Inside the ARISE Agenda

Inside the ARISE Agenda A compelling & audience-friendly magazine show that signposts gains/mileage of the ARISE Agenda

GOVERNOR ENO AND THE CURATION OF AN AVIATION POWERHOUSE- Samuel AyaraIt has been 17 whole years, since the inaugural fli...
29/03/2026

GOVERNOR ENO AND THE CURATION OF AN AVIATION POWERHOUSE

- Samuel Ayara

It has been 17 whole years, since the inaugural flight landed the Victor Attah International Airport, formerly known as the Akwa Ibom Airport, Uyo. Through the years, this carefully crafted ambitious piece of aviation wonder has continued to succeed where others failed. Evolving from a scorned and bland back-end aviation dot, to an irresistible item on Nigeria’s aviation menu that is providing real-time solutions to decades of disturbing heartaches.

With eyes on top global aviation hubs, like the London Heathrow, Istanbul and Amsterdam Schiphol, for their unmatched connectivity, high passenger volume, key economic engine, and infrastructure. The founding fathers envisioned an airport that provide top-of-the-range integrated services in technologically upbeat models that enable user-friendly aviation experiences.

Not many around Nigeria deify consistency, innovation and strategic positioning. Away from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, that have shown the courage of a definitive imprimatur in the aviation ecosystem; having existed for several decades, Akwa Ibom State has been blessed with leaders who are committed to building on the dream of making the State a go-to aviation destination on the continent.

The burgeoning acclaim of this airport speaks to the beauty of visionary leadership. Governors, from Obong Victor Attah, to Chief Godswill Akpabio and Mr. Udom Emmanuel, manifestly committed more than passive passion at tending it to a testament that agrees that nothing is impossible when the passion is right.

A befitting icing of sorts, Governor Umo Eno since on assumption of office has engendered a turnaround that is daily consolidating gains for every investment the state has made across different sectors. More than brick and mortar, what is happening around the airport facility is life and flesh to a vision many doubted its pace.

These obvious strides of Governor Eno at the airport, has in the first instance won it an international status recognition by the nation’s aviation powerhouse. And in stretching beyond the acclaim, the government in scaling-up to live its new status is repositioning infrastructures to serve its ambition as an aviation hub.

Unannounced yet resolute. What fueled the state’s resolve for the aviation village, completion of appurtenances including the MRO facilities, the terminal building, taxiway, Instruments Landing System (ILS), Clinic, International Wing, and provision of security assets, must have been an intentional push at curating an aviation ecosystem the continent cannot ignore.

With the date for commencement of international operations in sight, a checklist of facilities that are daily shaping up the ecosystem signposts a commitment to transitioning from a drop-off flight destination, to becoming home to a wide range of aviation products on the continent.

Reflecting a push for a World-class airport in Nigeria, Governor Eno through the Aviation Village component, built to provide 117 units of residential quarters, including 62 units of 2-bedroom flats and 55 units of 3-bedroom flats, and a minimart is handing Nigerians an airport that never goes to sleep.

More than home for aviators, the village will optimize operations for 12 aviation sector parastatals, such as the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ibom Airport Development Company Limited (IADC), Ibom Air, MRO Staff, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and others.

With a terminal building that can process over a million passengers annually, 6 Automated Boarding Bridges, Digital Self Check-In, Robotic Assistant, Smart Passenger Way-Finding, Biometrics Security Scanning, Moisture Control Technology, Automated Luggage Screening & Weighing, Video/Scene Analytic & Static Object Detection for Suspicious Packages, and several definitive features, a mind-blowing experience awaits its users.

Designing the facility with a quad-fire prevention plan that include fire extinguishers, fire water sprinkler system, fire detectors, and an automated fire suppression system intensifies the promise that safety, at conception and delivery was a priority for the airport.

Apart from processing passengers, the airport comes with the grace of becoming home to aircrafts across the West African region, as its Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO), to be managed by CAMOSA, readies for operation. The MRO is one component of the hub that is already shinning the light that would reverse the huge capital flight the sector has for decades bled under.

Ibom Air, as a leading Nigerian air operator that has for over 6 years provided exceptional services defined by schedule reliability, on-time departures, and excellent services is already the assurance the world needs to fly Uyo. The feat the airline has accomplished from its fleet of 9 aircraft, in addition to testing the waters in international flights operation have sustained a conversation that admits it as a transformative idea in Nigeria’s aviation sector.

Most airports operate a dispensary to provide first aid to staff and passengers, but Governor Umo Eno is perfecting a multi-department hospital for the Victor Attah International Airport, comprising male and female wards, 3 theatres, laboratory, pediatric and maternity unit, pharmacy, radiologic department and residences for medical personnel.

The attraction in this departure is the fact that it energizes the Governor’s vision of building within the airport ecosystem a community. With the hospital in place, medical emergencies got nothing on passengers, staff and members of the airport community, round the clock, as they do not have to go out of its precincts to access medicare.

Beyond the fame of hosting one of Nigeria’s longest runways and an unencumbered driveway, Governor Eno’s aviation community is revving to life with carefully planned internal roads to ease access and movement for staff of the airport and members of the aviation community.

Akwa Ibom State’s ambitious vision of playing big in the aviation sector is more intentional than accidental. Governor Eno had long before the moment, considered the need to build the state for the future that is unfolding, when he sponsored indigenes for pilot and aviation engineering training in France and Ethiopia.

These foreign training sponsorships are no stand-alone initiatives. The State House of Assembly is currently considering a bill for the establishment of an Aviation Training Institute, a World-class centre for aviation personnel training, with the aim of reducing reliance on the west, for solutions that could be locally explored.

The socioeconomic impact of projects within the aviation community is already changing livelihoods for tens of hundreds of households; providing over 3000 jobs in direct and indirect employments, while opening up bankable opportunities for the people, as more aviation-associated agencies and concerns begin to arrive the state.

Tapping into the industry’s vast socioeconomic vistas, the Governor in leading a sub-national that dares to bite the bullet Nigeria for decades could not brave, has shown how impossibility shrinks when confronted with strategic and informed resolve.

For its grace of serenity; peace and security; investment climate that guarantees high return; commendable infrastructure; geographical location; and acclaim as a tourism delight, Governor Umo Eno’s huge investment in a valuable and solutions-driven aviation ecosystem at the Victor Attah International Airport is a venture that would enforce the state’s placement on the global aviation map as a regional powerhouse.

Samuel Ayara writes from Ibong Otoro in Abak LGA.

IBOM CONVENTION CENTRE: ANOTHER OF GOVERNOR ENO’S CLASSICAL TOURISM KINETIC- Samuel AyaraWhen the Late President Umaru ...
13/03/2026

IBOM CONVENTION CENTRE: ANOTHER OF GOVERNOR ENO’S CLASSICAL TOURISM KINETIC

- Samuel Ayara

When the Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, in September 2009, braved a groundswell of dissent to perform the groundbreaking for the Ibom Tropicana Centre, in Uyo, those who believed in Chief Godswill Akpabio’s visionary leadership could take the bet that Akwa Ibom State was positioning for critical tourism visibility in the region.

President Yar'Adua was not miserly with his accolades for Akpabio. He was truly proud of the administration’s infrastructural priorities, as he reflected on the socioeconomic prospects of the centre, designed with a 4-Star hotel, Convention Centre, wet and dry theme park, and the Cineplex as critical appurtenances.

Like other pro-Akpabio sensationalists, then Information Minister, Dora Akunyili was in gloves for an opportunity to spotlight how much vision could redefine the existential realities for a people.

Months turned into years, and in time, the Cineplex was completed and put to use, while progress on other components of the facility slowed.

After over one and a half decades, in the depths of its inglorious decline, came the finishing energy that understands times and value. Governor Umo Eno, in his commitment to rescuing the state from the inglorious hold of abandoned projects, swung by the Tropicana corridor, with a promise to reignite hope and realign the vision intended to make the state a regional tourism hotspot.

34 months down the line, the Tropicana corridor is roaring back to life with the ‘finisher’s anointing’. 250-bed hotel, Shopping city, 5000 capacity convention centre, internal roads, all restructured to meet contemporary realities, and announce Akwa Ibom as a sub-national that is resolute and ready to explore a non-oil future.

The 5000-seater Convention Centre is a super component of the ambitious Tropicana spread that caught my interest during a recent visit. Governor Eno’s Akwa Ibom State is opening up on more fronts, warmly assuring the world of her readiness and capacity to host more than a few.

The brief but detailed tour of this centre of promise by Antoine Nakhle, Senior Project Manager at Craneburg Construction, opened the mind to the luxury, functionality and serviceability that have gone into its curation.

Not much has changed in its architectural design, save for components that require modifications to suit contemporary functionality.

In an era when attention to detail seems relegated, the Convention Centre is already boasting of the best pick in high-end finishing materials and accessories, modestly making it second to none in the region.

Epileptic power has nothing on Ibom Convention Centre. Aside from public power, there are at various stages of installation, two CNG Generators, another two Diesel generators, in addition to solar power infrastructures, to guarantee energy reliability with sustainability in mind.

As the completion date approaches, neither workers nor visitors to the facility are spared the whirring, humming, and buzzing sounds of the machines deployed to perfect fittings for the acoustic wall claddings, align roof trusses, and assemble the VIP area moissanite.

Safety sits at the nucleus of its design and construction. This is Nigeria’s first project to be fitted with over 3000 sprinklers, to double-insulate the facility from any form of fire incidence.

Purposed for comfort and convenience, the escalators have already been installed; elevators, according to Nakhle, are expected in weeks, while a definitive top-of-the-range chiller that would allow guests the feel of acclimation they would have no need of breaking a sweat, regardless the climate’s daring fangs.

The two-floor, 8000-square-metre facility not only houses the auditorium but also includes amphitheatres, meeting rooms, and smaller conferencing options that have already been tiled, painted, and have the electrical and mechanical components fitted, as well as properly landscaped exteriors.

Its measurable socioeconomic impact on livelihoods during construction is already putting smiles on more faces than a few. Engr. Patrick Ekpe and Ime Okoko are among the corps of over 700 workers who have found the fortune of working as skilled or unskilled workforce.

Workers on the project, profiled as over 95 per cent indigenous, are grateful to Governor Umo Eno, whom they described as a visionary and proactive leader. For some of them, the experience garnered from the project has provided them a pedestal far higher than they arrived. More than livelihood, working on a project of this magnitude is for them a different level of satisfaction.

This ambition transcends the quest to colour the skylines of the Akwa Ibom State capital. It is a stride taken so the State can join the nation’s political and economic capitals, Abuja and Lagos, respectively, in conferencing, as the Ibom Convention Centre prepares to premiere as a one-stop shop for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions.

On completion, it will offer diverse opportunities for the State, driving socioeconomic growth, infrastructure development, and cultural exchanges that would energise collaboration and scale visibility for indigenous creatives, who will find the numerous events the centre would attract as bankable opportunities to explore.

Sustaining the acclaim as one of Nigeria’s most sought-after destinations, with a functional airline, good road network and a fledgling sea transportation option, Akwa Ibom State, in staying big on peace and security, stable political climate, strong economy and famed hospitality, will definitely be a Unique Selling point that would make the State a conferencing delight.

Returning the once sleepy Tropicana ecosystem to its bubbling glory with the 5000 capacity Ibom International Conference Centre, apart from socioeconomic prospects for the state’s tourism footprints, signposts Governor Umo Eno’s unbent resolve at transiting the Akwa Ibom dream to a palpable kinetic, for generations unborn.

Samuel Ayara Writes from Ibong Otoro in Abak LGA

05/03/2026

: Inauguration of Assured Projects of Rt. Hon Elder Sunday Festus, Executive Chairman, Oruk Anam LGA, (Assured Stopover Park, Assured Legacy Home, Assured Model Farm, Solar Powered Boreholes, Payment of 10M Naira Bursary), by Gov. Umo Eno.

GOVERNOR ENO’S HEALING BALMBy Samuel Ayara“In ancient Gilead, was an ointment known as ‘Balm of Gilead’, which has remai...
02/03/2026

GOVERNOR ENO’S HEALING BALM

By Samuel Ayara

“In ancient Gilead, was an ointment known as ‘Balm of Gilead’, which has remained a timeless metaphor for healing, soothing and restoration; a rare and fragrant medicinal resin.”

The Akwa Ibom State Health sector in the era that preceded Governor Umo Eno’s emergence is a sharp contrast with what has become the reality and lived experiences of the people, occasionning a shift from agitation to satisfaction.

Delivering a mixed grill of brick and mortar with human capacity development, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem Emmanuel John, unrepentant in constant positive mien, says hope had since replaced anxieties of the past.

Tucked into the Conference Room of the Government House Press Centre, Uyo, for the February edition of the Ministerial Briefing with media professionals, the Health Commissioner, clutched the opportunity to account for the pulsating and audacious reforms and transformations that have continued to change the narrative for the once strained and drained sector.

Line by line, item after another, even unrepentant pessimists could not but agree that a willing mind and yielding hands were all the sector that determines the wealth of a people needed to stand.

The restorative strides of the Umo Eno administration in the health sector, like Gilead’s balm, have continued to redefine medical services and interventions across the 468 Primary Healthcare Facilities, 44 General hospitals, with tertiary and quaternary establishments draping with capabilities of reversing the nauseating trends of medical tourism to other parts of the world.

While the revolutionary conception and delivery of Model Health Centres that, according to Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, continues to make bold headlines across the country, Dr. John in announcing the State’s scale-up in Level 2 PHCs from 29 to 109, highlighted the passion and energy the administration has invested into enhancing reach for a greater demographic in the last 33 months.

Emphasizing Governor Eno’s resolve to reposition the sector by optimizing viability and productivity for health facilities across the state, Dr. John enumerated interventions geared towards energizing operations at the Ibom Specialist Hospital, including the replacement of the phased out Computed Tomographic,CT, Scan machine. This has brought the number of public health facilities offering non-invasive medical imaging procedure in the State to three, from the initial one the administration met on assumption of office, in addition to procurement of Intensive Care beds and other medical equipment.

The expected delivery of one of the three Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines is a game changer that would re-write citizens lived medical experiences, to that of precision and timely diagnosis. More than address the long-held fear the lack of these equipment held, the renewed commitment to re-tooling our facilities is a preface to what promise Akwa Ibom holds in redirecting medical tourism to the state.

These ambitious leap in the ARISE Agenda’s healthcare canvas are just a preface to what is to come, as Governor Umo Eno’s medical corridor begins to take shape with well-appointed clusters for medicare, including the 350-bed high-tech Ibom International Hospital, which has advanced beyond the backing of medical professionals, to enjoying the buy-in of citizens, who are now convinced it is a well-thought idea.

Brick and mortar does not hold all the aces. According to the Health Commissioner, Governor Eno is not only interested in infrastructure, but twice more concerned about welfare of health professionals and policies that drive the sector.

To date, Medical Doctors in the State employ earn about 40% more than their contemporaries in the Federal system, while other healthcare workers take home a pay proportionately higher than their counterparts in the federal employ by over 30%. Under the current administration, Doctors on Residency programme are paid Training funds to encourage medical scholarship and vast expertize.

The State College of Nursing has been granted accreditation, indexing issues have been resolved, the State has commenced Pharmacy internship programme, scaled-up on House officers training, conducted a rare total of 19 capacity building workshops and established a Computer Based Test Centre at the School of Health Technology, at least in the last one year.

Doctors and health workers are not only smiling to the banks, government is strategically working to create functional and user-friendly interface, through institution of deeply researched and widely consulted policies, including the Revised State Essential Medicine List, Multi Hazard Risk Management Assessment, Draft Health sector Adaptation Plan on Climate and Health, Epidemic Preparation and Response Plan as well as the HIV Workplace Policy.

These are no one-size-fit all solution; with the multiplicity of challenges comes a government that keeps evolving to ensure neither socioeconomic status nor poor case management stand between the people and their quest for quality healthcare. This is where the State’s Health Insurance Scheme dubbed ARISECare and the Emergency Management Services and Ambulance Systems stand tall, as ready and available vehicles to accessible and inclusive healthcare.

The renewed air of wellness experienced around the state is not unconnected with the fact that in a little over one year post launch, the Health Insurance programme has enrolled over 180,000 citizens; provided care to over 130,000 people; carried out a total of 1,106 surgeries, including 489 caesarian sections. This has in more ways than few deepened access to hitherto hard to reach communities and populations.

Governor Eno, in Dr. John’s lenses, is also winning the war against avoidable mortalities with the Emergency Management and Ambulance Services. As at December 31, 2025, Governor Eno’s rescue innovation had already attended to over 2500 emergencies, within an average response time that is not more than 30 minutes in any part of the state. Ask about a system that works and enjoys a ride to the AKISEMSAS facility where no one blinks round the clock.

Imprints of Governor Umo Eno’s bold reforms in the health sector is already evident in the socioeconomic boost the state has recorded in the last 33 months.

Data from the Hospitals Management Board avails that a total of 481,364 patients visited the 44 General Hospitals in the State in 2025, an improvement on the about 69,000 patients captured for 2024. This empirically reflects beneficial outcomes of the administration’s expanded access to medical services.

Canceling out morbidity and mortality scores, while elevating the numbers on indices of good health that energizes productivity and wellness is a departure that enforces Governor Eno’s commitment to re-inventing the fortunes of a sector, once comatose, with a balm of care that holds the Gilead promise for Nigeria. The Governor’s fitting heart and mind has become the guarantee that the health sector in its fledgling glory has found the passion to kiss the sky.

Samuel Ayara writes from Ibong Otoro in Abak LGA.

25/02/2026

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Gov. Eno Flags-Off Construction of Chairman’s Residence in Uyo

As Governor Umo Eno moves to deepen his administration’s rural development and citizen’s inclusion drive, the construction of residences for Council Chairmen across the state were yesterday flagged off.

In Uyo, the State Capital, the Chairman’s official residence is to be located along Old Ring Road, in Ikot Ebido Oku.

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