The Empire

The Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, has called for cooperation from the people of Ibikpe, Ikpa and Ikot Oku Villages in Uruan Local Government Area, to fast tract the establishment of the proposed 50,000 BPD Modular Refinery in the area. The Speaker gave the charge on recently at the Public Forum/Scooping Workshop on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed Refinery, organised by the Rhema COG Energy Development Limited with the Federal Ministry of Environment, held at Emrosy Hotel, Uyo. Continuing, the Speaker, represented by his Press Secretary, Mr Emmanuel Effiong, vowed to apply all constitutional means to ensure that all statutory benefits that should accrue to the host communities, are fulfilled by the company, when fully operational. He said the Refinery when established, will boost the industrialization policy of Governor Governor Udom Emmanuel and appealed for cooperation from the host villages, to ensure prompt

Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, said at the weekend that members of Seventh Assembly under his watch remain committed to the policy thrusts of Governor Udom Emmanuel and would continually make legislations for qualitative educational system in the State. He lauded the State Governor for carefully constituting the 23-Member Committee for the Summit and maintained that its theme, “Human Capacity Building for Sustainable Transformation of Persons and Society,” was apt. Rt. Hon. Bassey, who made this known while sharing his thoughts with journalists on the forthcoming Education Summit in the state, hinted that “the agenda of the Seventh Assembly is people-oriented and in sync with the educational policy and development drive of Governor Udom Emmanuel.” He added that the House’s recess has not halted legislative activities of members at Committee and Constituency levels, maintain that “the synergy between the executive and the legislature has

Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, has condemned the recent attack on the immediate past Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in Nuremberg, Germany, saying “it is a threat to Nigeria’s unity and reputation.” Rt. Hon. Bassey made this known on Wednesday shortly after a roundtable session of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, themed “Strengthening the Capacity of State Legislature for Effective Governance,” at the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Mr. Darlington Udobong, the Speaker described the act as “despicable, disgraceful, unpatriotic and the height of disrespect to a leader. It is a shameful assault that threatens our unity and reputation as a country.” “Senator Ike Ekweremadu, we all know, has consistently projected and defended the cause of his people in floor of the Senate and in his written and personal engageme

Foremost socio-cultural organization in Annang Nation, Ati Annang, during its Silver Jubilee Anniversary/International Convention Grand Finale, inducted Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, as its Associate Member. The grand event, themed Annang Nation: Building Our Future Together, took place on Saturday, August 17, 2019, at Ati Annang International Secretariat, Ikot Ekpene The Speaker was also presented with a Certificate of Associate Membership in the presence of the Governor Udom Emmanuel; his deputy, Mr. Moses Ekpo; Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem; Paul Usoro (SAN); Ray Ekpu; Atuekong Don Etiebet among others. Elated by the honour done him, Rt. Hon. Bassey thanked Ati Annang for keeping its aim “of collectively defining, articulating and implementing the goals and ideals of Annang ethnic destiny within the context of the Nigerian ethno-centered nation state” alive. He charged the organization to continu

A British court has given Process and Industrial Development Limited (P&ID) the go-ahead to seize Nigerian assets worth $9 billion. P&ID got a judgement in its favour in London on Friday. The case in contention is a 2010 deal agreement to build a gas processing plant in Calabar which collapsed because Nigeria did not meet its end of the bargain. Commenting on the judgement on behalf of the company, Andrew Stafford Q.C. of Kobre & Kim said: “We are pleased that the Court has rejected Nigeria’s objections both to the arbitration process and to the amount of the award and that it will grant permission to P&ID to begin enforcement of the award in the United Kingdom. “The Court has ruled decisively in P&ID’s favour and has comprehensively rejected Nigeria’s efforts to avoid payment of this award of over $9.6 billion. “P&ID is committed to vigorously enforcing its rights, and we intend to begin the process of seizing Nigerian assets in order to satisfy this aw

Few months after Akwa Ibom under Governor Udom Emmanuel was declared the cleanest State in Nigeria, the Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), Hon Prince Akpan Ikim has been honored by independent Publishers of Magazine Association of Nigeria (IMPAN), with a National Merit Award for change and good governance in meeting the demands and yearnings of the masses. The Abuja delegation of this Association which is widely known as an umbrella formed to Shield the publishers of Magazine in Nigeria, made the presentation today, August 16, 2019 at AKSEPWMA's office, New park road, Itam. In his remarks, the President of IPMAN, Prince Jude Ubaka, disclosed that Ikim's nomination for the award was based on the investigative report gathered about his achievements on routine monitoring, supervision and implementation of the State Law against indiscriminate dumping of refuse around illegal spot across the State. The IMPAN representat

Wife of the Akwa Ibom State  Governor, Mrs Martha Udom Emmanuel, former Governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio,  former Super Eagles skipper, Vincent Enyeama are among eminent Annang people to be honoured in the Ati Annang Hall of Fame this Saturday. The event which is the Grand Finale of Ati Annang Silver Jubilee at the International Secretariat of Ati Annang in Ikot Ekpene, will have the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel as Special Guest of Honour and the Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Paul Usoro, SAN, as Chairman of the occasion. The honorees, according to the planning committee, have been selected in view of their outstanding sacrifices and contributions to the growth, progress and unity of Annang, Akwa Ibom and Nigeria in general. The Hall of fame on 50 past and living Annang legends by Ati Annang Foundation is aimed at fulfilling the admonition of Plato, the ancient philosopher that, “honor should be given to whom honor is due”. Ati Annang, a foremost