An automobile engineer, Mr Mfoniso Daniel said the promise by the PDP governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom state, Mr Udom Emmanuel to build an armoured personnel carrier factory in Itu and Ibiono Ibom federal constituency if elected into office was deceitful, a political gimmick and an insult on the people of the area. Speaking in an interview with Global Post, Mr Daniel who is currently working with a car assembly plant in Lagos expressed disappointment that Udom, a financial expert with many years of experience could make such a promise when he had not carried out feasibility studies on the proposed project.
The auto engineer explained that armoured personnel carrier plant is a heavy industry which requires large capital and take years to complete the plant. According to him, even if the armoured factory was to function as an assembly plant it will still require huge capital to set up. He wondered why Udom did not tell the people what he intended to do to reactivate the moribund Quality Ceramic factory at Itam and the Nigerian Newsprint Manufacturing Company{NNMC}, Oku Iboku to create jobs for the people.
Daniel noted that while ceramic and newsprint products have ready markets within and outside Nigeria, armoured personnel carrier has limited market as only the police, armed forces and banks could buy them. He said Udom should have promised the people that his administration would build cottage industries in Itu and Ibiono rather than deceive them. He argued that even foreign investors would not invest in a business that is not viable. Daniel observed for instance that the more than N100 billion said to have been spent by the Akwa Ibom state government in the construction of Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre in Uyo could have built more than fifty cottage industries in the 31 locl government areas of the state.
He called on politicians to always promise the people what is feasible and should also take into account the available raw materials in each area that would support the location of a particular industry before they make their promises.
It would be recalled that Udom Emmanuel had in a bid to win support from the electorates during his governorship campaign in Itu local government area promised to build an armoured personnel carrier factory in Itu and Ibiono Ibom federal constituency if elected into office.
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