• Umo Eno, Governor of Akwa Ibom State
By Itoro Bassey
Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has declared that his administration would prioritize rural development and infrastructure, and he has also promised to work closely with local government chairmen to secure 50 hectares of land in each area for agricultural purposes.
Speaking in Uyo, weekend, at a press conference to celebrate the state’s 36th anniversary, Governor Eno emphasized his dedication to investing in life-changing projects for the 7.9 million residents of Akwa Ibom.
The governor said he would choose a single term filled with remarkable achievements over two terms that amount to nothing.
Eno said a single term filled with transformative accomplishments has the power to leave a lasting impact, far surpassing the empty promises of a useless two-term reign.
The Governor Eno’s added that his focus remained firmly on delivering tangible progress to the people of Akwa Ibom.
“We are trying to ensure that my recurrent expenditure does not run at par with my capital expenditure. Whatever we save is to be put back in the rural areas. Every N500 million I save would give me a school, would give me a hospital.
“I prefer a good first term than a useless two-term. It is only when you account for four years well, that you would be asked to go again. I’d rather put money in rural communities. My job is to ensure that the 7.9m people are satisfied. I discovered that almost everybody is waiting for the government.
“The challenge before us is to maintain the existing infrastructure. We lack a maintenance culture. That is why we seek to establish an asset management agency to help in the maintenance of our assets. We build new ones when we have to.
“We are working with the 31 Local Government chairmen on agricultural development. We will be using not less than 50 hectares of land per Local Government Area for farming.
“I am not perfect, but I promise that I will not deliberately launch this state into something we would regret. We will do our best.”
Speaking in response to threats from some disgruntled members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who accused him of blocking their access to the state’s treasury, the governor said he remained resolute in his commitment to serving the people rather than a select few.
Eno urged politicians to exercise patience by giving him time till December to put the governance structure on the right footing, noting that the challenge of youth unemployment was a clear and present danger that must be settled for the already rich politicians to be at peace.
He emphasised that if the restive youths are not properly handled, rich politicians would not enjoy their wealth in peace.
The governor, therefore, stressed the need to create jobs for youths at the grassroots level for them to be meaningfully engaged in order to curb rural-urban migration, which he said, informed his decision to impress it on the House of Assembly to enact the law compelling local government chairmen to relocate from Uyo, the state capital, to their council areas in order to engage the youth in meaningful ventures and oversee grassroots development.
On the allegation by a section of the media of paying N20 million monthly to his political mentor and former governor Udom Emmanuel, the governor described it as a “blatant lie” deliberately orchestrated to inflame the polity so as to put him at loggerheads with his political godfather.
He wondered why people should resort to blackmail and insult on former leaders of the state who had contributed in no small measure to elevate the state to its current level.
