The people of Mbo Local Government Council of Akwa Ibom State, currently hosting unspecified number of displaced returnees from Bakassi ceded to the Republic of Cameroon, is to get a state-of-the-art General Hospital, to enhance proper health care delivery.

Disclosing this while addressing the people at Mbo Local Government Headquarters in Enwang, when he visited the area to interact with the returnees, the Deputy Governor, Eng. Patrick Ekpotu, said a General Hospital in the area was necessary in view of the influx of the displaced Bakassi returnees, which he noted has resulted in overstretching of all existing health care facilities in the area.

Being a responsive government, Eng. Ekpotu maintained that the present government in the state will ensure that the population surge in Mbo and other areas in the state was not thrown into health related problems, owing to outbreak of disease or inadequate health care facilities.

The deputy governor who is also the Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Emergency Management Committee, assured the people that all the returnees would be adequately catered for by the state and Federal Government. He promised that the state emergency committee would after assessing the need of the returnees, take urgent measures by providing the needed requirements to reduce the burden on the local government.

The Chairman of Mbo Local Government Council, Mr. Antai, had earlier intimated the deputy governor of the need to assist the people of Mbo in coping with the current influx of the returnees. He added that the council had created more than 20 registration centers to ascertain their actual numbers as well as ensuring that they are all well accommodated temporarily until a satiable home is provided for them. He also called on the Federal Government to create a distinct local government for the returnees from the existing Mbo Local Government.