Governor Eno charges Citizens to Claim Ownership of New Youth Development Centre

The vision behind the Youth Development Centres conceptualized by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, to deepen inclusion has been described as an investment that will engender socioeconomic boom in the State.
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Accordingly, stakeholders and youths in Ikono have been charged to take ownership and protect the newly inaugurated Ikono Youth Development Center.

These sentiments were espoused today in Ikono Local Government Area, where Governor Eno commissioned a Youth Development Centre, as part of 39 projects lined up to commemorate the State’s 39th anniversary.

Recounting the numerous opportunities young people can derive from the huge investments intended to scale-up on human capital development, Governor Eno called on the youths to brace-up for a future of prosperity.

Represented by the National Assembly Member for Oron Federal Constituency, Hon. Martins Esin, the Governor listed the Enterprise Accelerator Programme of Ibom-LED, Skills training at DASAC and various MSMEs support as critical interventions that is already opening up the economic space for young people.

Esin, who serves as Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Youth Development acknowledged opportunities given to young people in the state as strategic, noting that the Governor has gone ahead of other sub-nationals to prepare the state for a future of opportunities.

He acknowledged the Youth Development Centres as an idea the Federal Government was currently considering, while calling on young people to make the best of the opportunity and keep supporting the Governor to do more for the people.

Highlighting various components of the centre, the Commissioner for Youth Development, Dr Ekerete Ekanem, in his project overview described the centre as a one-stop solution, creativity and entrepreneurial hub that would energize Governor Umo Eno’s visionary youth development ambition across the state.

Welcoming the Governor and his delegation to Ikono, the Council Chairman, Engr. Otobong Essien applauded the administration’s intentional infrastructural renaissance in the area as a legacy that is turning around their socioeconomic fortunes, while promising their continued support to the administration.

Engr Essien said that her people have already agreed to support the reelection of Governor Eno, Senator Akpabio, Honourable Asuquo Nana and Rep Emmanuel Ukpongudo, as well as President Bola Tinubu.

Promising the massive support of Ikono people to Governor Eno’s re-election, the National Assembly member for Ikono Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Ukpongudo enumerated interventions of the administration that has repositioned livelihoods, tasking youths to embrace the innovation by protecting it against vandals.

Umo Eno

Describing the Governor’s performance in Ikono as humbling, Senator Aloysius Etok in describing him as a people-friendly leader recounted how the ARISE Agenda has turned things around for the state, promising that the people will reward him and the All Progressives Congress with their votes in 2027.

Members of the traditional institution, youths and women in their goodwill messages expressed gratitude to the administration for deepening inclusion for hitherto hard to reach communities, promising to protect the facilities and make the best of it.
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Akwa Ibom at 39: Governor Eno Sets to Commission New Youth Development Centre

All is now set for the inauguration of the Ikono Youth Development Center, at Ibiaku Ntok Okpo.
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The center is one of 30 others that Governor Eno is building for youth development across the state to expand skills training and reduce rural-urban migration. Ikono is the second local government to have its center completed for inauguration.

While inaugurating the center in Oron in May this year, Governor Eno had announced that a total of 31,000 youths are to be trained annually in different skills, including ICT, fashion and design, catering, and others, across the State.

He noted that the centres “are designed to give young people at the 31 local government areas, access to practical training for personal development and the overall progress of the state.”

The commissioning of the center on Day 4 of the anniversary month of the State, means that youths of Ikono do not need to travel to Ibom Leadership Entrepreneurial Development Centre or the Dakkada Skills Development Center, DASAC, Ibiono Ibom local government area for trainings.

Youths Development Center

The Chairman of Ikono local government area, Engr. Otobong Essien, in an interview with journalists, said her people were in high spirit to welcome the Governor and to reaffirm their support for the Governor’s re-election, as a response to the numerous roads and other projects in their locality.
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Ibom International Hospital: Eno Promises World-Class Healthcare Facility for Akwa Ibom

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has expressed confidence that the ongoing Ibom International Hospital project in Uyo will be completed as a world-class medical facility capable of providing advanced healthcare services to residents of the state, Nigeria and beyond.
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Governor Eno stated this during an unscheduled inspection of the project site, less than two months after the foundation stone was laid. He inspected the ongoing construction works and assessed the pace and quality of work at the facility.

The Governor commended the Commissioner for Health, project coordinator, contractors, doctors, consultants and other professionals involved in the project, describing their commitment as evidence of his administration’s determination to provide a high-quality healthcare facility for the people.

He expressed optimism that the hospital, when completed, would rank among the best medical facilities in Nigeria and Africa.
“I believe we will deliver for Akwa Ibom people, a world-class medical facility, not just for Akwa Ibom, but within the region,” Eno said.

The Governor described the project as part of his administration’s continued investment in the health sector, stressing that the wellbeing of citizens remained a major priority of his development agenda.
According to him, investments in roads, infrastructure and other public facilities would have little meaning if residents were not healthy enough to enjoy them.

Governor Eno also highlighted the cancer treatment component of the hospital, noting that the lack of access to early diagnostic services often leads to late detection of cancer, making treatment more difficult and increasing the risk of fatalities.

He said the new facility would enable residents to undergo regular medical examinations and benefit from early diagnosis, thereby increasing the chances of successful treatment and extending lives.

The Governor further urged residents to embrace health insurance, warning that specialised treatments and surgical procedures could impose significant financial burdens on families paying medical bills entirely out of pocket.
“Having insurance policy is the only way a lot of us would benefit from it because there are treatments you may want to access here but may not be able to pay the bills,” he said.

Eno encouraged residents to voluntarily enrol in available health insurance schemes rather than wait until participation becomes compulsory, noting that affordable options were already available.

He maintained that the administration’s investments in healthcare were aimed at addressing current medical needs while building a stronger and more sustainable health system for future generations.
Speaking on the project, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Ekem John, said the medical community was actively involved in the conception, planning and development of the facility.

He disclosed that the state government consulted 25 health-sector unions and their leadership, while medical specialists from local and international institutions contributed to the design and planning process.

According to him, about 40 consultants across various medical specialties assessed the healthcare needs of Akwa Ibom State and helped determine the facilities and services required at the hospital.

He added that experts from Germany and the United States, alongside consultants from the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, National Hospital, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, participated in the process.

The project team said construction was progressing simultaneously across the three major wings of the hospital, with different teams working day and night to accelerate completion.

The Consultant and Coordinator of the project, Dr Teinye Isokariari, disclosed that Governor Eno had set June 2027 as the target for completion, but said the team was working to deliver the project ahead of schedule.

The Structural Engineer, Mohammed Bita, explained that the three wings were being constructed as independent projects to speed up the work and ensure timely delivery.

Ibom International Hospital

When completed, the Ibom International Hospital is expected to expand access to specialised healthcare services in Akwa Ibom, improve early diagnosis and treatment, and reduce the need for residents to travel outside the state for certain medical procedures.

Earlier in the day, Governor Eno also inspected the Command and Control Centre, the AKWA-GIS building and the new Governor’s Office Annex along Dominic Utuk Avenue in Uyo.
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