By Bassey Blackman
Motivated by his concern for the revitalisation of the economy of Oro ethnic group in Akwa Ibom State, the Executive Director, Projects, at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Sir Victor Etim Antai, has led a team of clergymen on a prayer tour of potential and activated strategic investment locations in his Oron homeland.
The event, christened, “Akpakip-Oro Ministers’ Forum Redemption Match,” aimed at promoting economic recovery and development in the region.
WatchmanPost reports that the prayer tour, which took place on January 1, 2025, covered key investment sites across the five Local Government Areas of Oro ethnicity.
The sites visited included Oron Beach, Oron Main Market, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Ibaka Deep Seaport, and other investable locations in Okobo Local Government Area.
Antai emphasised that the prayers were an affirmation of his unwavering support for the exploitation of the area’s abundant natural resources.
He also reminded the clergymen that the prayer tour complemented initiatives to promote Small and Medium Scale businesses through the development of key economic investment units in the area.
The former Commissioner of Culture and Tourism in Akwa Ibom stressed that “the prayer tour was an opportunity to examine the capacities of the investment sites, identify past mistakes, and implement necessary corrections.”
He urged traditional institutions and the rural populace to ensure a peaceful and investor-friendly environment, leveraging the region’s power sector, Ibaka Deep Seaport, Maritime Academy, and road infrastructure.
Antai’s words echoed his commitment to Oro’s economic recovery as he said, “We must all realise that Oro nation is bigger than the sum total of its parts.”
