Local Aproko News And Gist (2024)

23/02/2024

Press Release

THAT FRANKLYN ISONG’S MANUFACTURED LIES AND SMEAR CAMPAIGN

Our attention has been drawn to a cocktail of lies and intentionally manufactured and malicious blackmail- laden article currently floating in a section of the social media platforms, sourced, garnished and served by Mr. Franklyn Isong who heads a nebulous civil society organization: Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network( CHRAN.)

Franklyn Isong, through the Organization in an article headlined, “Eno in soup as group demands account of multi- billion Naira from Tinubu”, made various factually incorrect assertions, including that“, Abuja released the sum of 5 billion Naira and 3 thousand bags of rice to the Eno Administration as palliatives to cushion the effects of the withdrawal of fuel subsidy.”

It is shocking and logically confounding that Franklyn Isong could maliciously push this lie. Franklyn Isong, was and is still a Member of the State Palliative Committee, representing the civil society organizations which was inaugurated by Governor Umo Eno, last year.

The Committee was celebrated for the transparent manner the palliatives were disbursed and distributed. To date, no one has complained of not receiving the palliatives.

The State Government received the sum of 2 billion Naira from the Federal Government and this was given as a loan facility which the State Government is expected to pay back. The State Government, as we speak has been asked to pay back the loan. No new funds have been released to the State Government, and once the balance of the remaining 3 billion Naira is paid, Franklyn Isong, as a Member of the Palliatives Committee will be informed. Again, it bears repeating, that, of the promised 5 billion Naira from the Federal Government, it is the 2 billion Naira that has been released to the State Government so far as a loan facility which the State is expected to pay back.

The State Government, had augmented the kind gesture of the Federal Government with additional billions of Naira and several additional bags of rice, which Franklyn Isong, as a Member of the Committee, is well aware of.

Mr. Isong again, made another factually incorrect assertion when he said an additional 30 billion Naira has been given to each State of the Federation, quoting a source attributed to the Senate President, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON.

If Franklyn Isong is making a prohectic pronouncement of an expected 30 Billion Naira to the State coffers, we join him to say “ may the prediction come to pass and quickly too.” For now, however, the State Government has not received such funds as confirmed by the Deputy Chairman of Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum, His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.

We know that this is a season for grandstanding and indulging in blame- game, but we believe a civil organization that is worth the name on its letterhead should do a minimum fact- checking before rushing to make wild and libelous assertions.

Governor Umo Eno has run a very transparent government since his inauguration and has actually worked to cut the size of government, for which he has received plaudits from people across political lines.

He has been saying in the past one week, that we should exercise patience with the policies of the Tinubu Administration, and support him for the common good of all.

Stoking the embers of the society and inciting the populace at this already tensed atmosphere in the country, based on lies and smear campaigns, is sad and highly regrettable.

Franklyn Isong as a journalist, is not blind to the numerous people- centric acts of Governor Uno Eno since his inauguration, such as over 12 billion naira already paid for the settlement of gratuities and other benefits to retired public workers in the State, the bursary paid to students in tertiary institutions, the numerous rural access roads that have been flagged -off in several parts of the State, the N10billion injected for completion of inherited projects, the model primary schools and health centres billed for commissioning soon, regular payment of salaries, the Bill to set up the State Bulk Purchasing Agency, that will help reduce the soaring prices of our staple foods, the medical outreach programmes where thousands of our people have been given free medical diagnoses and treatment among other impactful interventions by the Eno Administration.

These are great interventions that have drawn great praise and commendations across political divides in the State to Governor Umo Eno.

While we concede that Franklyn Isong is entitled to his opinion, but let it be stated that he is not entitled to his facts.

Members of the public are advised to ignore this obviously sponsored piece by the Franklyn Isong -led CHRAN

Signed:
Ekerete Udoh
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
23/02/04

21/02/2024

FORUM OF TABLE WATER PRODUCERS IN AKWA IBOM

Press Release

NOTICE OF INCREMENT ON THE PRICE OF TABLE WATER (PURE WATER) TO N300/BAG

We write to notify all our esteemed customers that from Thursday, 21st February, 2024, a bag of table water (pure water) will be sold for N300.00. This is as a result of the sudden surge in the cost of production materials nationwide, which almost made it impossible to produce hygienically clean water essential for consumption.

It is therefore imperative that all our customers should adjust to the current reality of buying water at N300/bag from our Tricycles, Vans and other vehicles. We equally advise that you retail it to the end users at N350/bag and 2/3 sachets for N50 accordingly.

This measure has to be set in place in order to continue to make our products available for consumption.

We are aware that some Producers will still flood the market with substandard products thereby selling below the agreed price of #300/bag, be weary of them and kindly report any of such to the forum for further action.

Also, you are enjoined to get a PH meter or Reagent to use in testing your table water before drinking. Any water that is not between 7.0 to 9.0 pH level with Ph meter is not good for consumption. Also, if using Reagent, green colour means the water is neutral, while blue or purple means alkaline, and safe for consumption. Ensure that you consume hygienically produced and alkaline level table and bottled water.

We wish to inform you that strike is underway as we are ready to join the Nigeria Labour Congress on their planned nationwide demonstration.

Thank you for your continued patronage and understanding.

Paul Anthony,
Head of Public Relations,
Forum of Table Water Producers in Akwa Ibom.

09/01/2024

RE: “THE DESTRUCTION OF NIGERIA BY THE JUDICIARY”
ADVERTORIAL BY MR. CYPRIAN F. EDWARD-EKPO

Our attention has been drawn to an extremely ill-formulated, ignorant, and very poorly written political misinformation campaign material which passed off as an advertorial on pages 16-18 of the online version of The Guardian Newspaper of Friday, 05 January 2024 and many other online platforms captioned as above and authored by an equally ignorant and faceless pseudo individual named Cyprian F. Edward-Ekpo who is not named as a party or a Counsel in any of the legal matters that he purports to pontificate over with such false, unearned and misplaced aplomb and authority.

The garbage, suggesting that Nigeria is being destroyed by the Judiciary, authored, and published by Cyprian F. Edward-Ekpo, is not only an undisguised attempt to direct the minds of Their Lordships who will be sitting over the Akwa Ibom Governorship Petitions Appeals as well as poison public opinion, but a document seeking to continue the negative narrative to demean our Judiciary. This fellow, a self-awarded professor of no known University, must have a very poor opinion of Nigerian jurists and may not be aware that Their Lordships of The Supreme Court of Nigeria are not influenced by packaged trash. Their Lordships depend on the Records of Appeal and the Briefs of Counsel before them in making determination of matters. Mr. Edward-Ekpo needs to know that the Courts in Nigeria and the civilized world over do not take counsel from menials, who obviously make a living disseminating malicious falsehood.

Traditionally, the Umo Eno Campaign Organisation only joins issues in civilized and well espoused discourse. We are however compelled by our commitment to truth and public enlightenment to make a guarded exception in this instance. We would be guided and guarded because, we hold dear the civilized standard that requires parties in litigation not to adjudicate their matters in the public space. That is what is expected of decent and knowledgeable persons when a matter is sub judice. In this instance, the subject matters of Mr. Edward-Ekpo’s diatribe are respectively pending before the Supreme Court of Nigeria and the Federal Capital City High Court in its appellate jurisdiction.

We would therefore not join Mr. Edward-Ekpo and his cohorts in desecrating our courts and legal system by publicly discussing the details of these pending matters, ahead of the court hearings. Suffice to say that the judgment of the FCT Chief Magistrate’s Court in Charge No. CR/94/2022: Mr. Edet Godwin Etim V Pastor Umo Bassey Eno that was delivered on December 20, 2022 was set aside by the selfsame Chief Magistrate on January 11, 2023 in exercise of his inherent jurisdiction on the grounds that the purported judgment was obtained by fraud, misrepresentation of facts and in outright violation of the right to fair hearing of Pastor Umo Bassey Eno. It is elementary for any legally trained mind that every court has inherent jurisdiction to set aside any judgment or order that was obtained in such circumstances.

We must also mention that the decision of the Chief Magistrate on January 11, 2023, setting aside its judgment of December 20, 2022, is the subject matter of Appeal No. CRA/02/2023: Mr. Edet Godwin Etim V Pastor Umo Bassey Eno which is still pending and indeed comes up on February 21, 2024. Incidentally, Mr. Edward-Ekpo’s readers would want to know how come he and his sponsors are strident in their cry than the supposedly “aggrieved” Edet Godwin Etim. Cyprian F Edward-Ekpo is not a party to Mr. Etim’s criminal appeal neither is he a party or Counsel in any of the election petition matters against Pastor Umo Bassey Eno. So, how come Mr. Edet Godwin Etim was not the author of Mr. Edward- Ekpo’s advertorial?

Mr. Edward-Ekpo’s readers would want to know from him, and his sponsors how come:

• That the purported criminal conduct with which Pastor Umo Bassey Eno was framed with was never reported to any law enforcement agency in Nigeria? How come Pastor Umo Bassey Eno was not prosecuted by any law enforcement agency but by a law firm that “coincidentally” also filed the Petition on behalf of one of the political parties that Mr. Edward-Ekpo named in his advertorial whose appeal is currently pending before the Apex Court?

• That the law firm that filed and prosecuted all the appeals against Pastor Umo Eno’s electoral victory up to the pending appeal before the Apex Court is now the one, by some uncommon coincidence, being “ingeniously joined” with Edet Godwin Etim as parties as well as joint-prosecutors in the pending criminal appeal before the FCT High Court, in its appellate jurisdiction?

• That Mr. Edward-Ekpo referred to an INTERPOL Report in his advertorial that was expunged from the Records of the Tribunal but failed to mention that this same Law Firm procured the Federal High Court Order that brought in INTERPOL purportedly to investigate Pastor Umo Eno. He furthermore hid the fact that his false excuse for wanting INTERPOL to investigate Pastor Umo Eno was that they were instructed by a fictitious and non-existent United Nations agency to conduct due diligence on Pastor Umo Eno, as a nominee, for an obviously non-existent international award, by the fictitious UN agency. Such crass falsehood and fraud!

• And finally, Mr. Edward-Ekpo has deployed fraud and patent falsehood to make his debut in the political scene of Akwa Ibom State, claiming to being the first human being to be “awarded an Honorary professor Degree in the field of Public International Law 2021” while others earn the professorial title! The indecent way he and the sponsors of his three-paged advertorial have resorted to sheer falsehood to seek notice is not only despicably shameful but a demonstration of the desperation of the political opponents of Pastor Umo Bassey Eno to seek notice and relevance hoping to add value to their rather miserable political outings.

How could anyone who claims to have been trained as a lawyer still contest the issue of whether Pastor Umo Bassey Eno was convicted by a court of law? This matter was raised by two political parties in their respective Petitions before the Akwa Ibom State Governorship Tribunal and the Tribunal in its well-considered and unassailable judgements dismissed the Petitions and specifically held that having been set aside by the selfsame Chief Magistrate in its ruling on January 11, 2023, the said conviction has ceased to exist. The Tribunal also acknowledged that the matter was the subject of an appeal before the FCT High Court, in its appellate jurisdiction and that the Tribunal was without jurisdiction to wrestle the matter from the FCT High Court for judicial review.

The Court of Appeal upheld the decisions of the Tribunal and the matter is now pending before Their Lordships of the Supreme Court. The parties have exchanged their respective Briefs and are awaiting the date for adoption of the Briefs after which the Supreme Court would make its determination known to the world. We know as a fact that no sane person, knowing the facts of these matters, would lend his name to this rather inglorious, extremely sanctionable, and utterly sick and demeaning publication seeking to litigate in the public square, matters that are pending before the Supreme Court and the FCT High Court, in its appellate jurisdiction. How difficult is this position for the most ignorant person to understand and, yet it is the ground for Professorial diatribe!

We finally, most respectfully urge the reading public to ignore the lazy and unimaginative antics of Cyprain F. Edward-Ekpo and his sponsors even as we urge Mr. Edward-Ekpo to seek a sustainable employment. On our own part, we all await the determination of these matters by our respected and revered jurists.

Signed

His Excellency Chief Assam E Assam, SAN
Director General
Umo Eno Campaign Organization
07 January 2024

(Culled from Guardian Newspaper, Tuesday, January 9,2024 edition, Page 11)

08/01/2024

THE POVERTY INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN WORSHIP CENTRE HAS EXPOSED IN AKWA IBOM STATE.

By Etim Cletus

What does Akwa Ibom State want: worship or warship disinformation and propaganda against the altar of God? So many arguments have continued to trail the International Christian Worship Centre in Akwa Ibom State. The issue has produced renowned writers from within and outside the State. Anyone who wants to be hailed has to nail the project. Thus, caution has been thrown into the wind, and logic is now standing on its head.

The International Christian Worship Centre has truly exposed the poor in Akwa Ibom State. The Akwa Ibom State Government must be held responsible for this.

Yes, there might not have been anything wrong in conceiving the project. The government committed no crime by starting the project. Where the government got it wrong and earned the punches of the people is the sacrilege of completing the project, and in such a comparatively short time. How can such a gigantic project be ready in the scheduled time frame!

Most likely, those attacking the international worship centre are only aggrieved by the level of accountability and transparency associated with the project that would have had a million and one excuses to be coronated as an abandoned project. What explanation will the handlers of the project give that such an edifice was ready within record time? That is where part of the poverty comes in; poverty of integrity.

Worship Centres are built everywhere in the world across religious faiths. Part of the glory of grandeur of Dubai in United Arab Emirates is the presence of an imposing worship centre. Africans love it, Nigerians celebrate it and Akwa Ibom people love to see it. And there is no evidence that that one has caused poverty.

International Christian Worship Centre was not the first project embarked upon by the Udom Emmanuel administration. In fact it was even the last, which made it not completely ready before the end of that administration.

Before the Christian Worship Centre, industries sprung up across the State. A functional airline, Ibom Air took off into the sky. The world was bewildered that a subnational like Akwa Ibom could succeed in operating an airline when the federal government was consistent in failure in that direction. It was the talk of the town. Poverty took took to its toes. Immediately a worship was built, Akwa Ibom became immersed in poverty.

One might be tempted to conclude that before the building of the worship centre everyone in Akwa Ibom State was a millionaire but the worship centre came to impoverish them. Indeed, the centre has exposed our own kind of poverty.

That is not the kind of poverty in other climes. There is no way the 37.9 million people living in poverty in the United States of America will attribute their poverty to a worship centre.

In the United Kingdom, the 12 million people living in poverty will be increased by 300,000 in 2024 while 7.4% people in the densely populated Canada live in poverty. All of these have been forgiven, forgotten and consumed by the Akwa Ibom kind of poverty, said to have been caused by the Christian Worship Centre in Uyo.

Even when there has not been any official financial statement confirming the cost of the project, speculators have already assigned 32Billion Naira to the project; our own kind of poverty!

Is the problem with the idea of the project or its cost?

Funding of the project was diversified. Individuals, corporate bodies and government supported the project financially. The government made donations for the project like it donated to other ventures that needed the attention and intervention by the State Government.

Or could it have been that since 99.9 per cent of Akwa Ibom people are Christians, there do not deserve an altar of worship for the God who has been there for them in ages past, and who is their hope in years to come? There is certainly poverty somewhere around this.

The present administration of Governor Umo Eno has initiated several projects and programmes to tackle real poverty but attention seems to be given to imaginary and simulated poverty because there are those who want to shore up political capital with it.

The Ibom Model Farms, a proposed replica of the Songhai Farms in Port Novo, Benin Republic has begun. It is an anti-poverty project. There is the Ibom Leadership and Entrepreneurship Development, LED programme and several other initiatives for sustainable empowerment of the people through wealth creation but that seem not to catch the attention and interest of those masking erroneous poverty in Akwa Ibom State.

Governor Umo Eno is passionate about youth development and empowerment. That has necessitated his sponsorship of different batches of youths for training in various skill areas in order to function in an emerging skill driven society.

The recently launched Ibom Neighbourhood Security Watch has already taken five thousand youths of Akwa Ibom State off poverty lane.

There are ongoing investments in the aviation sector, from the International Airport Terminal Building to the Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul, MRO services, which, when completed will create wealth for the people.

Education, the bedrock of the future is given priority attention. There is an education trust fund for students with disabilities who are studying in higher institutions. Other Akwa Ibom students have received bursary to augment their expenses in school. There is an unprecedented repositioning of primary education through building of model schools across the State. All of this are antidotes to real poverty.

Therefore, when left-winged mercenary opinion writers link the international Christian Worship Centre in Akwa Ibom State to poverty, they are taciturn with the truth.

The truth is that for being against the altar of God, they are the most hit by the web of the poverty they have painted. They are poor, they are poor in spirit and in truth.

They know the truth but they are economical with it. The truth is that the International Christian Worship Centre is for the good of Akwa Ibom State, even if it caused Akwa Ibom State a fortune to get it done, it is worth it because God has been faithful to Akwa Ibom State from one administration to the other, and that same God is standing by the present governor of the State, Pastor Umo Eno.

Which one will people prefer - an altar for the Lord or a shrine for small gods? Or will the shine create wealth and banish poverty? Certainly not in Akwa Ibom State. What God's altar cannot achieve for Akwa Ibom State, the devil's shrine will never do it. Akwa Ibom is in God's hand.

The much talked about poverty from International Christian Worship Centre is merely poverty of conscience, integrity, faith and truth. Poverty is a global issue, and Akwa Ibom State Government is showing encouraging commitment to reducing and eventually eradicating poverty from the land.

A major step to achieving this is working closely with God, just like prayers will be offered all day round at the worship centre. That is the irony of the erroneous gospel of poverty sermonized by the agents of falsehood and disinformation.

Akwa Ibom State rejects their warship. Akwa Ibom State stands for worship, as epitomized by the International Worship Centre.

01/01/2024

BEING TEXT OF THE NEW YEAR STATEWIDE BROADCAST BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PASTOR UMO ENO, GOVERNOR OF AKWA IBOM STATE, ON MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2024

O give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercies endured forever.

MY DEAR AKWAIBOMITES
1. Let me start by giving God the glory and honour for making it possible for us to be alive, healthy and sound to see this New Year. My wife, Her Excellency, Pastor (Mrs)Patience Umo Eno and I, wish you a very Happy and prosperous New Year. We are hopeful and confident that it is going to be a year of Restoration, of Increase and of Expansion across the lengths and crannies of this State, so help us God!

2. On March 18, 2023, you bought into our vision of growth and development, as broadly laid out in our ARISE Agenda, and went ahead to reward us with a massive victory at the polls.

3. Today, seven months after our inauguration, I make bold to say that in spite of the hazy economic horizon, the fundamentals of our development are strong and resilient. Akwa Ibom State is Rising with the ARISE Agenda and the Golden Era we had promised is already here. Even though we still have many miles to go, what we have collectively achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow and beyond.

4. Seven months down the line, every critical pillar of this well-defined and well-thought out Economic Blueprint has been touched and activated for the growth and continuous development of our State.

5. In the area of Agriculture, we have started the steady but firm commitment to engendering agricultural revolution in our State. The Ibom Model Farm, a collaborative effort with the world renowned Songhai Farms of Porto Novo, Benin Republic, was flagged-off a little over two weeks ago, in Ikot Edibon, Nsit Ubium local government area. It promises to be the most integrated farm in this part of the Nation. It will not only guarantee food security but will also create jobs for thousands of people and stimulate tourism.

• - 2 -

We have requested the Local Government Council Chairmen, to donate lands for the establishment of demonstration farms in each of the local government areas. We have revitalized the Dakkada Palm Oil Estate with new seedlings and have equally invested funds in Cocoa plantations in the state.

6. We are paying deep attention to developing and improving the quality of life of residents in both our urban and rural areas as well as the maintenance and expansion of infrastructure in the State. So far we have flagged-off and funded the construction of not less than 17 roads across the state. We have been intentional to ensure that these roads are selected across the three senatorial districts in the state. Some of these roads include:

• Construction of Ndiya Street, overlay of portions of Johnson Street, Water Works, Solar Light and Toilet Facilities at Akpan Andem Market, Uyo. This project was flagged-off and commissioned within the first 100 Days of our administration, in fulfillment of the campaign promises I made when I visited the market.

• Construction of 1.1km Access Road to Goretti Secondary School with 0.875km Discharge Drain in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area.
• Construction of 1.3km Underground Discharge Drain from Atiku Abubakar Avenue to Olusegun Obasanjo Way, Uyo, currently ongoing.

• and the ongoing construction of the Ukpong and Effiong Essang Streets in Oron Local Government Area.

7. We have also in the course of the last seven months, undertaken several ecological intervention projects such as:

• Construction of ravine control facilities at Etim Umanah Street, in Uyo
• Reclamation and construction of Udoinwang Road and the Construction of Erosion Control Facilities.

8. In fulfillment of our campaign promises to complete ongoing projects initiated by the immediate past administration, we have released over Ten Billion Naira to get contractors back to various sites across the state. Works are ongoing at these project sites such as the Victor Attah International Airport Road Expansion and others located all over the State.

9. In the Aviation sector, we have released about 6.5 billion Naira to support ongoing projects at the Victor Attah International Airport. We have also kept all our financial obligations with Airbus Corporation and about a month ago, we received the first of the ten Airbus A220-300 Series into the Ibom Air fleet. Ibom Air, which is the pride of our State, was one of the first places I visited shortly after my inauguration, where I had restated my desire to continue to support and expand the operations of that great project which is a testament to vision and creativity. We have invested heavily in the MRO and very soon, that will be fully commissioned.

10. In the Power sector, we have directed that an operational audit of Ibom Power Plant be done. Our aim is to reposition that critical plant to yield the expected dividends for our people. We believe strongly that with adequate power, our entrepreneurs in the state can do better and our economy will be better for it.

11. To maintain the peace and safeguard our status as one of the safest states in Nigeria, we have created a full-fledged Ministry of Internal Security and Waterways manned by a retired general of the Nigerian Army. Two weeks ago, we successfully launched the Ibom Community Watch programme with 550 watchers commissioned for Uyo Local Government Area. The objective of this programme is to raise a well trained team that will protect government assets across our communities and assist in the gathering of intelligence for our security agents. This initiative shall also create over five thousand jobs for our youths.

12. Still on security, on December 13, 2023, I signed into Law, the Akwa Ibom Security Trust Fund Bill earlier passed by the State House of Assembly to help us mobilize funds to improve on the security architecture of our state. Three days ago, we launched the Akwa Ibom State Waterways Security Assets whose central mission is to secure the waterways of the State and thus help protect governments critical assets, boost the state’s comparative advantage in the blue economy, support our fishermen through the provision of enhanced security among others. At the event, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, was on hand to help us launch the 14 State Patrol Gunboats we had bought and donated to ensure this operation
runs seamlessly. We also signed a contract with the Nigerian Naval Shipyard for the construction of a Passenger/Cruise ferry, with the view to turning our coastline towns into tourism hubs.

13. In the Education sector, we have started the construction of model primary schools, the first of which is to be commissioned at the Christ the King Primary School, on Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo. This is one of the projects selected under the One Project per Local Government Initiative which is one of our efforts at ensuring that we give government back to the people and allow the stakeholders to select and pick the projects they desire for their communities, so that they can own those projects. These projects once unanimously selected, will be executed within the next couple of months under the First Phase of this bold Initiative.

14. We have equally undertaken some critical interventions in the educational sector, some of which include:
1st Phase of Education Support fund for Physically Challenged persons in Akwa Ibom State studying in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions. So far, we have paid about 106 persons under this scheme at N250,000 per undergraduate and N300,000 per Postgraduate student.
• We have paid bursary to students of Akwa Ibom State origin studying in public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. So far, not less than 5000 students have received their bursary.
• the free and compulsory education policy in our state shall be continued and we have already paid examination fees for all Secondary School students. In addition to this, we have paid for the production of school uniforms, shoes, school bags and books for our pupils in primary schools.

15. In the Healthcare sector, we have taken bold steps to fulfill our campaign promise to revitalize the primary healthcare sector to complement the great works done by past administrations in the Secondary Healthcare sector. The first of the Primary Healthcare facility which was flagged-off a little over two months ago, at Ikot Nkwo, Ibesikpo Asutan, is now ready and will be commissioned soon. The facility comes with the most modern equipment with Maternity Section, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Library, ICT Room, Consulting Suites, Emergency Unit, Immunization Centre and other critical services. This facility is being replicated in Oboyo Ikot Ita, Nsit Ibom Local Government Area and Eyulor in Urue Offong-Oruko Local Government Area. We will also have similar facilities in all the 11 other Local Government Areas that have chosen Primary Healthcare Centers in the One Project per Local Government Scheme.

16. I have directed the Ministry of Health to get to work towards the establishment of Dialysis Centres in each of the ten Federal Constituencies in the State. This is aimed at mitigating the rise in kidney-related diseases in our State. We have, in fulfillment of our campaign promise, made plans to open a Medical Corridor between the Ibom Specialist Hospital and the Sheraton by Four Points in Ikot Ekpene. When completed, it rank among the best in the country. Contractors have also been mobilized to commence work towards the completion of the General Hospital in Ukanafun Local Government Area.

17. We are determined to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in our people and this vision is being championed by the Ibom Leadership and Entrepreneurial Centre (Ibom-LED). So far, we have successfully hosted the maiden Edition of the Made in Akwa Ibom Trade Fair, where the 400 registered attendees were given a grant of five hundred thousand Naira each to progress their businesses. We have also set up and commissioned the Ibom-LED Tailoring & Shoe making Hub among other great things the Center is doing.

In line with our commitment to support our indigenous entrepreneurs, we have ensured that all contracts for the production of school uniforms and shoes for our pupils and uniform and boots for the men of the Ibom Community Watch are handled by our youths at the Shoe and Fabric Hub housed at the Ibom - LED Centre. I call on all of you to avail yourself of the programmes initiated by the Centre

18. So far, we have paid over 12 Billion Naira in gratuities to retired state and Local Government workers and Leave Grants in fulfillment of my campaign promise to tackle the issue head-on. We have equally spent over Five billion Naira to augment the Federal Government’s Palliatives to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal and ensure that the welfare of our people is enhanced. For us as a government, we will ensure that the welfare of our citizens is paramount.

19. The Tourism sector will continue to receive a major boost in our administration. We have constructed a 20-thousand seater amphitheatre which was used in the recently concluded Christmas Carol and would be used for other cultural, social and even religious events in the state. We will establish a theme park at the Unity park to provide leisure services for our children. We will also revamp our tourist sites such as the Lord Lugard’s Amalgamation House, The Bridge of No Return, and the Women War Museum, among others

We have concluded plans to build a Centre for the Elderly Citizens in our state. This centre will house a hospital, library, supermarkets and other facilities for the use of our Elders.

I believe that we should take care of our Elders while they still live and appreciate them for their huge contributions towards the development of our state.

20. We have also made plans to build an international Market in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area. We believe that this market will boost the economic activities in our state and will reduce production cost for most of our young entrepreneurs who often have to travel out to buy their raw materials. We are committed to ensuring that work commences on this project within the first half of this year.

21. My dear compatriots, what we have achieved in seven months gives us hope on what lies ahead in the New Year. We will continue to demystify the work of government and bring governance closer to the people. This we have already demonstrated in more ways than one. I have ensured that all the Wards in this state have a Personal Aide working and reporting directly to my Office. I have ensured that all the units have a Watcher of the Ibom Community Watch drawn from them and I have taken time to consult with our stakeholders in most of my initiatives so far. I shall continue to run an all-inclusive government, paying respect to all our past leaders.

22. I therefore, call on you to continue to pray for us, support us and bind our thoughts and actions with love and unity. We should strive to look out for the downtrodden and vulnerable and give them a reason to be hopeful. I have no doubt that our tomorrow will be better than today. We are determined to work to achieve that, and I know we can count on you to get this done.

Let me, before ending this address, thank the legislature and the judiciary for their overwhelming support in ensuring that we work harmoniously and deliver the dividends of democracy to our people. I call on you to continue in this collaborative efforts as we continue to partner with you to make Akwa Ibom the best place for our people to leave in and do business.

23. Happy New Year once again and God bless Akwa Ibom State, God bless our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, as he leads our Nation to a new dawn of development.

God bless you all!

Local Aproko News And Gist

23/02/2024

21/02/2024

09/01/2024

08/01/2024

01/01/2024

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