The Akwa Ibom State Government said the major reason the Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing, JSM, company in Onna suspended its operations in the state was due to the national economic crisis rocking major businesses in Nigeria.
Senior Special Assistant to Governor Umo Eno on Research and Documentation, Dr Essien Ndueso, speaking on Arise Akwa Ibom, a popular radio program in Uyo, at the weekend, blamed Nigeria’s current business environment for the continuous exit of multinational companies.
He said it would be unreasonable for anyone to criticise Governor Umo Eno or his predecessor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, who brought the company, over the temporary suspension of operations at JSM company in Onna.
Recall that JSM, inaugurated in 2017 by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, had on January 3, 2024, announced a temporary suspension of its operations, citing unforeseen circumstances affecting business operations in Nigeria.
Some critics blamed the governor and his predecessor, Emmanuel for the exit of the company which was called the largest syringe manufacturing company in Africa.
But, Essien said such criticisms were targeted at scoring cheap political points from the unfortunate situation, noting that other multinational companies such as GSK Plc, Nigeria’s second-biggest drug producer, GlaxoSmithKline and Unilever, producers of famous brands like OMO, Sunlight and Lux have also announced cease of operations due to harsh business terrain they were grappling with.
“We all know that since the removal of fuel subsidy, Nigeria is undergoing a serious economic crisis. Foreign exchange, import duties, and interest rates are basically the reasons companies are closing down in Nigeria.
“Outside Akwa Ibom State, several SMEs, according to reports, have completely shutdown operations while several big names have also scaled back operations. Reports on Business Day newspaper indicate that companies like GSK Plc, Nigeria’s second-biggest drug producer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Unilever, producers of famous brands like OMO, Sunlight and Lux, have also announced cease of operations,” he said.
On the criticism against the international worship centre in Uyo, Essien said there was nothing wrong in having a befitting central place of worship in Akwa Ibom State, which is 99 per cent dominated by Christians.
“Before the Worship Centre was built, Akwa Ibom people, who are devoted Christians, used to gather under the sun at Ibom Hall grounds to praise God and for all other religious activities.
“For those who say that the money used to build a befitting temple of God would have been channelled into other things, let me ask; those states that haven’t built international worship centres, do they have free and compulsory education? Do they have better roads than Akwa Ibom State? Do they have more peace than our dear Akwa Ibom State? In what way are they better than Akwa Ibom State?
“When people talk about generation of revenue, have they told us how the Statue of Liberty in the US generates revenue?
“The same people who gather every year to source for funds and visas to travel to the Middle East to go and worship God are now turning around to criticize a befitting centre of worship that would engender religious tourism by our people.
“If the government in a State named after God ought not to build a centre of worship for God, would they rather have built a shrine?” Essien queried.
A’Ibom govt explains JSM’s exit, defends new worship centre
