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Tag: Udom Emmanuel

  • Udom commends NCPC for effective pilgrimage

    Akwa-Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel has commended the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) for the choice of Uyo for the 2018 Christian Pilgrimage Leaders and Managers Conference.

    The governor, who spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, said Akwa Ibom is completely a Christian State and as such would do everything possible to provide the enabling environment for Christians to worship God and prosper in their endeavours.

    Executive Secretary of the NCPC, Rev. Tor Uja thanked the government and the people of Akwa Ibom State for receiving the Christian Pilgrimage Leaders and Managers in the State.

    He further urged that Akwa IbomState “gives us it leverage by increasing its investment in Christian Pilgrimage”.

    Uja stated with the challenges in Nigeria “we need to increase our praying commitment and development.”

    He affirmed that pilgrimage has gone beyond sight-seeing’.

    He stressed the needs for the younger ones to grow and contribute to the development of Nigeria.

    Uja affirmed that Nigeria has the largest number of young people in the world.

    He posited that if we invest in the young people, the whole world will bow down for Nigeria.

    He explained Israel’s economy is in the hands of youths, which explains why the country is doing very well globally.

    Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Archbishop Cletus Bassey thanked NCPC for considering the State fit to host the conference.

    He assured the State would do more to sponsor more Christians to the Holy Land.

     

     

     

     

  • Udom submits guber forms, urges Buhari to reconsider Electoral Act

    The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, submitted his governorship nomination forms on Thursday, August 6, 2018 and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reconsider signing the Electoral Act 2010 amendment bill.

    The governor who underscored the essence of the bill, urged those who initially advised the President not to sign the bill to have a change of heart and encourage him to do so because it will strengthen the country’s democracy. He said the bill is the way forward for Nigeria.

    He however dismissed claims  of the All Progressives Congress (APC) making in roads in Akwa Ibom State, noting that the people of the state have experienced development under the leadership of PDP.

    He said: “I know the publicity secretary of our party has been shouting over this issue, but we need to add our voices as a people that we still expect that the President will change his mind and sign the electoral bill into law because that is the way forward for Nigeria. That is the only bill that can strengthen democracy in this country.

    “The change is in that electoral bill; the expectations of Nigerians are in that electoral bill. We believe the advisers who are advising the President not to sign will also advise him to change his mind so that democracy can be strengthened in Nigeria.”

    Emmanuel noted that PDP in Akwa Ibom State, is in full force, stressing that party remains strong in the state and the South- South region.

    He added “Let me say that my people all over the world for the first time came together and said this time, I should be unopposed. I thank all of you for making it possible. I want to say to whom much is given, much is expected. It is a huge burden on the PDP.

    “But the people in Akwa Ibom have tested development. We have seen dividends of democracy through PDP. On PDP we stand and remain. No shaking. Akwa Ibom is PDP.

    “We are urge Nigerians not to mind what they are saying about the South-south. We are not only talking about Akwa Ibom but the entire South-South. There is no shaking.”

    He added that the PDP will reclaim some states after the 2019, adding “when we count the results we will know how many will be PDP.

  • Emmanuel’s aide joins APC 

    A special Assistant on Project Monitoring to Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel, Utibe Idem, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    This brings to five Emmanuel’s aides, who have resigned and joined the APC in the last few months.

    The governor’s aide and others were received by APC’s state chairman Mr. Ini Okopido in Nsit Ubium council at a reception in honour  of Mr. Umana Umana, managing director of Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority and APC’s 2015 governorship candidate.

    Idem said he had no regret leaving his job to join the APC.

    “I am very bold to leave the former house. From today, me and my family are members of APC”.

    Umana said the people have shown interest in APC as seen during the registration and revalidation exercise.

    He stressed that with such interest, no one can doubt the party’s victory in 2019.

    Umana assured his supporters that the victory, which the party was denied in 2015 will be restored.

    “Interest in the party and the support which the party has received in Nsit Ubium and the state during the registration and revalidation of members is unprecedented.”

    “What you were denied in 2015, God will restore it to you. APC will takeover Akwa Ibom in 2019.”

    Umana thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Akwa Ibom indigenes, saying those appointments, particularly the managing director of NDDC, have impacted positively on development of the state.

    While applauding Buhari’s fight against corruption, Umana said this gesture will be reciprocated in next year’s election.

  • Akpabio is not God, he can’t stop me – Udom

    Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state has said that his predecessor, Senator Godswill Akpabio is not God so cannot stop his second term aspiration.

    Emmanuel, who said this on Friday during his declaration for second term at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo dismissed Akpabio’s declaration of war on the state as unrealistic.

    He said the senator’s analogy of using Hitler-styled invasion of Poland during the World war to depict how the All Progressives Congress (APC) intends to capture Akwa Ibom State would be grossly resisted by the people.

    “No man is God”, he stressed, adding, “I submit myself for consideration to continue with the good works that I have done and I seek your support for my candidature as governor for second term”.

    He assured that the migration of his former boss, Senator Akpabio, into the ruling APC, at the centre, would not stop his re-election, saying he would work with the people to continue with his superior performance during his second term.

    “No man is God”, he stressed, adding: “I submit myself for consideration to continue with the good works that I have done and I seek your support for my candidature as governor for second term”.

    The governor said he was banking on his superior performance to return to the Government House, Uyo, in 2019, adding that he has worked hard and honestly to deliver on his 2015 campaign promises.

    He mentioned industrialization as the major plank of his achievements in the last three years, pointing out that the conglomeration of industrial clusters including toothpick, pencil, syringe, electric metres, coconut factory, peacock paint, fertilizer firms and several kilometres of roads, would recommend him for re-election.

    The Akpabio administration, he noted, had left behind some uncompleted projects including the Sheraton by Four Points Hotel at Ikot Ekpene and the Uyo – Ikot Ekpene road, saying his administration has been working hard to ensure the completion of those legacy projects of the immediate past era.

    Read Also: Buhari yet to receive 2018 Budget – Udoma

    “Who said they had completed the Sheraton by Four Points Hotel?”, he asked, adding that “it is only today that we are negotiating with Starwood Group for the retainership of the name, which some surreptitiously put up on a building, is building a hotel?”.

    He, therefore, enjoined the people to rally round him in his quest to sustain the tempo of good governance he enunciated in his first term in 2015.

    In the same vein, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke; the former Military Governor of the State, Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga, who chairs the governor’s re-election committee and the State PDP chair, Obong Paul Ekpo, charged supporters and stakeholders of the PDP to work towards ensuring the PDP retain Akwa Ibom with Udom Emmanuel, in 2019.

    Solidarity messages from neighbouring governors of River State, Nysom Wike and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, assured governor Emmanuel that he would be returned based on track-record of quality works in the last three years and enjoined the people not to allow external influence to alter the already political arrangement ably directed by the PDP since 1999 in Akwa Ibom.

  • Akwa Ibom church leaders endorse Emmanuel for second term

    Church leaders in Akwa Ibom State have reaffirmed their support for Governor Udom Emmanuel’s re-election bid.

    The governor, according to them, deserves a second term because he has performed creditably well in delivering dividends of democracy to people of the state.

    In a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency meeting last Wednesday to review political developments in the state, the church leaders under the platform of Akwa Ibom Spiritual Fathers of Faith Forum maintained they would support the governor to lead the state for another four years.

    The eight-point communiqué jointly signed by Prelate Emeritus of Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Mbang and Chairman Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Akwa Ibom chapter, Rev. Ndueso Ekwere, noted a subsisting zoning arrangement that produced the last two governors since the return of democratic rule favours the re-election of Emmanuel.

    They urged all Christians in the state to work for the re-election of the governor, who is a deacon in the Qua Iboe Church (QIC).

    They said: “The entire Christians in Akwa Ibom State must rise up in support of the re-election bid of His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel, who himself is a practising Christian, whose emergence as the Governor of Akwa Ibom in 2015 has brought peace, transparency, accountability and even distribution of developmental projects across the state.”

    “All Christians in Akwa Ibom State have covenanted themselves to ensure that Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel is voted to complete his second term of eight years in office just as Obong Victor Attah and Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio were supported to complete two terms in office.”

  • PDP receives over 1,000 APC defectors in A’Ibom

    Despite the defection of Senator Godswill Akpabio to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday, over 1000 members of the APC in Oron federal constituency of Akwa Ibom state joined the PDP on Thursday.

    The state PDP chairman, Obong Paul Ekpo, who received the defectors into the party, urged Akwa Ibom people to remain unshakeable in their support to Governor Udom Emmanuel and the PDP.

    He said despite the gale of defections of key members of the party to the ruling APC, the party is remained a religion of the people of the state and by extension, Nigerians.

    Obong Ekpo stressed that; the party’s commitment to the provision of good governance as demonstrated by the governor should stimulate all well-meaning Akwa Ibom people to vote for the governor in 2019 so as he continue in his good works.

    ”Akwa Ibom state over the years matched promises with action, as demonstrated in the developmental strides of the Udom Emmanuel administration; so I call on Oro nation to deliver one hundred percent vote to governor Udom and the PDP in the 2019 election.

    The party boss thanked the party leaders in the federal constituency for their loyalty and steadfastness to the PDP, the decampess for returning to their base having realized their mistakes, calming that, the PDP was the only party for anybody to seek for elective office without rancor.

    In her remarks, the former minister for housing and urban renewal, Akon Eyakenyi, thanked the party for accepting the decampees and assured the chairman that, Oro nation would vote PDP for 2019.

    Read Also: Why I defected to APC, by Akpabio

    Earlier, the Oron chapter chairman of PDP, Mr. Murphy Esin, assured the state chairman of the party that, the federal constituency would not disappoint the PDP, noting that, those that left the party before have leant from their mistakes and would guide against repeat of such actions.

    Some of the returnees include, Alice Ekpenyong former house of assembly member, Remigius Asukwo, Sunday Ating, Asuquo Awana, Victor Anwankak, among others.

    Meanwhile, the Akwa Ibom state governor, Udom Emmanuel has said that, he was not perturbed by his predecessor defection to the APC.

    Speaking after solidarity visit by local government chairmen from the 31 council areas of the state, vice chairmen and councilors, the governor noted that every person was entitled to exercise his fundamental human rights and free association.

    “The political atmosphere is helping to deepened democratic governance and reinvent the consciousness of the PDP that every member would be proud of”, he said.

    He thanked the various group for the show of solidarity and charged the council leadership to ensure their subject collects their PVC’s in their various wards and units.

    “I therefore urged you to reach out and show love among your kith and kins and also sustain your support for PDP which is the only party that has brought development to the state since the inception of democratic governance”.

  • Akwa Ibom governor sacks Akpabio’s brother over misconduct

    Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has sacked the state Commissioner for Labour, Productivity and Manpower Development, Mr. Ibanga Akpabio and his Ministry of Culture and Tourism counterpart, Mr. Victor Antai, from the state Executive Council.

    The commissioners’ sack takes immediate effect.

    The duo have been asked to hand over to the Permanent Secretary in their respective ministries before close of work on Wednesday.

    Ibanga is a younger brother to ex-governor of the state, Godswill Akpabio, who is reportedly moving to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Charles Udoh, said the two commissioners were sacked for alleged “gross misconduct and non-compliance with public service rules.”

  • IPC boss seeks unbundling of power transmission

    Chairman of Ibom Power Company (IPC), Engineer Etido Inyang has urged the Federal government to review its policy on power transmission.

    Inyang said in an interview with journalists in Uyo on Wednesday that the current FG policy on power transmission which only empowers the Transmission Company of Nigeria(TCN) to transmit electricity was counterproductive.

    He said that there was need to unbundle the powers of TCN to accommodate states and other investors interested in holding interests in transmission.

    According to him, the a new initiative if imbibed by the FG and other stakeholders in the sector would help solve the problem of power evacuation and boost industrialization currently pursued by the Governor Udom Emmanuel administration.

    The chairman who said that poor electricity infrastrucutre remained the major challenge of electricity distribution in Nigeria warned that the country would face a bleak future if issues in the sector are not addressed.

    “Not just because of the darkness we will face by not having electricity but you can imagine the effect on our productive capacity. The manufacturing plants will not be able to cope and millions of people will lose their jobs and with same number being turned into the labour market from higher institutions every year the situation could be unimaginable.” He said.

    Inyang who commended Governor Udom Emmanuel for his commitment towards realising the “power for all” and 24 hours power supply in the state said with the initiative to complete of three major power sub stations in the state, Akwa Ibom would become a major power hub in the country.

    “The 4 Lane power substations was commissiioned last year and has drastically improved power in Uyo environs, the Ekim sub station will be completed in the nest one month and the state government is making plans to boost the Ikot -Ekpene sub station.

    “The Ekim sub station will definitely carry the load of about five LGAs  and we have discovered that boosting the  Ikot Ekpene sub station will also help the state to improve power in the surrounding LGAs and so the state government is working on a plan to boost that area too.

    “Already residents of Uyo  are enjoying atleast 20 hours of power except for areas with ptoblems in their transformer or transmission lines and the vision is for the entire state to enjoy such levels of electricity supply.

    “That explains the commitment of the state of Governor Udom Emmanuel in the power sector. You also recall that the Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola had earlier called him Mr Power because of his efforts in ensuring that the state becomes a power hub in the country.” He explained.

    The main challenge of government according to him remained retaining power within the state adding that investment in transmission and distribution facilities was necessitated because of inability of PHEDC to provide electricity infrastructures.

    He also said that in a renewed move to improve the quality of service to consumers in Akwa Ibom the new metering company located in ONNA LG of the state has so far distrbuted 40,000 pre-paid metres to electricity consumers in the state.

    He decried the huge debt owed GENCOs by the DISCOs adding that though the Federal Government support  on gas purchase has helped to alleviate some of their problems, more challenges would be faced by the GENCOs when the agreement would come to an end this year.

  • I would have mortgaged the future of A’Ibom people with bailout – Gov Emmanuel

    Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has said he rejected the federal government’s bailout funds because he did not want to mortgage the future of his people.

    The Governor made this known on Tuesday while flagging off the commissioning of more than 50 internal roads in Uyo as part of  activities to commemorate democracy day celebrations.

    He said he would continue to plan and implement strategies aimed at building a strong economy for the state hence his reason for a strong industrialization drive.

    “We have a blueprint for the development of the state and aggregating efforts towards that and so we should have no excuse not to deliver even in the midst of challenges and constraints. We should be able to do the much we can do.” He said.

    Emmanuel said that the state is blessed with much natural resources adding that it would amount to injustice for the people if the resources are not exploited.

    He said that in addition to other industrial efforts , machineries have been put in place to process and package food related products with some of the products to serve as sources of material for further production by manufacturing firms that would still spring up in the state.

    The Governor further stated that arrangements have been concluded for the building if a mordern cocoa plant that would compete with others in the international market adding that his emphasis on coconut production and processing remained the over 300 uses the plant has.

    With direct and indirect employment oppurtunities resulting from the multiple chains of activities in the coconut business he assured that over 160,000 employment opportunities would be created for indigenes and residents.

    Emmanuel maintained that his focus on internal and rural roads was to address the socio economic challenges of people at the grassroot and according to him, “I want people at the grassroot to also feel the impact of my administration and though these roads are short, their summation will make much impact in the lives of the people”

  • Infrastructural development in Akwa Ibom on the upbeat

    •Constructs 1,700kms of roads in 3 years

    Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel has constructed 1,700 kilometres of roads in the past three years, Commissioner for Works, Mr. Ephraim Inyangeyen has said.

    Inyangeyen said this during an online interview programme “Footprints of Development”, anchored by the State Directorate of Brand Management.

    He said some of the roads were Federal Government roads which it has not rehabilitated.

    “I want to say that His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel has done more roads than the Federal Government of Nigeria in the last three years. And I challenge anyone to come with a data contrary to what I have and we would be able to sit with him in public and add up

    the figures.

    “I believe that every road in this state belong to Akwa Ibom State government, previously constructed by the government of former Governor Godswill Akpabio. Federal Government has

    not paid a dime, and the one we are currently trying to complete such as the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene Road, which we took over from the previous administration, is solely funded by the state government.

    “You can’t own a property like this. It’s like you giving birth to children; you say they are my sons, and the mother struggles to train the children singlehandedly. When they are grown, they will not call you father.

    “So, in Akwa Ibom State, virtually all our roads are constructed and maintained by the state, exclusively. Even projects by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are our rights, not a privilege,” he said

    Inyangeyen said 27 out of the 31 local government areas have been covered, even as he said the state has set out modalities to touch the remaining four before the end of its first tenure in office.

    “There are too many of them to count. There is massive re-ordering in terms of infrastructure. If we sit down and painstakingly add up the roads, it would be more than 1,700kms.

    Let’s look at the dual carriageway roads because the road structures that we have are in three segments. We have the dual carriageways that we called the trunk roads that open up the state, then we have what we call opening up of the rural areas, going to every local government areas to do a 10km, 15km, 20km  roads in virtually all the local governments areas.

    “Currently, 27 local government areas have been covered; remaining just four that are being worked on currently. And then we have what we call “the intervention”. If you go all over Uyo you will see them.

    “For example, at this Wellington Bassey that we are now, if you go to the left hand side, the entire Asutan area has been turned around.

    “They used to be forgotten areas; such are all over the place. But let’s start with the dual carriageways. If you go to the airport, we used to have a single-lane road leading to Oron, but today, the road has been transformed into a dual carriageway. That, when completed, the entire stretch from the airport to Okopedi, to Uya Oron, will be 28 kilometers altogether”.