By ETIM ETIM
This month marks the half-term mark for Gov. Umo Eno and the other 27 state chief executives who took office in May 2023; and it is important that we assess their performances and point out where they can improve upon. For Akwa Ibom governor, I will review his performance in six the key areas – good governance; infrastructure; tourism; health; education and rural development and agriculture – which have been adequately captured in his economic blueprint known as the ARISE agenda. Good governance refers to the responsible and effective management of resources; institutions and decision-making processes. It involves transparency; accountability; citizenship participation; rule of law; effectiveness and equity. In terms of good governance, Gov Eno has impressed many, including his ardent critics. His ability to bring people together and create a harmonious ecosystem has engendered a participatory political system. In his inaugural address, the governor told Akwa Ibom people: ‘’elections are over, and our kindred spirit must be renewed and deepened. We are all Akwa Ibomites first, before politics. Politics therefore must separate or sever the ties of our brotherhood, common heritage and aspirations. I pledge to you that, I will be governor for all Akwa Ibom people irrespective of political persuasion or affiliation’’. The governor is also highly rated in terms of accountability; transparency; citizenship participation; rule of law; effectiveness and equity.
A notable feature of Eno’s infrastructural development program is his focus on completing abandoned projects irrespective of who started it. The International Convention Centre and the hotel at the Tropicana complex; the new airport terminal building; the MRO and several road projects started by previous administrations are receiving substantial funding from the Eno administration and they should be completed and put to use in the next two years. He has also initiated his own projects. But I will like the governor to do more to improve electricity supply in the state by getting Ibom Power to work. I know that Ibom Power was already afflicted by several debilitating challenges such as huge debts; poor management; corruption; old plants before the governor took office. In fact, I understand that the power plants were almost seized by creditors who had obtained judgment against the company in a London court early this year. But the timely intervention of the state government saved the day. By devoting more attention to the electricity subsector, even if this means privatizing Ibom Power, the governor will record landmark achievements in infrastructure.
Tourism seems to be the apple in the eye of Gov. Eno, understandably so as it is the area in which he had spent most of his business life before he came to public office. Now, he wants to create a viable industry out of it. He’s overhauling the iconic Ibom Hotel & Golf Resort, about two decades after it was opened, in addition to building a brand new recreation and leisure centre known as Arise Park. The park comprises a golf course; chalets; playground; tennis courts; lakes and a lot more. I have written a lot on this. The park and the new convention center, stadium, golf courses, beaches, hotels and other facilities will undoubtedly make the state a major tourism destination. But that alone is not enough. The government will have to do more to attract traffic. I suggest the appointment of a Chief Marketing Officer to develop and execute a strategy for attracting visitors to the state for conferences; leisure and business. We should be able to host annual conferences of professional bodies like NBA; NMA; NIESV; NIQS; ICAN as from 2028.
Agriculture, Health and Education should be the prime focus areas of any government. They constitute the focal points of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provide a veritable plank for poverty reduction. Gov. Eno has been very busy in these three areas, but there is still more to do. He started work in education by upgrading some of the 468 primary healthcare centers in the state, and soon after, he launched the state’s health insurance scheme. The insurance scheme is to ensure citizens’ access to good healthcare services and so far 73, 372 persons have enrolled on the scheme. As at last week; 15, 750 patients enrolled on the scheme have been attended to in hospitals (both private and government-owned). I must admit that the health insurance scheme, the first of its kind in the state, has been quite helpful in giving folks access to medical care. There’s however a strong need for the government to build two new general hospitals in Uyo to decongest the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.
In Education, the government has upgraded some primary schools to world-class standard and there are plans to overhaul some secondary schools too. Our longstanding free and compulsory education policy, including payment of NECO and WAEC fees for students, has helped keep thousands of our children in school and cut down on dropout rate. But I will like more teachers to be hired for primary and secondary schools, especially those in the rural areas. Agriculture is another important area that this governor has made considerable initiatives. From the Songhai Scheme to provision of financial support to smallholder farmers, the aim is to increase food production and enhance family incomes. But the Ministry of Agriculture should do more in the area of pest prevention and control.
There are a few other things to commend the governor for, three of which are payment of N60 billion in outstanding gratuities to retired civil servants; improving scholarship payments to students and the yearly N5 billion support to rural businesses and farmers through the series of empowerment programmes. Overall, this has been an impressive half-term performance. Keep it up, Mr. Governor.
