By Solomon OKPO | The Evangelist Community News Desk
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has reiterated his administration’s commitment to expanding access to quality and affordable healthcare in rural communities across the state.
Governor Eno stated this on Monday, September 14, 2026, while inaugurating a Model Primary Health Centre at Ikot Ekpe in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area.
The newly inaugurated facility is designed to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services to residents of Ikot Ekpe and adjoining communities, reducing the need for residents, particularly pregnant women, children and other vulnerable groups, to travel long distances in search of basic medical care.
Represented at the ceremony by the Commissioner for Works, Prof. Eno Ibanga, the Governor said the project was a fulfilment of his promise to the people of Mkpat Enin and a practical demonstration of the healthcare component of the ARISE Agenda.
He explained that the administration would continue to prioritise projects that directly improve the quality of life of citizens, especially those living in rural communities.
The Governor also announced that he would soon return to Mkpat Enin to commission the 10.8-kilometre Mkpat Enin–Efa Road, which connects the local government area with Etinan Local Government Area.
The road project, he noted, would further strengthen connectivity and complement ongoing interventions in healthcare and other sectors across the area.
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, Engr. Emmanuel Inyang, expressed appreciation to Governor Eno for the health facility and other development projects in the local government.
He assured the Governor of the people’s continued support for his administration, stressing that the people of Mkpat Enin appreciated the impact of the Governor’s development programmes in the area.
Giving an overview of the project, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem John, said the Model Primary Health Centre was equipped with modern medical facilities and adequately staffed to meet the healthcare needs of the people of Ikot Ekpe and neighbouring communities.
According to him, the facility would significantly improve access to primary healthcare services and help reduce avoidable health complications associated with delays in accessing medical attention.
Dr. John particularly highlighted the importance of the facility to pregnant women and children, noting that residents would no longer have to undertake long journeys to access basic healthcare services.
Speaking during the ceremony, the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Obong Stephen Ntukekpo; Member representing Mkpat Enin State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon. Uwem-Imoh Ita; former
Transition Chairman of Mkpat Enin LGA, Lady Ekaette Usip; and President of the Eket Senatorial District Women’s Forum, Dr. Idara Ephraim Akpan, commended Governor Eno for the development projects in the area.
The stakeholders described the health centre as a major intervention in grassroots healthcare delivery and commended the administration for translating the ARISE Agenda into tangible projects.
They also cited the administration’s interventions in road infrastructure, Model Schools, Compassionate Homes and healthcare as evidence of its focus on improving the socio-economic wellbeing of citizens.
Delivering the vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Patrick Eshiet, who hails from Ikot Ekpe, expressed appreciation to Governor Eno for constructing, equipping and integrating the health centre into the state’s healthcare system.
Dr. Eshiet also commended the administration for sustaining the Akwa Ibom State Health Insurance Scheme and recruiting thousands of healthcare personnel across health facilities in the state.
He said the measures had strengthened the state’s healthcare system while bringing medical services closer to the people at the grassroots.
The Permanent Secretary equally praised the people of Ikot Ekpe for protecting the facility during construction and urged them to sustain the support by ensuring its security, proper maintenance and responsible use.
The inauguration marks another step in the Eno administration’s drive to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and ensure that development interventions under the ARISE Agenda extend beyond urban centres to communities across Akwa Ibom State.
