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FACTUAL REBUTTAL TO ENGR NKPUBRE’S INTERVIEW PUBLISHED BY
NATIONALNEWSTRACK MAY 4 2021 & REPUBLISHED BY SEVERAL ONLINE
JOURNALS AND SOCIAL MEDIA

I. Disinformation: Deep Seaport has been relocated from Ibaka to another location.

Nkpubre: “The Federal Government through a Ministerial Committee set up a Project
Delivery Team to carry out due diligence studies for the Project. The team worked with Consultants through a rigorous procedure to select a site near Ibaka Bay and close to Tom Shot Island as the most preferred location for the Deep Sea Port.

The Due Deligence Report was submitted since January 2013 and Outline Business
Case was submitted in July 2013.”
“The Government of Akwa Ibom State began to work surreptitiously against the location of the Deep Sea Port at the preferred location in Oron Nation.”
“The location they want to move the Port to is most unsuitable. It was earlier rejected by the location assessment done under the Project Delivery Team.”

FACTS:

1. At no time was Ibom Deep Sea Port located at Ibaka.
2. Approval for the location and construction of a deep seaport is constitutionally the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government of Nigeria. There is not in
   existence a document that indicates the Federal Government located the Deepsea port in Ibaka at any time.
3. In May 2015, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the Outline Business Case and Commencement of Procurement Phase of Ibom Deepsea Port.
4. The Outline Business Case was presented at FEC by the then Minister of Transportation upon recommendation by the Ministerial Project Development Steering Committee (MPDSC).
5. The MPDSC chaired by the Ministry of Transportation comprises of several relevant Federal Government agencies including the project proponent, Akwa Ibom State.
6. The MPDSC approved the OBC submitted to it by the consultants (Felak/MBTC) that were engaged by the Administration of H.E. Godswill Akpabio who is credited with having obtained the FEC approval for the OBC in 2015.
7. The OBC expressly recommended the current seaside location of the port project and the current name of the port to the FEC for approval.
8. MTBS is a reputable international maritime consultancy company. It subjected the 5 locations (Oron, Tom Shot, Okposo, West Point and Seaside) proposed for the location of the Ibom Deepsea Port to a rigorous scientific process which recommended the Seaside as the most suitable location for the port.
9. Oron, Tom Shot, Okposo – Ibaka, West Point are located from the Cross River estuary towards the inland river while the recommended and approved location abuts the sea. The seaside location is referenced by Engr Nkpubre as Ibeno in his interview.

10.Below is an excerpt of the OBC that was submitted by the Ministerial Committee to the Minister of Transportation who presented it to the FEC for approval in 2015. Please note the parameters and the scores allocated to each site.

11.Other than the studies by the MBTS and previously by Worley Parsons, there is no record of studies commissioned by the Akwa Ibom State Government to identify and compare the suitability of possible locations for the deepsea port.

None of the aforementioned scored Ibaka as the preferred location.

12.It was the impression of AKSG Technical Committee on Ibom Deepsea Port and Ibom Industrial City who have been buffeted by Engr Nkpubre’s consistent opposition that he may not have the correct information at his disposal.

Consequently, the AKSG Technical Committee on Ibom Deepsea Port and Ibom Industrial City engaged Engr Nkpubre directly and furnished him the information above and more including several diagrams and satellite photos from the OBC for
him to be properly educated on the matter.

13.Engr Nkpubre has been corrected several times that the document he keeps referring which was allegedly produced by the Felak/MTBS in 2013 is not the final draft OBC that was submitted to the MPDSC and subsequently presented by the Minister of Transportation to the FEC.

14.It is curious that Engr Nkpubre has chosen to ignore the caveat printed in bold by the authors of the draft he hangs his arguments on even though his attention
had been drawn to it. The caveat states that “Further research on all characteristics required to make fully founded location selection.”

15.In 2014 produced a revised report (OBC) which reflected the further research advised in the previous version he peddles. It is that final OBC dated 2014
recommending the seaside as best location that was submitted to the FGN for approval which OBC was approved in 2015.

16.Apart from the direct engagements, Engr Nkpubre actively participated at the meeting convened by the Oron Union on 17 April 2021 where all these concerns
were comprehensively addressed.

17. The satellite photo below demonstrates even to the non-expert the shallow depth and heavy siltation of the rejected locations including Ibaka upriver towards
Calabar compared to the blue waters at the FEC approved seaside location of the port.

18. The AKSG Technical Committee set up by H.E. Governor Udom do not have the authority nor mandate to change the location of the port or the name of the port as approved by the Federal Government in 2015 pursuant to the recommendations in the OBC produced by the previous administration.

19.The FEC approval of the Full Business Case obtained by H.E. Governor Udom’s Administration reflects the location and name of the project as earlier approved by the Federal Government. There was no attempt to change the previously approved port location and name.

II. False Allegation:
Nkpubre: “…falsity and dishonesty involved in the relocation of the Deep Sea Port
from Ibaka”.
“..they went to procure a cooked-up new assessment document to overturn a
previous location assessment carried out by the Project Delivery Team.”

FACTS:

1. It is most unfortunate and unkind that Engr Nkpubre with the facts at his disposal which demonstrates the scientific approach in the OBC employed by the
   independent foreign experts engaged by H.E. Governor Akpabio would levy such spurious allegations against the administration that is widely credited for having
   secured the FEC approval of the OBC and indeed the entire Ministerial Committee that approved and recommended adoption of the OBC to the then Minister of Transportation.
2. How was the OBC dated October 2014 on which recommendations the Federal Government approved the current seaside location of the port “cooked-up”, “false” and “dishonest”?
3. The deliberate use of the misnomer “relocation” has clearly been proved to be a disinformation campaign intended to whip up sentiments. How is it possible to
   relocate a port from Ibaka if the Federal Government never approved Ibaka as the location of the deepsea port in the first place?

III. Disinformation on the cost of construction
Nkpubre: “The cost implications will definitely be enormous and comparatively much
more higher than building a Deep Sea Port at a Natural Habour at Ibaka. We do not
have many dugout ports in the world and comparative cost data are not easily
available.”
“When comparative cost analysis was carried out for different locations during due diligence studies for Ibaka Deep Sea Port, the preferred location at Ibaka had a cost figure lower than the Ibeno location. The comparison was for building a normal Port
at Ibeno coast, not a Dugout Port.”

FACTS:

1. The studies at our disposal, specifically the OBC presented the concept design of a dug-out port. It was not that of a traditional port alongside a coast.
2. Engr Nkpubre has admitted that he does not have the data to base his
   conclusions on.
3. The preferred bidders have their experts in port economics, port finance, port construction, port engineers etc which they relied on prior to submission of their very detailed bids in response to the RfPs issued. It is doubtful that reliance will be placed on Engr Nkpubre’s opinion.
4. The commercial risks around cost of construction or locational suitability rests on the profit-oriented project partners that are investing capital and who are armed with very sophisticated advisers.

IV. False Allegation: Investors are “fronts”
Nkpubre:“If they go ahead, people will be forced to believe that the so-called Core Investor is only a front. People who have stolen a humongous amount of money from the Government want to use this vain project to launder such funds.”

FACTS:

1. The preferred bidders are reputable international companies with no Nigerian ownership.
2. Engr Nkpubre is invited to engage forensic experts conduct due diligence on the companies.

V. Multiple Petitions:
“We have also forwarded this Petition to relevant authorities. We intend to also let
our grievances known to all stakeholders.”
FACTS:

1. The Federal Ministry of Transportation in April 2021 after an indepth investigation dismissed the unmeritorious petition by a law firm acting on behalf
   of from Oron Union dated February 2021. Excerpts of the letter from the Ministry
   reads:
   “Accordingly, you are enjoined to advise Oron Union to cooperate and support Akwa Ibom State Government in its quest to successfully and timely execute the
   project for the overall interest of the citizens of the State and the Nigerian Economy”
2. We concur with the advice of the Federal Ministry of Transport and commend same to Engr Nkpubre.
3. All subsequent petitions received (some with common signatories) contain similar
   baseless allegations that are not based on facts and will suffer similar fate.

VI. Possible Motive?
“If they struggle to build a Dugout Port at Ibeno which is only 10km from Ibaka, it means the Natural Habour at Ibaka will remain a waste for eternity.”
“By this time other Deep Sea Port might have been operational. It is better for the Project to be stopped if they can not return the Deep Sea Port to Ibaka to be built in a shorter time and at a much cheaper cost.”

FACTS:

1. Engr Nkpubre is very well aware that the natural harbour in Ibaka cannot “remain a waste for eternity”. Ibaka harbour has huge potentials and is a selling
   point to investors.
2. Engr Nkpubre’s company by his admission submitted a proposal for a productive use of Ibaka to the State Government seeking for partnership/funding which he claims was submitted to the Office of the Governor but has not received any attention.
3. Ibaka harbour is part of the Ibom Industrial City and a most suitable location for marketing ship building and ship repair yard, specialized terminals which do not require great depths etc.

Possible Fallout of Engr Nkpubre’s Disinformation Campaign

1. Ordinarily one would continue to ignore this disinformation campaign as the Technical Committee have but there exists the possibility that the innocent and uninformed may be swayed by the deliberate misinformation and manipulation carried on by Engr Nkpubre. To some extent it is a good thing for an octogenarian to be energized and Engr Nkpubre has found a source for constant adrenaline.
   We would cheer him on if it was harmless but that is not the case. For the sake of argument and in the highly unlikely event that Nkpubre’s desire to “stop” the project actually happens, the Oron community and youths have to pause for a moment and answer the question: who will suffer loss, who will be disadvantaged if the development moves elsewhere?

The ultimate beneficiaries of the deepsea port and the industrial city will be the Oron community and youths. Conversely, disruption of or stopping the project will hurt the Oron youths and community
the most.

2. It has been brought to Engr Nkpubre’s attention that Lagos ports are located in Apapa, yet the economic development impact of the port is felt hundreds of
   kilometers away from Apapa beyond Ogun State let alone a shouting distance from the seaside to Mbo – a Local Government of Oron people.
3. Almost the entirety of the Ibom Industrial City is located in Mbo. Developments
   in the Ibom Industrial city will commence prior to the construction of the port.
4. Finally, Engr Nkpubre is aware of other competing port projects as it is wish that
   “By this time other Deep Sea Port might have been operational.” while the port development in Akwa Ibom is truncated, does he imagine that Oron youths and
   experts will have employment in those out of State ports? He should sheath his sword and direct his funds and influence to the training of Oron youths and get
   them ready and equipped for employment even at the consultancy and construction phase of the port development.

Chairperson, AKSG Technical Committee on Ibom Deepsea Port and Ibom Industrial City