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By Ikpong Essien-Udom
When on 30th January 2022, the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, accepted God’s direction and ceremoniously unveiled Pst. Umo Bassey Eno as his successor and the preferred candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the 2023 gubernatorial elections, it was shockingly surprising. Before then, the hither-to hotelier and tourism promoter in the State had not given any indication of interest to join politics. The fact that he must have possibly recalled a hidden prophesy concerning him, and decided to knowingly adopt the title of “Governor” of his hotel, Royalty, in Eket decades back, did not lead people to see him as future governor of the State. And so many Akwa Ibom people, especially real politicians and front line aspirants to the ticket, dismissed Emmanuel’s audacious announcement with some describing it as being “dead on arrival”.
Fast forward 17 months later. Pastor Eno went from an unknown and dead-on-arrival aspirant, became the choice of PDP, passed through many suits in court, was a judiciary-confirmed candidate, and eventually winning the election, to being sworn in as the Governor of Akwa Ibom on May 29, 2023. Two years down the line in the office, Gov. Umo Eno’s performance has left many gaping.
Born intelligent, realizing that he was not in civil governance for a long time, Pastor Eno had, upon his election, assembled egg heads to design the path through which he would take to govern the State. Comprising seasoned technocrats, bureaucrats, experts and politicians, the Committee gave him an agenda – ARISE with five items – to guide his leadership. ARISE is an acronym for Agricultural revolution, Rural development, Infrastructural maintenance, Security management and Educational advancement. It was intended to stimulate the rural economy by ensuring appreciable turnaround in the rural areas. This, they reasoned, could be achieved through systematic integration and massive development leading to improvement in the overall quality of life for all citizens. The Agenda would subsist for eight years (96 months) while he holds sway as the governor.
Today, after just 24 months, evidence of ARISE abound everywhere and has been highly acknowledged by Akwa Ibomese (referring to Akwa Ibom people), Nigerians and the international community leading to various recognitions and awards.
Under Agriculture, the administration has achieved the following: initiated the construction of the Ibom Model Farm which is a 50-hectare pilot Songhai-model farm in Nsit Ubium to be replicated in other parts of the State; empowered farmers through grants totaling N2b; encouraged government workers to engage in farming by declaring work-free farming days(later reduced to ‘day’); instituted the ARISE Home Farmers Scheme with N500,000 support to about 600 beneficiaries yearly; distributed farm inputs and processing equipment worth over N2b; and activated Young Farmers’ Club across our secondary schools to grow a new generation of “agri-preneurs.”
For rural development, the Governor has introduced the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) as intervention channel through which several rural roads have been rehabilitated, with more ongoing; N2 billion granted to traders; and numerous cooperative societies and small/medium enterprises (SME) boosted with equipment and funding. The administration has also executed people-oriented projects nominated by the communities including model schools and model health centres in all the 31 local government areas. A standard official residence of the Local Government Chairman has been built and commissioned in Eket. It has the main building which is the primary residence of the Chairman, a 50-seater capacity hall for events, living quarters for support staff, a generator house and a gate house. It is to be replicated in the remaining 30 local government areas before the year ends.
In infrastructural development sector which is a key component of the Agenda, the Pastor Umo Eno-led government has so far undertaken the construction of over 163 roads covering more than 700 kilometres across the State with some having been already commissioned. The projects include inherited ones such as Ikot Ekan – Ediene Abak road (re-awarded in 2024 to be completed in 24 months), new road maintenance programs, solar-powered street lights to improve security, and water supply systems in various communities. Acknowledging the importance of Maritime and Blue Economy to the development of the State, the administration is pursuing: the execution of Ibom Deep Seaport project with renewed vigor and the construction of Oron Beach with new terminals, jetties, ferries, warehouses, and parks which are set for completion later this year.
For aviation development, the government has done a lot in the last two years. New aircrafts have been acquired to strengthen the fleets Ibom Air; the new terminal building will soon be ready for commissioning; the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility for aircraft maintenance is set for completion through ongoing investments while; a brand-new Aviation Village is under construction. All these, in Pastor Umo Eno’s vision, are to ensure Akwa Ibom continues to play a leading role in the sector.
Governor Umo Eno considers security as a top priority of his administration. Therefore, at the onset, he established a full-fledged Ministry of Internal Security, launched Ibom Community Watch with personnel in all the 329 wards to provide rural intelligence and support security efforts across the State and procured gunboats, patrol vehicles, and other support for security agencies. And 24 months today, these pragmatic decisions have made Akwa Ibom to be one of the safest states in Nigeria. In Education sector – the last finger of the Agenda, educational advancement as an essential pillar has received serious attention. The government is constructing model primary schools (some already commissioned) in all the 31 local government areas, has increased student bursaries, has supported persons with disabilities with a N100 million fund, and is sustaining and funding free education policy. These are some of the programs.
The report card of Umo Eno’s Golden Era in 24 months includes many golden initiatives with gold-plated results. Within the period, 206 fully furnished ARISE Compassionate Homes have been built and donated to indigent citizens, with a target of 400 in first four years; a Bulk Purchase Agency has been established through which over 500,000 households have benefitted from subsidized food items. A Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has been created to coordinate activities and efforts of the administration towards making life better for the citizens. Civil servants and other workers in the State have not been left out with their welfare being given serious attention leading to the payment of over N78 billion as part of outstanding gratuities and entitlements. In addition, 150 civil servants in the lower cadre have received two-bedroom house donations.
The other achievements of Governor Umo Eno in two years include paying attention to youth development through creating a stand-alone Ministry of Youths, rolling out unemployment support, business grants, and other empowerment programs to harness their potential; driving digital transformation through the creation of a Ministry of Science and Digital Economy which has led to many government services being e-enabled; construction of the 18-storey Ibom Towers in Lagos; reconstructing the 5,000-capacity Ibom Conference Venue at Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre; developing a new 200-bed Quaternary Hospital and Elderly Home; building of a Security and Command Centre in Uyo metropolis; constructing a modern broadcasting complex for Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation and; the tourism flag ship project – the ARISE Resort – which has reclaimed over 70 hectares of gully land into a destination comprising a 9-hole golf course, artificial lakes, luxurious apartments, shops, restaurants, medical and security services.
With such an excellent mid-term result sign-posting distinction in all areas, one wonders what awaits Akwa Ibom at the end of the remaining 2193 days. One thing, however, is certain: those who wrote off His Excellency when he was unveiled on the 30th of January 2022 as “being dead on arrival”, are convinced they would not have performed better. Yes indeed, it has been 24 months of Pst Umo Eno not only refusing to die at birth, but also having a robust and healthy growth. It has been 731 days of distinctive audacious service. Congratulations Your Excellency!
