The Akwa Ibom government has concluded plans to develop a comprehensive database of qualified citizens for possible employment at the now remodeled Ibom Tropicana Mall. This revelation was made recently in Uyo by the chairman, Technical Committee on Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), Mr Gabriel Ukpe, during a maiden meeting between the mall managers, Median Infrastructural Development Ltd, the lead anchor, Market Square and other crucial stakeholders.
Ukpe stated that the state government was embarking on the collation of data of its citizens who have met the necessary requirements for possible considerations for employment as the mall gears up to commence full commercial activities , December 1, 2020. He said that although the effort was a collaborative one through a public private partnership (PPP) arrangement, the government was not intending to impose candidates on the management of the facility as the move was only aimed at giving qualified Akwa Ibom citizens an opportunity to further enhance their capacity and boost their sense of belonging.
He explained that upon the conclusion of the compilation, the mechanised data base would form a poll of names which the state government would then forward to the mall’s management team, where the selection of qualified candidates would be done only on merit. He added that the idea was in consonant with Emmanuel’s commitment to human capital development, which he noted was going to mutually benefit both the state government and the investors.
Responding to fears raised by concerned shop allottees on issues of indiscriminate and multiple taxation, the state FDI boss explained that the state government had recently banned multiple taxation and there were plans underway to work out an effective and coordinated approach to tax remittances to the government thus blocking tax eversion as well as preventing indiscriminate billing by tax officials. Leading the management team of the mall, the managing director of Median Infrastructural Development Company, Mr Olumide Akinsanya, stated that the restructuring of the mall was at its finishing stages.
He also added that barring last minutes adjustments, December 1, 2020 earlier promoted as the reopening date for commercial activities remains sacrosanct. Akinsanya, an engineer, revealed that 30 out of the 45 shops available in the mall were already allotted to various tenants in line with the facility agreement deal thus underscoring the preparedness of the mall to open for business activities on the stipulated date. While emphasising on the readiness of all stakeholders for the official reopening, Akinsanya posited that the decision to commence operations on December 1, was to help shop owners commence commercial activities on a higher note with the advantage of cashing-in on the 2020 Christmas sales. He further explained that the mall was now remodeled to fit into world-class standard with modern gadgets and facilities. Features incorporated into the new design include: five fire exits in an emergency situation, central public address system for coordinate response, CCTV for effective monitoring of activities and security as well as fire sprinklers in the case of fire outbreak.
