May 14, (THEWILL) – The multi-billion naira 21-storey smart building constructed by the Akwa Ibom State Government is yet to be occupied by tenants four years after its inauguration.

The intelligent building, initiated by the administration of Udom Emmanuel, was constructed by VKS construction firm and commissioned in March 2021, as a deliberate government intervention to support and encourage Oil companies, including ExxonMobil to have their operational base in the state.

Recall that at a gala night organised by the State Government in honour of a delegation of stakeholders in the oil industry led by former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, the former governor had stated that his administration would continue to support international oil companies (IOCs) to relocate their corporate headquarters within available resources.

“We are ready to support the relocation. ExxonMobil is a very difficult corporate citizen but the Minister can give them a directive to come.

“They process over 15bn barrels of crude from our shores and that alone should propel them. They don’t have such excellent production anywhere in the world,” the former governor had said.

It was gathered that despite Emmanuel’s commitment and persuasions, ExxonMobil and other Oil companies did not show any interest in relocating their corporate head offices to the state.

Investigation has revealed that Governor Umo Eno has been urged to donate part of the building to the Bank Of Industry (BOI) and open up other spaces for interested tenants to occupy.

An insider source, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that the high cost of rent of N14 million and payment of rent in dollars placed by former governor Emmanuel scared away prospective tenants.

It was further gathered that Governor Eno had to slash the rent by half and allow payments in Naira to attract tenants.

“It is politics that is holding back ExxonMobil from coming. But we have the Bank of Industry. Savannah Energy is coming and one other company. The reason why they did not come was because the former administration insisted that the rent must be paid in dollars and at the current rate and you know the foreign exchange,” the source said.

Reacting to the development, the Commissioner for Special Duty, Dr. Bassey Okon, in an interview, said Governor Eno has directed the Ministry to do a brochure for proper marketing, adding that the Ministry was making plans to bring in a marketing consultant who will stay in Abuja, Lagos and other strategic cities to market the building.

The Commissioner said the Ministry would reach out to DPR (Department of Petroleum Resources) as well as Exxon Mobil to take up space in the facility, adding that the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission (NNPC) has offered to take some floors in the building.

According to him, the Governor has engaged facility management experts for constant supply of power in the facility, adequate maintenance and upkeep of the building as well as optimal security.

“We’ve got four tenants in the smart building. We’ve got Savanna Energy. We also have Oando Oil and Gas. We have the Bank of Industry, Health and Safety as well as Ibom Deep Sea Port, so four.

“We are still trying to reach out to DPR (Department of Petroleum Resources) as well as ExxonMobil. We want to have an interface with them. So, we are working gradually.

“The Governor has also engaged facility management experts. So, 24/7, there is power. There are people attending to requests. There are people tasked with the maintenance and upkeep of the building. We have a facility manager called Schneider Engineering.

“The Ministry of Internal Security has also positioned about six internal security personnel and they are running shifts. So, we’ve got internal security within the building as well,” he said.

LexngtonSteele:
I went to Tinapa in 2008 / 2009 on a Saturday.

Donald Duke just zapped billions there. So sad.

bmasz:


Say what you know.

The question is was Tinapa fully functional during Donald's tenure?

Did I hear a yes?

Did Imoke allegedly fail to ensure continuity by removing the managing firm and substituting it with one of his own for his own for political reasons?

I see you nodding your head?

What happened with Ayade and his band of miscreants that allegedly parried almost all the furnitures in the hotel and surrounding complexes away?

After endSARS was over, the place became less than a shadow of its former self.

It's one thing to have a vision, it is another thing for the next person after you to let your vision survive.

You should not blame the visionary for daring to dream and live their dreams if the next person cannot see the need for such lofty ambitions.

Donald did his best with the time he had. The deterioration of tinapa is as a result of carelessness from his successors.

bmasz:


Say what you know.

The question is was Tinapa fully functional during Donald's tenure?

Did I hear a yes?

Did Imoke allegedly fail to ensure continuity by removing the managing firm and substituting it with one of his own for his own for political reasons?

I see you nodding your head?

What happened with Ayade and his band of miscreants that allegedly parried almost all the furnitures in the hotel and surrounding complexes away?

After endSARS was over, the place became less than a shadow of its former self.

It's one thing to have a vision, it is another thing for the next person after you to let your vision survive.

You should not blame the visionary for daring to dream and live their dreams if the next person cannot see the need for such lofty ambitions.

Donald did his best with the time he had. The deterioration of tinapa is as a result of carelessness from his successors.

MEEVEET:
So a governor believed that if mobil wanted to move to akwa ibom... It's lack of office space that would stop them?

If you want mobil to move to akwa ibom it's simple... Make a law that any company that operates in akwa ibom from outside would pay 10 x the normal Tax

If you have head office in the state u pay 0.8 x tax

Then watch them move or stay either way win win

Blue3k:


Lol you're funny. Instead of you to offer tax breaks or you want to threaten fire and brimstone. They will just leave if there's no money to made then you're left with a bigger issue. The state already has a high unemployment rate because these companies don't care to do business there.

Since Akwa Ibom already makes alot if money on royalty they would be better off cutting PAYE tax. They can't legally change the rate since its federal, but they can offer tax returns at year end to individuals who file. States in America have different tax codes depending on their situation. Uniformed taxes in Nigeria don't make sense for the states since it limits their options.

MEEVEET:

Did u read what I wrote?

MEEVEET:

Did u read what I wrote?

NimrodEndOfDays:
what do you expect. He is a Tinubu supporter

MEEVEET:
So a governor believed that if mobil wanted to move to akwa ibom... It's lack of office space that would stop them?

If you want mobil to move to akwa ibom it's simple... Make a law that any company that operates in akwa ibom from outside would pay 10 x the normal Tax

If you have head office in the state u pay 0.8 x tax

Then watch them move or stay either way win win

bmasz:


Say what you know.

The question is was Tinapa fully functional during Donald's tenure?

Did I hear a yes?

Did Imoke allegedly fail to ensure continuity by removing the managing firm and substituting it with one of his own for his own for political reasons?

I see you nodding your head?

What happened with Ayade and his band of miscreants that allegedly parried almost all the furnitures in the hotel and surrounding complexes away?

After endSARS was over, the place became less than a shadow of its former self.

It's one thing to have a vision, it is another thing for the next person after you to let your vision survive.

You should not blame the visionary for daring to dream and live their dreams if the next person cannot see the need for such lofty ambitions.

Donald did his best with the time he had. The deterioration of tinapa is as a result of carelessness from his successors.