AKHA Launches Probe into St. Gabriel Coconut Refinery Ownership Amid Workers’ 7-Month Salary Arrears

 

By Asuquo Edem 

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has moved to unravel the ownership status of the St. Gabriel Coconut Plantation and Oil Refinery following complaints over the non-payment of salaries to its workers for the past seven months.

During plenary on Thursday, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong, announced the constitution of a Joint Committee to investigate the matter. The panel, which comprises members of the House Committees on Agriculture & Natural Resources and Labour & Productivity, is tasked with determining whether the facility is still owned by the state government or has been transferred to a private entity.

The development followed a motion raised by Hon. Uwem Peter Imoh-Ita, member representing Mkpat Enin State Constituency. He presented the motion titled: “Urgent Need for the Akwa Ibom State Government to Pay the Seven Months Salary Arrears of Workers at St. Gabriel Coconut Plantation and Oil Refinery in Mkpat Enin, Ikot Abasi, and Eastern Obolo Local Government Areas.”

Imoh-Ita told the House that the affected workers were originally recruited by the Akwa Ibom State Government through the Ministry of Agriculture in 2016 as part of its agricultural and industrial development drive. According to him, the workers received regular salaries up until December 2024, after which payments ceased without any formal communication from the government.

“These workers diligently rendered services and were paid regularly until December last year. Since then, salary payments have stopped without explanation, leaving them in limbo for seven months,” he said.

He further expressed concern that efforts by the workers to seek clarification or intervention from the Ministry of Agriculture had been futile, despite repeated assurances of payment.

“The workers, many of whom are parents and breadwinners, have been forced to stop going to work due to financial hardship and transportation challenges. Some no longer know if they are still employed by the state or have been silently laid off,” the lawmaker lamented.

The motion called on the state government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, to immediately clear the salary arrears and any other entitlements owed to the affected workers.

In response, Speaker Otong directed the newly constituted committee to interface with relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Commissioner for Labour, and the affected workers. The findings of the committee are expected to provide clarity on both the ownership of the refinery and the status of the workers.