Akwa Ibom indigenous paint company, Peacock Paints Limited, which recently launched it Colour Centre at Plot 93, D-Line, Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo, commenced the training of over 50 painters across the state.
Speaking to participants, the Acting General Manager of the company, Pastor Aniefiok Essien, charged participants at the training and the public to take advantage of the products and services offered by Peacock Paints.
He assured the trainees, whom he called partners in progress, of job satisfaction in every brokered business, according to him, “If Peacock Paints supply its products to clients, it is our obligation to make sure we push every job you. It is our belief that when you grow, the company grows. This is not politics, it is business.”
Pastor Essien, who thanked the State Governor for the reposition and re-commissioned of the company, said so much has happened since the company was relaunched.
According to him, “So far, a lot has happened since the company was re-commissioned. I want to begin with the machineries. We have had a total overhauling of the lines from the dissolvers, the mixers, everything has come up now. We can do our Calux now; we can do our water-based and all that now.”
He also assured workers of better emolument, saying “Everything is set and we are now waiting for the people. Very soon the Board is coming up with a special welfare package for the workers.”
In his remarks, the Director of Marketing and Sales, Mr. Samuel Ebe, also thanked Governor Emmanuel for revamping the paint factory, saying “First of all, I have to thank Governor Udom Emmanuel for revamping the paint factory to ease employment.”
“The idea behind what we are doing today is to; first of all, create confidence to our painters who have lost faith in the brand. We are taking them beyond their expectations by letting them understand that Peacock Paints is really back. It a baby company for now and gradually, we will get back to our feet. In fact, in the next one year we should be talking about exporting to the entire West African sub-region. Already, we have started having enquiries from Ghana, Cameroun and other countries and the good is that we now have professionals working for us. We are here to support and help the Governor fulfill his industrialization drive,” he maintained.
On the notion of the true existence of Peacock Paints in the market, the Sales Executive Officer who is in-charge of the Colour Centre, Mr. Isua Eduek, said “Whoever that says Peacock Paints is not in existence are those that played opposition politics because since the State Governor re-commissioned the company in 2015, we have been producing. The Secretariat Complex Annex was completely painted with our products; the Akwa Ibom State University Complex was painted with our products. Look around here, everything here are our products. So, it is a wrong notion. Peacock Paints exists.”
Also speaking, a representative of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment, Mr. Essien Ibanga, said “Before the Board of Peacock Paints was announced by the Governor, the ministry was overseeing the reactivation and the production. I thank God that the company is back. I also thank the Governor for his vision in making sure that the first company he has re-commissioned is Peacock Paints. Today’s training is an effort in the right direction and I am sure by this exercise, a lot of our youths will be employed in the nearest future as painters and managers of depots.”
Workers in the company also spoke well of the company through its Union representative, Comrade Emmanuel Robinson, according to him, “When I joined the company as at then, the welfare package was not impressive at all and since then we have been moving on and unfortunately, the company went moribund as a result of mismanagement.”
“Today, I thank God that we are back and I thank the Governor for resuscitating Peacock Paints with a brand new management. As we speak, there is a lot of restructuring that is ongoing and we, the entire workers, are supporting the company to stand. The reason is that when the company stands, our welfare packages will be better. So far payments of salaries have been prompt,” he said.
“My appeal first, is to the Directors is that in as much as they are working tirelessly to make the company stands, they should not ignore good packages for the workers. The management should be very sincere and open to the labour union for a better partnership. To the workers, we need to give the Management and the Board all the necessary support to ensure that Peacock Paints succeeds,” Comrade Robinson appealed.
Responding, one of the participants, Udousoro Peter Sylvester, expressed happiness and appealed that the training be maintained for human capacity development.
In his words: “I am very happy to be among the people trained today by Peacock Paints. I am happy with what the Akwa Ibom State Government is doing. I pray God to continue to give Governor Udom Emmanuel more wisdom to do things like this for the people to have something to eat today and in the future.”
