Akwa Ibom is celebrating 39 years since it became a state, with Governor Umo Eno highlighting projects in roads, schools, healthcare, farming and housing.
The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, said on Wednesday that the best things for the state are still to come as the state celebrated 39 years since it was created on September 23, 1987.
The governor said the state’s 39 years have been marked by faith, hard work, sacrifice, progress and God’s help.
He thanked the people who came before and built the foundation of the state.
He also thanked teachers, farmers, religious leaders, workers and business owners.
Eno said his three years as governor have been focused on building, helping people, protecting them and creating opportunities.
He said his government has built or continued work on more than 1,500 kilometres of roads and 43 bridges.
He said the government has made sure no community is too far away to be forgotten.
On schools, the governor said the state made education free for children in primary and secondary school.
He said the government gave out N1.69 billion in money to help students, hired 3,000 new teachers and is turning the College of Education into a university.
The governor gave two students full scholarships.
One student will study software engineering in Abuja and got N30 million.
Another student finished medical school with top grades and got N160 million to study in Canada.
On healthcare, the governor said over 258,000 people including old people are now enrolled in the state’s health insurance program.
He said every local government area now has an ambulance service.
The governor said the government has helped more than 1,700 farmers and trained over 4,000 young people in skills.
The government also gave more than 500 houses to poor people.
The governor said the state has paid back more than N98 billion out of N111 billion it owed to retired workers.
The governor said the state now has five aircraft for Ibom Air, a company that flies people.
He said the state is also building a deep seaport to bring in more trade and jobs.
The governor asked people to protect peace and unity.
He said people should not let different political views turn into hatred.
He said peace, unity and brotherhood are very precious and must be protected.