By Solomon OKPO
Governor Umo Eno has marked the 39th anniversary of Akwa Ibom State with a call for unity, accountability and collective commitment to building a more prosperous future, declaring that the State’s next chapter must move beyond infrastructure development to industrialisation, agro-industrialisation, enterprise, job creation and shared prosperity. In a statewide broadcast on Tuesday, September 23, 2026, Eno described the anniversary as an opportunity to appreciate God, honour the State’s founding fathers and acknowledge the contributions of past leaders, traditional institutions, workers, farmers, professionals, entrepreneurs and citizens to the development of Akwa Ibom.
The Governor said his administration, which assumed office three years ago, had pursued the ARISE Agenda as a covenant of service centred on infrastructure, empowerment, education, healthcare and opportunities for citizens.
He disclosed that more than 1,500 kilometres of roads, including 43 bridges, had been undertaken, commissioned or continued since May 29, 2023. According to him, the projects were designed to connect rural communities to markets, schools, healthcare and investment opportunities, stressing that no community should be considered too remote to benefit from government.
On human capital development, Eno said the State had sustained free and compulsory education at the primary and secondary levels, disbursed ₦1.69 billion in bursaries, built modern model primary schools and recruited 3,000 teachers, with further recruitment approved. He also announced scholarships for two outstanding Akwa Ibom indigenes, including ₦30 million for Uwakmfon Unwana Jacob to study Software Engineering at Nile University, Abuja, and ₦160 million for Dr. Joseph Akpan for his master’s programme in Surgical and Interventional Science at McGill University, Canada. In healthcare, he said 258,000 people, including senior citizens, had been enrolled in the State’s health insurance scheme, while every local government now has an ambulance service.
The Governor also highlighted interventions in agriculture, youth empowerment and social welfare, saying 1,700 farmers had received grants while more than 4,000 youths had been trained through IBOM-LED and DASAC, with grants exceeding ₦2 billion disbursed. He said more than 500 ARISE Compassionate Homes had been completed and handed over to vulnerable citizens, while over ₦98 billion of the approximately ₦111 billion inherited liabilities to retirees had been paid.
Eno further cited the arrival of the fifth Airbus A220-300 aircraft for Ibom Air, ongoing preparations to expand international airport operations, continued commitment to the Ibom Deep Seaport, investments in tourism and steps toward improving electricity supply through the newly established State electricity regulatory and electrification agencies.
Looking ahead, Eno said the challenge before Akwa Ibom was to transform existing infrastructure into sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity under ARISE 2.0. He urged citizens to protect the State’s peace and unity, stressing that political, ethnic and ideological differences should not undermine their common identity as Akwa Ibomites.
Declaring that government could provide platforms and opportunities but citizens must build businesses, value education and seize available opportunities, the Governor said his administration would continue to build, empower, unite, protect peace, invest in children and youths, support farmers, strengthen healthcare, open up rural communities and attract investment, concluding: “Together, we shall ARISE.”
