Tambuwal Inaugurates Medical Gas and Vacuum Plant in Akwa Ibom

To mark the sixth anniversary of the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel, his Sokoto state counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal, has Inaugurated Nigeria’s largest medical gas and vacuum plant in Akwa Ibom State.

The ceremony, took place Saturday at the Infectious Deacease and Control Center, at Ituk Mbang General Hospital.

Tambuwal, who is also the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP ) Governors Forum, said that he was in the state to celebrate Governor Emmanuel’s visionary leadership and his quintessential performance.

According to Tambuwal, ” All of us, the PDP Governors are very proud of your Governor, Udom Emmanuel “.

” Also, as Vice Chairman of the Nigeria’s Governors Forum, ( NGF ) I want to tell you that thirty five of us have confidence and respect for Governor Udom Emmanuel, and that respect is earned because he has provided leadership for his people, very resourceful to the NGF, and indeed the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he added .

” Whenever we have issues to work on, check the records, we always do ensure that Udom Emmanuel is included in that team “.

” I congratulate you for chosing to Inaugurate this project which is key to the existence of your people “.

” There’s no better job or projects than to ensure that your people live in good health and have a better life. Therefore, I seek your kind permission to replicate this project in my state,” Tambuwal stated.

Speaking earlier, Governor Emmanuel described the gas plant as the largest and best medical gas plant in the country.

While emphasising the benefit of the gas plant to the state and beyond, especially in the face of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, Goverrnor Emmanuel explained that through the new plant, the hospital was now equipped and upgraded to perform suction reticulation system procedures .

According to Governor Emmanuel, “With what we now have in this isolation centre, this facility can be converted to a critical care center in a post – Covid-19 era.

” Again, we must also begin to train our people, and that is the whole essence of putting up these facilities here “.

Providing further overview of the plant, the Commissioner for Health , Prof. Augustin Umoh, said that the establishment of the oxygen plant signaled a new beginning for healthcare delivery system in the state.

Prof. Umoh said, ” Through this project, the governor has ensured that we have more than enough medical oxygen available for all our people “.

” This plant has a generating capacity to produce one hundred thousand litres of pure oxygen per hour “.

” It is also the largest medical gas plant in the whole country with two compressors which ensures that even if something happens to one, the other one would still be active “.

On the quality of oxygen expected from the plant, the Commissioner said, ” This plant produces 95% pure oxygen with a filling bay for external demand “”.

” It also has the capacity to refill up to thirty cylinders per day as well as supply oxygen to another two thousand hospital bed space simultaneously “.

According to Prof. Umoh, ” It also has the capacity to produce vacuum for theater and to also clear the airways so that when someone is choked as it sometimes happens in Covid-19 cases, you can comfortably clear the airways “.

Delivering their goodwill messages, the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr. Aniekan Bassey, hailed Governor Emmanuel for establishing live-touching projects across the state.

The Speaker pledged the support of the State House of Assembly to the Governor, and added that his Constituents, Uran State Constituency were solidly behind his Completion Agenda.

Also, the Senator representing Uyo Senatorial District and Chairman, Senate Committee on oil and gas in the National Assembly, Obong Bassey Albert, commended Governor Emmanuel for his unparalleled achievements in his six years of administration.

Senator Albert said, ” the hallmark of a good leader is to see beyond the immediate, and when God brought you to Akwa Ibom State, it was for a time as this, so we are grateful for the fulfilment of the various campaign promises you made to us “.

In a separate event, the Governor of Sokoto State also Inaugurated the official residence of the Chairman, State Council of Chiefs.

Explaining the architectural design of the edifice, the Chairman, Uyo Capital City Development Agency, Prince Eno-obong Uwa, said that the building was a reflection of the deep seated respect accorded the traditional institutition by the State Governor.

The UCCDA boss said, “This edifice is designed with a main lounge that covers about sixty square metres, and a private lounge that is sitting on a forty square metres, with a dinning area for twenty people . It also has a record seventy square metres as the monarch’s private bedroom “.

“It is indeed, an edifice befitting of kings and royally ” Prince Uwa added.

Responding, the Chairman, State Council of Chiefs, the Oku Ibom Ibibio and Paramount Ruler of Nsit Ubium LGA , HRM, Eteyin Dr. Solomon Etuk, appreciated the Governor’s gesture and said that the state council of chiefs would continue to support the programmes and policies of the udom Emmanuel led-administration .

Earlier, Governor Emmanuel said it was imperative for Government to institutitionalized and show respect to the traditional stool, in recognition of the important role they play in maintaining peace across communities in the state.

He said, ” If you look at the three arms of government, the Governor, the Speaker and the Chief Judge have their abode, and the only person we can not find in Uyo when we want him is the Chairman, State Council of Chiefs,. Again, we can not be-labour all of you to build houses here in Uyo, so we decided to put up a residence and a guest charlet that would serve the Chairman, State Council of Chiefs as his official residence “.

According to Governor Emmanuel, ” Of all the projects we have commissioned today, this is the most significant for me because we are trying to show respect to our traditional leaders as we see it in other places that we go to ” .

While inaugurating the new building, Governor Tambuwal advocated for constructional roles for traditional rulers, saying that their closeness to the people at the grassroots puts them at a critical disposition to mediate during crisis.

Highpoint of the event was the presentation of momemtos by the Oku Ibom Ibibio to the Akwa Ibom State governor and his Sokoto State counterpart, Tambuwal.