Unity School Alumni Storm Akwa Ibom, Score Umo Eno High on Tourism Development

Members of the Unity Schools Old Students Association, USOSA, have embarked on a tour of key tourism, hospitality, technology and infrastructure projects in Akwa Ibom State with a verdict that Governor Umo Eno has performed more than they had envisaged.
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The delegation, made up of old students of Federal Government Colleges from across Nigeria, visited the Arise Palm Resort, Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, AKWA-GIS facilities and Security and Command Centre, as well as the newly completed Ibom International Hotel and other strategic projects, as part of activities marking the association’s 49th National Plenary in Uyo.

Led on the tour by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Research and Documentation, Dr Essien Ndueso, the visitors had an opportunity to see first-hand some of the infrastructure and investment projects shaping the State’s emerging tourism landscape.

A major point of attraction was the Arise Palm Resort, one of the flagship projects of the administration of Governor Umo Eno.

The resort, located in Uyo, is part of the State Government’s broader drive to position Akwa Ibom as a major tourism destination.

The project is also linked to the administration’s wider efforts at reclaiming erosion-affected land and converting it into productive infrastructure and tourism assets.

At the different locations, the visitors were taken through the facilities and the ideas behind the projects, with members of the delegation expressing excitement at the scale of development witnessed across the State.

Speaking during the tour, the Team Lead and Coordinator of the USOSA Akwa Ibom State Chapter, Dr. Imoh Ita, described the experience as one that challenged the expectations of many members of the delegation.

He said the excitement visible among members of the group was an indication that many of them were encountering a different picture of Akwa Ibom from what they had previously imagined.

“For many of us who came from different parts of Nigeria, what we have seen today is almost beyond what we imagined. You come with an idea of what a place looks like, and then you arrive and see these things physically for yourself. The excitement is written on the faces of our members.

Everywhere we have gone, people have been asking questions, taking pictures and expressing genuine amazement. It tells you that there is so much in Akwa Ibom that Nigerians need to see for themselves.”

Other members of the team said the tour was particularly significant because the USOSA gathering brought together Nigerians who had travelled from different parts of the country, creating an opportunity for the State to showcase its tourism and investment potential to a national audience.

He noted that tourism could serve as an avenue for people from other parts of Nigeria to discover the State beyond what they might have heard or read about it.

The delegation’s visit to the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium also offered the visitors an opportunity to see one of the State’s major sporting and tourism assets, while the tour of the AKWA-GIS and Security and Command Centre exposed them to the technology and administrative infrastructure supporting the State’s development efforts.

The visit to the Ibom International Hotel and the 5000 capacity Ibom International Convention Center complex further highlighted the State’s hospitality and entertainment ambitions.

The USOSA National Plenary, held under the theme “Fostering the Spirit of Pro Unitate: Advancing Unity, Leadership and Nation-Building in Nigeria,” brought together old students of Federal Government Colleges from across the country in Uyo.

For the visiting delegates, the tour offered more than sightseeing. It provided a direct opportunity to experience Akwa Ibom’s infrastructure, hospitality and tourism assets, while opening another channel for the State to showcase its attractions to visitors from across Nigeria.

The visit therefore added a practical dimension to the USOSA gathering allowing Nigerians from different parts of the country to see, experience and discuss Akwa Ibom beyond the conference venue.

During the tour, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Research and Documentation, Dr. Essien Ndueso, who led the delegation around the Arise Palm Resort, explained the thinking behind the Governor’s decision to turn a once erosion-destroyed area into a one stop leisure and business destination capable of attracting visitors, creating opportunities and contributing to the State’s tourism economy.

“What you are seeing here is a reflection of Governor Umo Eno’s vision of transforming challenges into opportunities.

“This was once an area ravaged by erosion, but the Governor saw beyond the challenge and envisioned a destination that could attract people, create economic opportunities and add value to the tourism potential of Akwa Ibom State. We want people from across Nigeria and beyond to come here, experience what Akwa Ibom has to offer and become ambassadors of the State wherever they go.”

Umo Eno

Dr. Ndueso further explained that the project formed part of the administration’s broader vision of developing strategic infrastructure and tourism assets that would position Akwa Ibom as a destination for leisure, investment and business.

The team was received at the Arise Palm Resort by Mr Thomas, Group Managing Director of Ibom Hospitality Management ltd, Mr Thomas who showed them round the tourism park.
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Full Details: Umahi Receives NANS Assessment Reporter on Federal Roads across North-West Zone

The Honourable Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE, has received an assessment report by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Federal Government road infrastructure projects inspected across the North-West Zone.
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The report was presented to the Minister at the Ministry’s Conference Hall, Mabushi, Abuja, by the President of NANS, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez. The assessment followed a nationwide student-led inspection initiative aimed at enabling Nigerian students to obtain first-hand information on the progress, quality and relevance of Federal Government infrastructure projects.

Upon receiving the report, Minister Umahi commended NANS’s leadership and the participating student representatives for embarking on the tour, describing the initiative as a responsible demonstration of youth participation in national development. He reiterated that the Federal Ministry of Works welcomes constructive assessments from students, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, noting that such engagements provide the Ministry with unbiased feedback on projects and help identify areas requiring further attention.

According to him, the Ministry has continued to open its project sites to stakeholders and independent observers to enable them to assess ongoing and completed projects and gain a better understanding of the scope, quality and progress of work being undertaken by the Renewed Hope Administration of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

Engr. Umahi assured that the Ministry would carefully study the observations and recommendations contained in the NANS report and take appropriate action, where necessary. He specifically directed relevant Directors in the Ministry to note the students’ recommendations on access roads and pedestrian safety around educational institutions, including the request for a pedestrian bridge at the Federal Cooperative College area of Kaduna.

The Minister also assured the students that their concerns regarding roads serving universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and surrounding communities would receive appropriate attention within the Ministry’s mandate. He noted that road infrastructure is critical to education, commerce, agriculture and the movement of people and goods, stressing that the Federal Government remains committed to improving connectivity across the country.

Speaking on the broader national conversation surrounding the Renewed Hope Agenda, Umahi stressed the importance of assessing government policies and their implementation through facts, projects and measurable outcomes. He also encouraged stakeholders, including state governments and citizens, to engage constructively on issues affecting their communities. He highlighted the Ministry’s community engagement, sensitisation and mobilisation structure, which is intended to showcase infrastructure projects as catalysts for national integration and development.

On the thorny subject of fuel subsidy removal and its implications for governance, the Minister underscored the need for citizens to examine how changes in government revenues and fiscal space are being reflected in public services and social interventions. Stakeholders were encouraged to engage their respective state governments on how additional revenues are being utilised for the benefit of citizens.

Engr. Umahi recognises that roads are more than engineering structures. Their condition directly affects the movement of people and agricultural produce, access to schools and healthcare facilities, transportation costs, trade, security and the wider economic life of communities.

Presenting the report, the NANS President, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, disclosed that the students embarked on the inspection tour because they considered roads leading to educational institutions an important component of the infrastructure required to support access to education.

He said the North-West leg of the exercise covered major road projects across Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara States. Among the projects inspected, according to NANS, were the Kano Northern Bypass; Kano–Kwanar Danja–Hadejia Road; Kano–Maiduguri Expressway; Dualisation of Kano–Katsina Road; Kaduna–Zaria–Kano Expressway; Zaria-Funtua–Gusau-Sokoto Road; Kaduna (Mando)–Birnin Gwari Road; Kaduna–Pambegwa–Jos Road; and other Federal road projects across the zone. On the Reconstruction of Kaduna (Mando)–Birnin Gwari Road, the students described the project as strategically important to interstate connectivity and access to communities and educational institutions.

Comrade Babatunde said the delegation observed that several of the roads inspected have a direct impact on students by improving access to campuses, reducing travel difficulties, and strengthening connectivity between educational institutions and surrounding communities.

He commended the quality and scale of work observed at several project sites, particularly the detailed attention given to road pavement construction, the adoption of continuous reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) technology, drainage infrastructure, subgrade preparation, and the installation of solar-powered streetlights along selected corridors.

The NANS President, however, revealed that the students identified areas where additional interventions could further enhance the impact of some projects. Among the recommendations contained in the report was the provision of pedestrian infrastructure around educational institutions located close to major highways, as well as the construction and improvement of access roads linking some major Federal highways to citadels of learning. He stated that NANS would continue to undertake similar assessment exercises in other parts of the country and communicate its findings to the Ministry.

The Senior Special Assistants to the President (SSA-P) on Community Engagement representing the six geopolitical zones used the occasion to call on Nigerians, traditional institutions, community leaders, youth organisations and other stakeholders to support and participate in the Federal Government’s infrastructure engagement initiative.

They highlighted the long-standing challenges associated with neglected road corridors across the country and noted the importance of ongoing rehabilitation, reconstruction, expansion and completion of strategic routes to improve connectivity, security and socioeconomic activities.

Umahi

The Community Engagement teams are expected to serve as a bridge between the Ministry and communities by taking information about infrastructure development to the people, while bringing citizens’ observations, concerns and feedback to the Ministry’s attention. Speaking, the SSA-P, Community Engagement, North-West Zone, Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai, commended the students for visiting project sites and engaging with communities and road users.

Yakasai said the exercise provided an opportunity for the students to see ongoing infrastructure projects firsthand and communicate their observations to the Federal Government.

He commended the Federal Ministry of Works for facilitating access to the project sites and urged the students to continue providing constructive feedback on Federal Government projects across the country.

In his closing remarks, the Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary (DOOPS), Alhaji Aminu Ahmed, commended the Minister for his commitment to the Ministry’s mandate and his sustained attention to infrastructure delivery and stakeholder engagement.

He thanked the NANS delegation for the initiative and for taking the time to inspect ongoing projects. He underscored the importance of collaboration among the political leadership, career officials, technical personnel, and external stakeholders in delivering and communicating the Ministry’s mandate.

The DOOPS guaranteed the students that their observations would be handled appropriately. He commended the students for their interest in infrastructure development and their commitment to contributing to national development through on-the-spot assessment and constructive engagement.

Ultimately, the impact of road infrastructure development is measured not only in the number of kilometres constructed or rehabilitated, but also in how effectively roads improve connectivity, facilitate economic activity and ease movement for the people who depend on them.

This initiative, therefore, seeks to position citizens and communities as active participants in understanding, monitoring, and communicating the impact of federal infrastructure development.

Mohammed A. Ahmed
Director, Information and Public Relations.
23 September, 2026.
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UniCal Suspends Nine Students for One Academic Session Over Examination Misconduct

The Senate of the University of Calabar has suspended nine students for one academic session over their involvement in examination misconduct.
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According to a statement by the university’s Public Relations Unit, made available to newsmen in Calabar on Monday, the suspension was conveyed to the affected students in letters signed by the Registrar, Dr Chukwuka Icha.

The action, the university said, followed the approval of the Senate based on recommendations by its Examination Misconduct Committee.

“The affected students have been suspended for the 2026/2027 academic session and are expected to resume their studies in the 2027/2028 academic session.

UniCal

“Five of the affected students are from the Department of Theatre and Media Studies, Faculty of Arts.

The university directed the Acting Chief Security Officer, deans, heads of departments and other relevant units to take note of the suspension and ensure full compliance with the directive.
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