lux have also announced cease of operations,” he disclosed.
Reacting to some critics who describe the International Worship Centre as a misplaced priority, Essien dismissed such assertions, stressing that there is nothing wrong in having a befitting central place of worship in Akwa Ibom State, which is 99 percent dominated by Christians.
He said, “While prayers move mountains, praises move God. Before the Worship Centre was built, Akwa Ibom people, who were devoted Christians, used to gather under the sun at Ibom Hall grounds to praise God and for all other religious activities.
“For those who say that the money used to build a befitting temple of God would have been channelled into other things, let me ask, those states that haven’t built international worship centres, do they have free and compulsory education? Do they have better roads than Akwa Ibom State? Do they have more peace than our dear Akwa Ibom State? In what way are they better than Akwa Ibom State?
“When people talk about the generation of revenue, have they told us how the Statue of Liberty in the US generates revenue? The same people who gather every year to source funds and visas to travel to the Middle East to go and worship God are now turning around to criticise a befitting centre of worship that would engender religious tourism by our people.
“If the government in a State named after God ought not to build a centre of worship for God, would they rather have built a shrine?”
About the Author
