Inside the ARISE Agenda, Uyo (2026)

18/08/2026

AGGREGATING THE IMPACT OF GOVERNOR ENO’S BROAD-NICHED APPROACH TO AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

- Samuel Ayara

Akwa Ibom people are not new to eye-catching and ingeniously crafted electioneering messages. This explains why the pocket of indifference with Pastor Umo Eno’s 2023 gubernatorial ARISE Agenda message should be excused. Some items on the checklist were considered too ambitious.

Three years down the line, communities are revelling in the warmth of a stewardship that spotlights measurable results and strategic delivery, enforcing a pattern of development that has shifted from isolation to inclusive and integrated.

Across its 5 pillars and 17 focal points, the ARISE Agenda has orchestrated a coordinated departure from make-believe trajectories to an approach that weaves together an ecosystem of sustainable development. This well-thought-out government blueprint holds all the aces, showing the State is truly rising.

With food identified as one of humanity’s most critical needs, Governor Umo Eno arrived for duty, conscious of the urgency to defeat extreme hunger. Of the options on his table, he chose to deploy homegrown solutions; a rather too big puzzle for an import-dependent society, and minced no words in pointing the people to the promise of our lush greenery.

By reinventing agriculture as an alternative to a bleeding national mono-commodity economy, Governor Eno has found new, workable solutions to old challenges and achieved both food sufficiency and prosperity in one breath.

In a swing that switched the sector’s fortune from docile to robust, the establishment of Ibom Model Farm benchmarked a silver lining for the birth of a thriving integrated ecosystem, where farming, whether as a vocation, hobby or business, earns its rightful place as a rewarding venture.

The multiplier impact of this innovation took root faster than expected in each of the 31 LGAs, with the establishment of community and school farms, leading to a steady increase in agricultural extension assets and activities that are liberating the economy of several communities and households.

Driving the Governor’s vision for food sufficiency is a dutiful watchman, Dr Offiong Offor, who, as Commissioner for Agriculture, has reversed the intermediaries phenomenon to energise real farmers to take ownership of their sector. This is evident in the stability currently witnessed in staple food prices.

A recent visit to the over 150 hectares of Iniso Farms at Ikot Eyo, Nsit Ubium LGA, offered a sneak peek that the State’s rising food production profile is no fluke, but a product of intentional investment in knowledge, workforce, inputs, and human resources. Like Iniso, other farms are springing up with verifiable high yields, signaling stronger commitment to ending extreme hunger and poverty.

While people see the obvious result, very few have taken the time to find out which valve the administration turned to achieve this impressive mileage in food production.

But for starters, the partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) appears to be holding out the magic wand. According to Ofor, high yielding variety cassava cuttings shared to farmers is reflected in the game-changing increase in cassava yields, from a staggering 5 tons per hectare to over 30 tons.

Proactive leaders easily predict their next most likely challenge. Laying the groundwork to earn people’s confidence that agriculture can be the next big thing, Governor Umo Eno understood it was time for the state to prioritise mechanisation without breaking the banks. This is where the establishment of the Agriculture Equipment Leasing Company strategically stands out.

In the blow-by-blow account of the administration’s agricultural revolution mandate, aspiring to return the state to a leading oil palm belt in the country through the Tree Crop Revolution Programme, where over 620,000 oil palm seedlings are distributed to profiled farmers, has been described as phenomenal, passing the Governor for a leader who understands the future.

At the centre of its achievements in this all-important sector is a government committed to policies tailored to our needs.

From turning ordinary ideas into deal-breaking results, to developing deeply thought-out frameworks like the Back to Farm Initiative, Work Free Farm Days for Civil Servants, and the Home Farm Scheme, among others, the government mobilises citizens daily into a defining economic niche that is repositioning society for improved productivity.

On the flip side of policies is an incentivised approach to agriculture, where farmers no longer necessarily wait for harvest to smile to the banks, with an avalanche of incentives available to them, including the 2 billion Naira Farmers Grant, Home Farm Scheme, and other MSME Support Initiatives.

Rounding out these efforts is Governor Eno’s commitment to mentorship and workforce development. This is reflected in the recent handing over of Ibom Model Farms to the Akwa Ibom State University’s Faculty of Agriculture; which is considered as a sustainable node that would transcend several gubernatorial lifespans.

As Governor Umo Eno’s ARISE 1.0 prepares to switch gears, citizens can assert twice that whatever measure it would consider to deepen the State’s quest for food sufficiency in ARISE 2.0 is already premised on a foundation that snugly aligns with the idea that agriculture is the new pathway to prosperity.

Samuel Ayara writes from Ibong Otoro in Abak LGA.

06/08/2026

GOVERNOR ENO’S GOOD GOVERNANCE MODEL: TRUSTING THE JUDGEMENT OF CENTENARIANS

- Samuel Ayara

Dateline: Uyo; August 5, 2026

Barely 24 hours to the Yoruba Tennis Club Centenary Lecture Series 2026, where the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno as Guest Speaker was expected to speak on the theme “Democracy and the Imperative of Good Governance: Renewing Hope in Challenging Times”, something happened to enforce the conviction that centenary honours for the State Chief Executive is becoming the new normal.

As usual, preparations for the event billed for the Greetings Hall of the Club peaked, amid public discourse sharply dividing between accepting the choice of Governor Eno for such role. Optimists and pessimists alike maintained predatory stillness, as if to conserve energy for the D-day.

It was in that moment most gaze fixated Onikan(wards) that a delegation from Folio Media Group, led by its Chairman and Publisher of Daily Times Nigeria, Mr. Fidelis Anosike, swung by to officially notify the Governor about his nomination for the Times Heroes Award as South-South’s Outstanding Governing at the "Daily Times Centenary Heroes Award".

Explaining that the recognition followed a transparent nomination and voting process conducted by the organisation’s award councils, Anosike highlighted that the award was not merely about celebrating individuals but was designed to promote development in Nigeria and help change global perception of the country, by projecting stories of progress and excellence.

Reflecting on development in Akwa Ibom State as logical, Anosike described the state as a clime where roads are not built to nowhere, hailing the Governor’s consistent pursuit of continuous and sustainable development, while highlighting its potentials of evolving into one of the nation’s most viable economy.

In notifying and inviting the Governor to the award presentation on September 3, 2026, the Chairman of the group submitted that he was taking the Akwa Ibom development story to the world, while urging him to sustain the momentum.

Two centenary honours from such prestigious organizations, in quick succession cannot be a coincidence. As with the significance of a hundred years, these recognitions can only be viewed as exclusive preserve for distinguished fellows who possibly have made impacts that are viewed to last another century.

In a clime like ours, no organization would brave the hassles of surviving for one hundred years, and hand its centenary medal to a mediocre mind. This understanding explains Governor Eno’s steady acclaim as the gold standard of good governance and people-centric leadership, defined by an endless streak of legacy impacts.

From stirring dead economic ends to economic viability, and engraving hope where despair once ruled, the governor has in a little above three years shown the past and present could be seamlessly be woven into a desirable future, the next generation would love to reckon with.

Dusting up dreams and visions of past administrations into glossy masterpieces has in the long run paid-off in the unmistakable spotlight the state has since his emergence savoured.

A leadership idea so strategic and encompassing cannot be dealt the obscure card; which further highlights why the convergence of well-intended ambitious projects, interventions and policies across the 31 LGAs of the State is lighting-up decades of dark crevices that now conspire to colour our skies.

Across the 5 pillars and thematic areas of the administration’s blueprint, the ARISE Agenda, there is something distinctive about Governor Eno. This difference is etched in how he crafts value out of every project and policy; a template deeply rooted in an integrated approach to governance that strings together purpose, sustainability, and functionality.

It is a governance wonder to behold how dutifully the administration has in three years connected the dots, ensuring projects and policies find perfect alignment, and in that inter-relation serve more expansive purpose than they would if isolated.

Taken as a whole, exceptional excellence and institutional integrity under Governor Eno have become the defining factor that is binding every stride to the “Destination Akwa Ibom Narrative” where agriculture, tourism, economy, healthcare, education, security and peace are designed from a prism that guarantees shared prosperity.

Agreeing with Anosike that roads in the state are not built to nowhere indubitably becomes valid, as the over 1300km of roads either completed or ongoing all lead to warm destinations that connect investors to entrepreneurs. But beyond land, air access through the Victor Attah International Airport in more ways than can be disputed flags the assurance that purposeful leadership thrives here.

These multi-sectoral achievements that leave no community behind, and the lustre their silver linings leave on the aisles of national conversations is the conspiracy that has in three years turned Akwa Ibom to one of Nigeria’s most desirous destinations.

Little wonder Governor’s Eno’s response to the Daily Times team, “I have always focused on my work and allowed the people to judge my administration. I would continue to give my best in planning and executing projects”, expressing the consciousness that public officers must remain accountable because “the world is watching”.

According to the Governor, these series of recognitions also serve as reminders that activities of government are being closely watched by the people; a portrayal of the satisfaction of beholding his contributions become widely famed and befitting of centenary and global recognitions.

As the garlands gather over his neck, complimenting the generous spread of feathers on his cap, it is in moments like these the people would love to reflect that if no child sees farther than an adult, then centenarians cannot be wrong in their serial endorsements of Governor Eno as a true model of development, and a champion of leadership that more than enforce fear, is dispensing service to all manner of people.

Samuel Ayara writes from Ibong Otoro in Abak LGA.

28/07/2026

WATCH:
How much do you know about the ongoing revolution in Akwa Ibom State’s Healthcare sector?

28/07/2026

WATCH:
EXCERPTS FROM THE AKWA IBOM STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, 27 JULY 2026

27/07/2026

EXCERPTS FROM THE AKWA IBOM STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, 27 JULY 2026, AT THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, GOVERNOR’S OFFICE, UYO

The Akwa Ibom State Executive Council held its regular meeting on Monday, 27 July 2026, at the Executive Council Chambers, Governor’s Office, Uyo, with His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD, Governor of Akwa Ibom State, presiding.

In his opening remarks, the Governor welcomed members to the meeting and thanked God for His faithfulness upon the administration. He noted that the Executive Council meeting was convened shortly after the successful conclusion of the two-day Delivery Meeting, which provided an opportunity to review the implementation of government projects and programmes and assess progress in delivering dividends of good governance to the people.

The Governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the effective implementation of the ARISE Agenda across all sectors and charged members of the Executive Council to remain focused, dedicated, and steadfast in delivering impactful, people-centred governance for the continued development of Akwa Ibom State.

RESOLUTIONS

The Executive Council considered several reports and memoranda and resolved as follows:

1. Council considered a memorandum presented by the Honourable Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning on the implementation of an Economic Empowerment Programme for youths, women, traders, farmers, transport operators, and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the thirty-one (31) Local Government Areas of the State.

Council approved the release of the sum of Thirty-One Billion Naira (₦31,000,000,000.00), as provided in the 2026 Approved Budget, for the implementation of the programme at ₦1 billion per Local Government Area.

The programme comprises Youth Skills Acquisition, Training and Starter Packs; Women Cooperative Business Support; Traders Business Grants; Agricultural Support and Farm Inputs; SME Development and Enterprise Growth; and the Transport Empowerment Scheme.

The initiative is aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, job creation, poverty reduction, agricultural productivity, business growth, and inclusive economic development through skills acquisition, grants, enterprise support, farm inputs, and the distribution of productive assets such as tricycles to qualified beneficiaries across the State.

Council noted that the programme is expected to benefit a total of 165,912 persons.

The Governor-in-Council constituted a Committee, headed by the Secretary to the State Government, to work out modalities for the implementation and distribution of the intervention and report back to the Executive Council.

2. Council received a briefing from the Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties on the forthcoming official visit of the President to Akwa Ibom State and the planned thirty (30)-day commissioning of thirty-nine (39) completed projects across the State to commemorate the 39th anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom State.

Council noted that the President is scheduled to commission strategic projects, including the New Terminal Building, Airport Hospital, Aviation Village, the 14.5-kilometre Nsit Atai–Okobo Road, the Dualisation of Ring Road 3, the Command and Control Centre, AkwaGIS, the State Secretariat Annex, and the ARISE Palm Resort.

The Governor-in-Council directed all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure seamless coordination and adequate preparations for the successful hosting of the President and the commissioning exercise.

3. Council received a report from the Special Adviser to the Governor on Legislative Matters on the status of Executive Bills before the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. Council noted that all twelve (12) Executive Bills had been duly considered and passed by the House.

Accordingly, the Governor-in-Council approved that the Speaker and the leadership of the House of Assembly be invited to the Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, 28 July 2026, for the signing into law of the Bills.

4. Council received a presentation from the Honourable Commissioner for Health on the review of the State’s health emergency response and noted the significant accomplishments recorded by the administration in strengthening healthcare delivery across the State.

Council noted the recruitment of over 2,854 health workers, the completion of twenty-nine (29) Model Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), the ongoing upgrade of seventeen (17) additional PHCs, and the rehabilitation of four secondary healthcare facilities.

The Governor-in-Council directed that emergency measures be adopted to bypass bureaucratic bottlenecks and accelerate the recruitment of more medical doctors to address manpower gaps in the health sector.

Council further noted the acquisition of three CT Scan machines, with three additional units expected, as well as two MRI machines, alongside the ongoing digitisation of healthcare processes to improve efficiency, expand access, and enhance the quality of healthcare services across the State.

Council also received and approved the transmission of nine (9) health sector Bills to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for legislative consideration; these include:

i. Akwa Ibom State Public Health Security Bill, 2026.
ii. Akwa Ibom State Healthcare Facilities and Service Standards, Monitoring and Accreditation Agency Bill, 2026.
iii. Akwa Ibom State Health Insurance Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
iv. Akwa Ibom State College of Health Sciences and Technology Law.
v. College of Nursing Sciences (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
vi. Akwa Ibom State Medical Residency Training Bill, 2026.
vii. Akwa Ibom State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
viii. Akwa Ibom State Drugs and Health Supplies Management Agency Bill, 2026.
ix. Akwa Ibom State University Teaching Hospital Bill, 2026.

5. Council reviewed plans for the hosting of Christmas Unplugged 4.0 and the 2026 Annual Christmas Carol Festival.

The Governor-in-Council directed that the planning and ex*****on of Christmas Unplugged 4.0 should incorporate innovative and creative ideas, explore new frontiers, and place greater emphasis on showcasing Akwa Ibom State’s rich culinary and cultural heritage on a Local Government Area basis.

Council approved Friday, 18 December 2026, as the date for the 2026 Annual Christmas Carol Festival.

The Governor-in-Council also announced plans for a two-day Youth Conference aimed at engaging young people across the State and promoting a mindset reset that will inspire responsible leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, and active participation in the State’s developmental trajectory.

6. Council received a report from the Honourable Commissioner for Water Resources and Sanitation on the proposed solar-powered rural water projects to be implemented across the 369 wards of the State.

Council noted that the programme is aimed at providing sustainable and potable water to rural communities and endorsed the proposal for phased implementation.

The Governor-in-Council directed the Ministry to forward a detailed presentation to the Finance and General Purposes Committee for procurement review, cost evaluation, and further necessary action.

7. Following a report presented by the Honourable Commissioner for Sports on preparations for the hosting of the 2026 Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival, Council approved the hosting of the event later in the year.

The Governor-in-Council commended the impact of the Sports Festival on youth talent discovery, sports development, and social integration, and urged the Organising Committee to ensure a successful outing.

He also congratulated two indigenes of the state, Edidiong Umofia and Ruth Nyong who won gold and silver medal respectively in weightlifting, at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

8. The Governor-in-Council swore in the new State Statistician-General, Mr Uduak Isaac, who also serves as Permanent Secretary, Human Capital Development.

The Governor charged him to ensure the effective management and coordination of the State’s statistical system in support of evidence-based planning and the implementation of the ARISE Agenda.

He further directed the Statistician-General to produce regular statistical reports on the State’s development indicators to facilitate policy formulation, monitoring, and evaluation.

9. Council noted the presentation of the Best African Leader in People-Centric Governance Award to the Governor, which was received on his behalf by the Deputy Governor during the 19th Security Watch Africa Conference and Awards Ceremony held in Banjul, The Gambia.

The Governor expressed appreciation to the organisers for recognising the achievements of the administration and dedicated the award to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR; former Governor Udom Emmanuel, CON; Senate President Godswill Akpabio, GCON; members of the State Executive Council; and the people of Akwa Ibom State, in recognition of their support and contributions to the development of the State.

10. The Governor-in-Council thanked the people of Akwa Ibom State for their continued support and urged them to remain steadfast as the administration continues to work for the peace, progress, and prosperity of the State.

The meeting rose at 7:40 p.m.

Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah, PhD
Commissioner for Information

14/07/2026

FLOOD SCARE: WHAT IF GOVERNOR ENO HAD BLINKED?

- Samuel Ayara

Amid the plurality of phenomenon to explain the quick-paced shifts in global environmental index, from global warming to climate change and whatever fits the decline in its context and presentation, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) have in recent years been upbeat in its predictions of agonizing flood patterns and other negative ecological consequences.

This year’s prediction listed States including Akwa Ibom among sub-nationals to watch out for. Aside these annual predictions, the State is considered susceptible to flooding due to persistent and heavy rainfall; low lying topography; rapid urbanization and human activities.

Despite Governor Umo Eno’s push to mitigate the negative impact, predicted by NiMet, nature’s fury last weekend struck some parts of the state, leaving homes flooded, families displaced and property submerged. What the meteorological professionals never included in their predictions was probably the fact that government could be blamed for not stopping the rains.

Puzzled by the backlashes from a few victims and onlookers snapped the thoughts that this situation could have been worst; maybe what is today considered a spill would have assumed the levels of a humanitarian crisis, if Governor Eno had not undertaken certain intervening initiatives.

Of such initiatives, reflecting on the ambitious reclamation of the 73 hectare gully between Dominic Utuk and Etim Umana axis of the State Capital is a magic to behold, while its subsequent curation into a world-class tourism masterpiece, the ARISE Palm Resort would be story for another day.

From the observed increase in volume of rainfall, storm water and other negative ecological conditions, more communities in three years, could have fallen to the ravaging gully, occasioning a destructive strand of socioeconomic plunder that could have even triggered an unrest by property owners and indigenes who over the years helplessly beheld the loss of their property and ancestral homes.

Some residents, business owners and commuters of Atiku Abubakar Way in Uyo, before Governor Eno’s intervention may have forgotten how much they used to pray against the rains, but those with good memories would still remember how tears, losses and heartaches became their realities before the administration undertook an extensive drainage and storm water evacuation project that de-flooded the area.

Outside the state capital, Queen Street, Ikot Ekpene, popularly referred to as Goretti School Road had for almost two decades remained impassable to all forms of traffic including pedestrians; so badly that the school became a shadow of its once robust fortune, while the communities got disserted. It took the Governor’s proactive grace to within one year of taking office return hope, life and light to where ruins once walked unchallenged.

The Afia Nsit ecological remediation project in Eket LGA is another testament that Governor Eno will never look away from dispensing help to any part of the state. Walking through the rains without apprehension of what they would lose, for people of this community speaks volumes to the administration’s culture of inclusion.

Of the many ecological mitigation strategies of the Eno administration, the integration of water collecting and drainage components to the over 1300km of roads constructed across the state, in addition to over 40 bridges hold out the justification that government had long before stormy days built tents to shield from the elements.

On the flip side of building flood prevention infrastructures, imagine what could have happened to the almost 450 of the targeted 500 vulnerable families across the 31 LGAs that used to live under tree stumps, and other extremely nauseating and inhabitable conditions, before the advent of the ARISE Compassionate Homes Initiative?

Handing over tastefully furnished homes and business grant of 500,000 Naira to each of the 450 families, and directly providing roofs over an estimated over 4000 heads, have not only institutionalized compassion, but reduced the number of citizens that could have been exposed to the horrendous weather situation.

Without undermining resilience, it is no gainsaying that with the extreme weather conditions of the past two years, not less than 100 families out of the 450 would have lost a member or two, to adverse ecological circumstances. This is where the Governor’s magnanimity has significantly contributed to reducing mortality in our communities.

In either applauding his pragmatism or fairly judging his proactive dispositions that have continued to elevate humanity, it is indubitable that some of the 175 junior civil servants, graced to become proud home owners in a well-appointed and secured estate, courtesy of Governor Eno, could have experienced this ugly incidence, if the sun of the free home ownership gesture had not kissed their endeavours.

While last weekend’s spill continues to enjoy conversational spotlight, it is unassailable that the discourse would hold without due commendation of the swift response by the Governor, who did not only cut short an official visit out of the state, but ensured the mobilization of a coordinated mitigation support to impacted areas.

Beyond the gloom, this moment offers another opportunity to ponder on how overwhelming the flood scenario could have been, if Governor Eno had taken a blink from engendering sustainable environmental standards that have sustained the State’s acclaim as Nigeria’s cleanest and well-managed metropolis.

Samuel Ayara writes from Ibong Otoro in Abak LGA.

03/07/2026

DELIVERY MEETINGS: GOVERNOR ENO’S GOOD GOVERNANCE TRIAGE

- Samuel Ayara

‘Triage’ is the process of quickly assessing and prioritizing issues according to their urgency and importance. In medicine, it is the system used to determine which patient requires immediate attention. Beyond healthcare, triage has become a useful framework for effective governance, where priorities are carefully identified and resources strategically deployed for maximum impact.

That is precisely what Governor Umo Eno’s monthly Delivery Meetings have come to represent in Akwa Ibom State. Since their introduction, the meetings have evolved into a strategic governance mechanism through which the vision, policies, programmes and projects of the administration are reviewed against the parameters of urgency, efficiency, sustainability and measurable impact.

When Governor Eno promised to “connect the dots,” few anticipated the emergence of such an integrated model of governance. Today, agriculture, rural development, infrastructure, security, economic growth and the seventeen focal areas of the ARISE Agenda are no longer treated as isolated sectors but as interconnected components of a unified development blueprint, each recording measurable progress.

Much of the commendation the state has attracted for good governance can be traced to these monthly sessions, where the Governor deliberately shuts out distractions to create an atmosphere for honest evaluation, constructive engagement and strategic decision-making. It is a forum where ideas are interrogated, performances assessed and solutions collectively crafted.

Unlike conventional Executive Council meetings, the Delivery Meetings bring together members of the State Executive Council, contractors, traditional rulers, community leaders, captains of industry, organised labour, private sector operators, civil society organisations, the media and other critical stakeholders. Their collective responsibility is to examine the direction of governance, identify implementation gaps and ensure that projects remain on schedule.

The atmosphere resembles a strategic policy laboratory where ideas are refined into practical interventions. It is the operational engine room of the ARISE Agenda, promoting broad-based participation that transcends partisan interests and personal ambitions in favour of the collective good of Akwa Ibom State.

Within this forum, the state’s development aspirations are not merely discussed; they are carefully curated, monitored and strengthened. Accountability is no longer an abstract principle but a culture that is practised, measured and internalised.

It was during one of these meetings that Governor Eno declared that 2026 would be a year defined by action, delivery and measurable results.

Now, halfway into the year, that declaration is finding practical expression. Across the state, projects are being completed, policies are yielding tangible outcomes and investments are translating into visible improvements in the lives of the people. Three years into the administration, governance has increasingly become synonymous with measurable performance rather than mere promises.

These achievements have also established clear benchmarks for monitoring development across sectors and have contributed significantly to the numerous commendations the administration continues to receive within and outside the state.

The remarkable blend of policy reforms, infrastructure expansion and economic transformation reflects the disciplined ex*****on of a clear vision. From the implementation of the 85 priority projects to the construction of over 1,300 kilometres of roads, alongside expansive social intervention programmes and far-reaching reforms in healthcare and education, the administration continues to redefine governance through measurable outcomes.

The Delivery Meetings have equally provided the momentum behind critical initiatives such as the ongoing power sector reforms, the unveiling of the Ibom Medical City Project featuring a 350-bed international hospital, the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, and the construction of a modern passenger terminal and CNG Mega Station, all of which represent bold investments in the state’s future.

Functioning as the government’s strategic situation room, the meetings provide a platform where critical decisions are finalised, project timelines reviewed and implementation challenges confronted. Contractors are required to account not only to the Governor but before a broad spectrum of stakeholders. Project quality, pace and scope are rigorously examined, while participants are encouraged to seek clarifications and contribute ideas irrespective of status.

It is also within these meetings that key social welfare interventions for vulnerable citizens receive final approval. The recent investment of N2.5 billion for the procurement of over 620,000 oil palm seedlings for distribution to farmers across the state is one notable outcome of this collaborative governance model.

Perhaps the most enduring strength of the Delivery Meetings lies in their commitment to inclusivity: traditional rulers, religious leaders, political stakeholders including members of the opposition, community representatives and other interest groups are invited to witness governance firsthand, offer constructive input and contribute to the state’s development journey.

Governor Eno, widely acknowledged for his clarity of thought and ability to translate ideas into practical action, has transformed the Delivery Meetings into more than periodic administrative engagements. They have become a governance blueprint where vision is documented, implementation is coordinated and progress is continuously evaluated, demonstrating the value of proactive leadership in delivering democratic dividends.

As a governance model, the Delivery Meetings have provided Akwa Ibom State with a structured platform for tracking milestones, eliminating bottlenecks, strengthening inter-ministerial collaboration, optimising public expenditure, enhancing accountability and enabling rapid problem-solving.

Every edition of the Delivery Meeting reinforces a simple but powerful truth: sustainable development is driven by consistent planning, disciplined ex*****on and continuous evaluation. Under Governor Eno, these meetings have become the fulcrum of an administration determined to translate vision into results that steadily consolidate Akwa Ibom’s reputation as a model of purposeful, accountable and people-centred governance.

Samuel Ayara writes from Ibong Otoro in Abak LGA.

Inside the ARISE Agenda

18/08/2026

06/08/2026

28/07/2026

28/07/2026

27/07/2026

14/07/2026

03/07/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request