In a powerful Easter broadcast that blended spiritual reflection with bold economic blueprint, Governor Umo Eno has declared a new era of “total overhaul” for Akwa Ibom State, promising that the spirit of the resurrection will drive a massive wave of rural wealth and infrastructural completion.
Addressing the state on Sunday to mark the 2026 Easter celebrations, the Governor drew a symbolic parallel between the rising of Christ and the “Arise” agenda of his administration, asserting that no systemic challenge would hinder the state’s upward trajectory.
The Governor provided a scorecard of his administration’s engineering feats, revealing that the state is currently managing over 1,300 kilometers of road networks.
NoTo further bridge the rural-urban divide, Eno announced the approval of an additional 167km of roads, many of which are scheduled for commissioning during the administration’s third-anniversary celebrations next month.
”There is no local government area in this state that we have not touched,” the Governor stated, pointing to the simultaneous rollout of model primary healthcare centers and general hospitals across all three senatorial districts.
Central to the Governor’s Easter message was a strategic return to the land. He announced a N2.5 billion investment for the procurement of 620,000 oil palm seedlings, a move designed to restore oil palm as the state’s primary engine for rural wealth.
To catalyze the local economy, the Governor unveiled a massive empowerment scheme among them are;N20 million grant for cooperative societies in each of the state’s 369 wards, specifically targeting women and rural traders, 369 solar-powered water schemes will be deployed statewide in partnership with the office of the First Lady’s GIFA project, and the establishment of modern ICT centers in 14 Local Government Areas (LGAs) to boost digital literacy.
In the aviation sector, the Governor lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for granting international status to the Victor Attah International Airport, confirming that the state-owned Ibom Air has bolstered its fleet with four new aircraft; two CRJ 900s and two Airbuses aimed at achieving dominance in the Nigerian skies.
Regarding the Ibom Deep Seaport, Eno urged stakeholders to remain patient, describing the project as a “marathon.” He confirmed that feasibility studies and geophysical surveys are now complete, with a “fact-sheet” ready for global investors.
Addressing the perennial issue of unstable power, Governor Eno announced a 12-month roadmap to achieve regular electricity.
Following a joint EXCO meeting with the 31 LGA Chairmen, the state has established the State Electricity Regulatory Commission to decentralize power generation and distribution.
On the welfare front, the Governor reported that N82 billion of an inherited N111 billion gratuity backlog has been cleared nothing that, the success of the “Arise Compassionate Homes” project, with 355 units already delivered to the state’s most vulnerable citizens.
Governor Eno cautioned against the bitterness of the approaching political season, urging the people of the state to ensure that politics does not divide them. “We should play politics of conviction and not of confrontation or attrition”, he added.
