Akwa Ibom encourages investments

Abuja – The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Public Petition has called on communities in the state to encourage investment in their respective areas through maintaining a friendly atmosphere with the investors.


This was the position of the committee during an investigation into a petition brought before it by the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers against Sinopec Changjiang Engineering Services Limited over alleged short-changing of Akwa Ibom people on compensation payment by the company.

The Assembly Committee after listening to explanations presented by the company’s representative, Raymond Ephraim, called on companies and individuals willing to invest in the state to respect the rights of host communities as provided for by law.

The Chairman of the Committee, Ekong Sampson, condemned that the committee was rash in deciding on their final verdict without thorough investigation into the allegation before presenting its report to the house during a plenary.

“This committee have received a number of petitions bothering on infringement on the rights of Akwa Ibom people, as people’s assembly, the State Government will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that justice is done.”

He assured members of the public that the committee will do justice to all the petitions before it and called on all the parties involved to remain calm while the committee continues in its investigations.