The perennial controversies and frenzies surrounding the establishment and siting of Ibom Deep Seaport in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State appear to have been laid to rest in the interim, following the expansion of the technical committee by Governor Udom Emmanuel, to accommodate host community interest.
Initially proposed to be located at Ibaka, the multi-billion dollar project was later shifted to Unyenghe, but still on the Atlantic coast of Mbo Local Government Area of the state.
Some section of Oron ethnic nationality in the state fearing that the project had been taken away from the enclave, allegedly wrote petitions against it, forcing some investors from China to back off from it.
Gov Emmanuel while agonising over the development in a media interview to mark the 34th anniversary of the state last week, particularly mentioned Oron Union, an umbrella socio-political organisation of the Oron people as the arrowhead of opposition to sitting of the project at Unyeghe as well as the change of its name from the initial Ibaka Deep Sea Port to Ibom Deep Sea Port.
But after leading the Oro Union headed by Bishop Etim Ante to visit the site of the port resulting in the union recanting some of the expressed opposition to the project, Emmanuel has equally approved the enlargement of the technical committee on the implementation of the seaport by addition of four more persons, to accommodate the input of the host communities.
The decision to accommodate Oro interest, according to state government press release signed by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Ini Ememobong, emanated from a meeting between the state government and representatives of the Oro people, held at Government House, Uyo.