News
China-invested industrial park brings tangible benefits to local communities in Indonesia
By Guan Kejiang, Shen Xiaoxiao, Zhang Jie, People’s Daily
Thanks to the establishment of a China-Indonesia economic and trade cooperation zone, Bahodopi village in Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi province of Indonesia, has turned from a small fishing village with just a few thousands of residents into a prosperous town with a population of more than 200,000, where row upon row of fruit, garment and grocery shops line the main street bustling with motorcycles and pedestrians.
The Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) project was signed under the witness of Chinese President Xi Jinping and then Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when Xi was paying a state visit to Indonesia in October 2013.
The construction of the industrial park has brought the economic development of Morowali Regency onto a fast track.
Former speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Marzuki Alie noted that the IMIP vividly demonstrates the high-quality co-construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) between Indonesia and China, and it has brought tangible benefits to the local people.
Machines are always grumbling in the industrial park, where heavy-duty trucks, tower cranes and barges work in close cooperation in a well coordinated manner.
It is learned that some 40 enterprises have opened in the industrial park, which are mainly engaged in the nickel-iron, stainless steel and new energy vehicle battery material industries. The industrial park has grown into an important production base of stainless steel of the world, with total agreed investment of over $15 billion.
“I’ve been working here for almost 10 years. Every day the industrial park looks different,” said Miss Marwati, an Indonesian employee with the comprehensive management department of the IMIP.
Marwati quit her job in Jarkata in 2013 after she learned that a China-invested industrial park would be built in her hometown. Today, she is already a key employee of the comprehensive management department, which she attributes to the broad platform offered by the IMIP and the assistance from her Chinese colleagues.
“I’ll make every effort to do a good job and work with my colleagues to develop the industrial park. I believe our life will only get better,” she said.
Taslim, the head of Morowali Regency, noted that the regency owns rich resources of nickel mines, and the IMIP has turned these mines into projects that bring tangible benefits to the people.
According to him, the fiscal revenue of the regency has doubled since 2018 to reach 384 billion rupiah ($25.6 million).
“With this money, we are allowed to expand our investment in education and public services to improve the living standard of the people,” Taslim said.
While pursuing its own development, the IMIP is actively fulfilling its social responsibility. It has built 42 kilometers of medium-voltage power transmission lines that enables 24-hour power supply for surrounding villages, which put an end to the old days when sunset equaled to complete darkness in local communities. The industrial park helped local communities build kindergartens, middle schools, soccer pitches and vocational schools. Besides, it has also launched tree planting and coral reef transplanting and conservation activities, planting over 11 hectares of mangrove trees and restoring more than 270 hectares of vegetation on mines.
Today, Morowali Regency is one of the most dynamic places in Indonesia when it comes to attracting investment and creating jobs.
The Sari Rasa Restaurant near the IMIP is a vivid example. It was still a small restaurant in 2018, but today it has turned into a gigantic complex comprising a ship-shaped giant log cabin whose facade is decorated with colorful wood carvings, a two-storey B&B hotel, a much bigger restaurant and a starred hotel under construction.
Marta, the owner of the restaurant, told People’s Daily that Chinese enterprises have boosted local economy, which also gave a leg up to her business.
“My dreams years ago are all realized,” she said.
She’s now planning to cooperate with other businesses to jointly improve the public environment, so residents in the community would live better.
“This is my new dream,” Marta explained.
Everyone has a dream. As the BRI grows from a seed of dreams into a luxuriant tree and becomes a path of opportunities and common prosperity, more and more people from participating countries will see their
News
SERAP sues Akpabio over ‘failure to reverse unlawful suspension of Natasha Akpoti’

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The group argues that the suspension is unlawful and violates her fundamental right to freedom of expression.
SERAP is seeking a court order compelling Akpabio to reverse the six-month suspension, reinstate Akpoti-Uduaghan, and restore all her legislative privileges. The organization also wants an injunction preventing the Senate from imposing further disciplinary actions against her for expressing her views.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended after she reportedly spoke without permission and rejected a new seat assignment in the Senate chamber. As part of her suspension, her salary and allowances have been withheld, and she has been barred from identifying as a senator.
In its suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP contends that the suspension deprives Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constituents of political representation. The organization also argues that penalizing a senator for exercising free speech creates a chilling effect on other lawmakers.
“No one should ever be punished for speaking without permission,” SERAP stated. “The Senate should uphold the rule of law and protect human rights, not suppress them.”
The group cites constitutional provisions and international human rights treaties, including Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
SERAP maintains that the Senate Standing Orders cannot override constitutional guarantees of free speech. The lawsuit emphasizes that restricting a senator’s expression undermines democracy and violates Nigerians’ right to receive information and participate politically.
No date has been set for the hearing of the case.
News
Market associations, women groups knock el-Rufai, rally support for Tinubu, Gov Sani

Ahead of the 2027 elections, hundreds of members of market associations and numerous women groups in Kaduna state at the weekend, occupied Kaduna metropolis in a peaceful demonstration where they reiterated their loyalty and support to the administration of
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The protesters who alleged that they had bitter experiences during the El-Rufa’i administration, said they would remain where Governor Uba Sani stood and advised the citizens of Kaduna not to be deceived by doing the contrary.
They recounted their ordeals during the 8 years of the previous administration, alleging that hundreds of market shops belonging to individuals were either seized, demolished or confiscated, a situation that triggered ill health in many traders and business owners leading to paralysis and multiple deaths of their colleagues.
“We’ve been in the market for over 40 years and have never experienced the kind of set backs we suffered under the previous Governor.”
“A lot of lives were lost,a lot of finances were ruined by reason of his kind of policies. We are here to speak with one voice and say that anything that would kind of revive such kind of philosophy in Kaduna market, we don’t want it,” Daniel Audu Maigari, a stakeholder of the Kaduna Market associations, has said.
He explained that “this incumbent Governor began by healing the wounds, the wounds that were really severed by the former Governor. Governor Uba Sani has been doing so,so very well and that’s why we’ve been with our leader, Alhaji Abdurrahman Mohammed, who like Governor Sani,has been charting the right course, ensuring programmes and plans that will heal these wounds .”
He said there was never been a time they are having the impact of leadership in Kaduna market, like they are having now.
” Now we’ve lots of incentives, lots of policies that are driving us to progress .We are now standing with one voice to denounce anything that would reverse this,” he said.
Alhaji Daiyabu Ismail Mai Gwanjo, Chairman Stakeholders of the Kaduna State Market Traders associations, said on behalf of their leader,Alhaji Abdurrahman Mohammed, his EXCO and all trader leaders in the 23 Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, they have gathered to unilaterally declare an unalloyed support to Governor Uba Sani who had taken care of them and protected their interests.
According to him,” we have to say so,haven had the harrowing experience in the hands of the past administration. The scar still remains and many are yet to recover.”
“But when Almighty Allah sent Governor Uba Sani to us,he declared he would not do anything bad to traders because the world thrives on businesses.All the most cherished countries like China, Canada, UAE, India,are very proud of and supportive to their traders and other business persons.”
“Unfortunately, we found ourselves during the previous administration that neither showed empathy nor sympathy to traders. An approximate number of 36 markets were demolished at that time.None of these markets was completely rebuild ,till date,and we are suspicious of the collaboration between the previous administration and the market developers.”
“We are therefore calling on Governor Uba Sani, our Governor of sympathy and understanding, to look at this issue with a view to resolving it.We are with Uba Sani a hundred percent, ” he added.
Hajiya Hadiza Abdulaziz,a woman leader of the market association,said they have gathered in multitudes to reiterate their support to the APC and Governor Uba Sani who has tremendously supported the market men and women in Kaduna State.
” Most of the market women had no shops because the shops were collected. But now we give God the glory everybody has gotten their shops back and nobody will collect it again,” she said.
She expressed happiness that those making the market women not to achieve, had left the party and government.
“We’ve been crying, a lot of market women don’t have capital, they have been deceiving us.But now,I believe Governor Uba Sani is going to assist us,”she added.
The protesters later took to the streets ,displaying placards with various inscriptions denouncing the previous arrangements, and chanting slogans in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
” Most of the market women had no shops because the shops were collected. But now we give God the glory everybody has gotten their shops back and nobody will collect it again,” she said.
She expressed happiness that those making the market women not to achieve, had left the party and government.
“We’ve been crying, a lot of market women don’t have capital, they have been deceiving us.But now,I believe Governor Uba Sani is going to assist us,”she added.
The protesters later took to the streets ,displaying placards with various inscriptions denouncing the previous arrangements, and chanting slogans in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
News
Obasanjo bemoans selection process of traditional rulers in Nigeria
-
Foreign19 hours ago
Judge blocks Trump from deporting non-citizens using wartime law
-
News19 hours ago
Obasanjo bemoans selection process of traditional rulers in Nigeria
-
News19 hours ago
SERAP sues Akpabio over ‘failure to reverse unlawful suspension of Natasha Akpoti’
-
Metro19 hours ago
4 abducted victims rescued as police neutralise wanted kidnap kingpin
-
News19 hours ago
Market associations, women groups knock el-Rufai, rally support for Tinubu, Gov Sani