By Bassey Nkponam
UYO
Governor Umo Eno has assured Akwa Ibomites that the Oron Maritime Infrastructure project, currently ongoing, would be completed next year to improve the State’s blue economy and ferry passengers.
Eno, who gave the assurance, Tuesday, during the presentation of the proposed appropriation estimate for the 2026 financial year at the State Assembly complex, Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo, said the project will improve the passenger ferries which would make it easier for Akwa Ibom people to travel to and from Oron to Calabar in Cross River State.
“We hope to complete most of the work currently ongoing at the Oron Marine Infrastructure project next year, to help improve our blue economy and, of course, the passenger ferries which would make it easier for our people to travel to and from Oron to Calabar in Cross River State.”
Presenting his achievement in the various sectors of the economy in the past two years plus, Eno said government has made tremendous strides across all five pillars of its governance blueprint – the ARISE Agenda.
His words: “Today, from agriculture to rural development, from infrastructure to security and educational advancements, tourism to healthcare, promotion of SMEs to sports, housing, transport among other key sectors, we are undertaking bold and audacious projects without borrowing and have earmarked resources to complete all the projects we have initiated. We thank the President again and assure him that to whom much is given, much is expected and we will deliver big for him come 2027.
“Our agricultural revolution is on course as work is ongoing at the Ibom Model Farm in Nsit Ubium. All across our State, our people have imbibed the spirit of returning to the farm to plant our staple foods. The Ministry of Agriculture has been distributing farm implements, fertilizers, tractors and we will redouble our efforts in this critical sector next year.
“As we speak, sixty-nine thousand one hundred and seven farmers have benefited from our agricultural revolution; 13,060 registered farmers have benefited from Agric processing machines and equipment we have purchased for our farmers.
“The palm tree crop revolution, which we plan to launch soon, will create a generational wealth for our people, especially those in the rural areas. Palm oil was our black gold – the commodity that had empowered our people, helped send some of our best and brightest sons and daughters to study abroad long before crude oil and gas were discovered. Through this revolution, government will actively get involved in palm tree planting and will eventually off-take from our farmers. To make this project take off and run smoothly, I recently directed AKADEP, to be moved from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Office of the Secretary to the State government and a massive renovation exercise is ongoing in the facility. I intend to visit the facility from this presentation. We have bought tractors to aid our farmers, we will commission the tractor leasing company in December.
“We remain intentional in ensuring that there are ongoing projects in all the 31 local government areas- from model primary schools to model healthcare centres, 78 new feeder roads, 30 wet markets, water projects, electricity etc, all in line with our desire to stem rural-urban migration and ensure a good quality of life for our rural dwellers.
“We are currently constructing over 900 kilometres of road across the state some have already been commissioned while others are ongoing. I made a promise during my campaign that we will not abandon any viable uncompleted road projects from previous administrations and so far, we have kept our promise.
“There is no senatorial district in this State that we have not touched, either with a new road project or those whom we have deployed our finisher’s anointing to complete and commission. Akwa Ibom State I must re-emphasize, has possibly the best road network of all the sub-nationals in the Nation and we stand ready to do more in this critical area. Beginning 1st December, we will commence fixing all potholes within the capital city of the State.
“Also, government has made provision for one project each for the 31 local government areas taken specifically from the NEEDS documents earlier submitted by the 10 federal constituencies of the State during our Town Square Meetings.
“We continue to see education as the way out of poverty. We are not just providing education for our children, but functional education – one that prepares them for the opportunities that today’s technology-enabled world provides. That is what informed our decision to construct and equip our model primary schools with all the modern amenities because once you catch them young at the primary level, you have succeeded in preparing them for a more robust educational pursuit and opportunities for success. We plan to construct model secondary schools in all the three senatorial districts, beginning with the pilot in Uyo Senatorial District.
“We are regularly paying bursaries to students in tertiary instructions, giving grants to students living with disabilities and continue to support our tertiary institutions with grants.
“We recently declared an emergency in the healthcare sector, and have directed that 1,300 retired healthcare professionals who are still strong to be re-engaged. I have also directed the employment of additional 2,000 healthcare professionals, to help beef our workforce in this critical sector.
“We are upgrading and equipping 8 General Hospitals and 29 existing Primary Healthcare Centres. Last week, we commissioned the General Hospital in Ukanafun – a long desired medical facility for the people of that Local Government Area.
“Our hospitals have a more comprehensive drugs distribution mechanism and drugs are readily available to take care of the sick amongst us. Oxygen plants are functioning optimally at our Isolation Centre in Ituk Mbang, Abak and Eket respectively same as our molecular laboratory also in Ituk Mbang. The Senior Citizens’ Centre in Ibiono Ibom, is expected to be commissioned soon.
“We are training and re-training our medical personnel and all these are geared towards ensuring that we have a healthy and productive population. We have awarded contracts for the building of an international hospital with such departments as oncology, to detect early cancer symptoms and other diseases. We are also constructing along the medical corridor, a stand-alone, purpose-built international diagnostic centre. This diagnostic centre, would be accredited by all international bodies. The diagnoses that will be recorded at this centre will be accepted by hospitals the world over. This is an audacious project that is captured in the 2026 budget and again, fulfills our campaign promises in healthcare delivery services.
“In aviation, housing and sports we continue to support Ibom Air to remain the best and most preferred airline in the Nation and the overall aviation ecosystem. Work is ongoing at the Aviation Village and we have successfully installed the lighting at the Victor Attah International Airport, which allows aircraft to land at night.
“We are working closely with aviation stakeholders and theregulatory agencies to commence operations at the International Terminal as well as our MRO.
“In the housing sector, work is also ongoing at the Judiciary village, Ewet Luxury Estate, Aviation Village, Medical Village and next year, we hope to commence work both in the Legislative and Commissioners’ quarters. We had earlier commissioned 236 units at the Grace Estate and had handed over 150 units to Civil Servants between Grade Levels 1 to 8.
“We remain dedicated to discovering talents who would go on to represent us at both National and International sporting events and earlier this year, we held our State sports festival during which new talents were discovered. Work is ongoing at the Sports Academy in Eket. Sports I must reemphasize is a multi-billion naira business and we want to expose our youths to get a little piece of the pie.
“In the area of social investments, job creation and poverty alleviation, 49,902 people have been engaged in various projects we are currently undertaking. N9.3 billion have so far been expended in various grants to help our people get out of poverty.
“We have invested heavily in ensuring that the most vulnerable among us are not left behind. To date, through our Arise Compassionate Homes, we have built, equipped and handed over 335 homes to beneficiaries drawn from several wards across the State.
“We are on track to building and handing over 500 of such homes to the beneficiaries before the end of our first term in office. The fifty thousand Naira support we provide to 600 elders monthly drawn from all the 369 wards remains in effect as well as free food distribution programme.
To date, 10,408 active households have benefited from our Community and Social Development Agency intervention.
“Out of the N110 billion backlog of gratuities we inherited dating back to 2012, we have, under two years plus since we came in, paid to date, over 75 billion clearing in the process backlogs to March 2021. This month, I released an additional N 1.3 billion to further reduce the backlog. You will agree with me that, this is indeed a great achievement. By next year, we will continue to reduce the backlog until everything is cleared.
“We have placed heavy premium in human capacity development and the promotion of SMEs. Over three thousand of our youths have been trained and given start-up grants through the Entrepreneurial Accelerator Programme (EAP) run by Ibom-LED.
“We have also supported the Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre (DACS) to commence operations and graduated the first set of trainees. We have a N2 billion matching fund with the Bank of Industry (BoI) to enable our people to borrow at single digit interest rate; this fund is available to be drawn by farmers and traders. We are doing all we can to ensure that we promote SMEs as the engine of economic growth and an easy pathway to the middle class. In the 2026 Budget, we have made provision for N31 billion Naira to support SME Programs across all the Local Government Areas.
“Tourism is a critical area that we are priming our State for a life beyond oil. We are building the 5,000 capacity International Convention Centre; the 200-room Ibom Hotels; the Arise Shopping City all located within the Tropicana grounds. We are renovating the Ibom Hotels and Golf resorts, to bring it up to speed with modern features.
“We are wrapping up construction in the ARISE Palm Resort-one of our most audacious tourism project in the state. Work is ongoing at the Ibom Towers and Apartment in Lagos and awaiting approvals of our designs for the award of contract for the construction of Ibom Hotels in Abuja. We are priming and preparing our state for sustainable growth through different streams of income by utilising our previously moribund assets.
“We recently held our Power Summit and came up with action plans for the sector. By next year, you will begin to see the effects of this, in that all-important sector. Our CNG-enabled bus services, we hope, will become functional next year.
“We continue to work hard and put the building blocks for the realization of our Ibom Deep Seaport. Access road has been created”, thanking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the bold act he took by removing the petroleum subsidy which today, has made it possible for States to have more funds and resources to execute both recurrent and capital projects.
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