The strides of Governor Umo Eno in the first year of his administration, formed the focus of the first Executive Council meeting of the Akwa Ibom State government, held at Government House, Uyo on Tuesday.
Briefing reporters at the end of the meeting, where the Governor demanded more from his team, the Commissioner for Information, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said the Council received the Quantitative Data Perspective report on the performance of the State Government in the past one year from the Economic Adviser to the Governor, Dr. Uduakobong Inam.
The report, according to Ememobong, indicates that 2,984 persons have benefited directly from the agricultural programmes of the Umo Eno administration, while 100 public secondary schools and 30 public primary schools have received agricultural inputs.
In the social sector, he said 600 elderly persons have benefited from the State Government's financial support; 2,195 people, who were within the multidimensional poor category had been scaled up through various government programmes. Also, 4,600 persons, according to the report, Ememobong, said "were engaged (Skilled and unskilled labour) had been employed in all sectors, across the state."
Speaking further, the Commissioner told journalists that "229.411 Km of roads, with 14 bridges and 3 underground discharge drainage have been constructed," adding that "37.7Km of feeder roads have been constructed in rural communities across the state."
The Quantitative Data Perspective report equally revealed that 16,522 patients benefited from free medical healthcare sponsored by the State Government, and 48,797 students had benefited from the payment of 2023/24 SSCE fees.
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Furthermore, the Commissioner said 4,603 people, according to the report by Dr. Inam, "have benefited from the different entrepreneurship schemes of the state government."
Similarly, he said "3,583 retirees (from the state and Local Government Services) have received their retirement benefits to the tune of N18.234 billion, as at May, 2024."
According to Comrade Ememobong, the Governor stressed the need for his executive council members to "inject speed to quality delivery as the learning moratorium was over," adding that Pastor Eno also charged them to increase the level of safety awareness, and make it a primary consideration at all times.
Apart from taking reports from the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Idongesit Etiebet, who "informed the Council that the Governor has directed that Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic and Akwa Ibom State College of Science and Technology, Nnung Ukim be prepared for accreditation of their courses," Ememobong said "the Council approved the training of permanent secretaries by the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON)."
Setting agenda for the years ahead, the information commissioner said, the 2025-2027 State Medium Term Expenditure Framework was presented. The MTEF, which was adopted after detailed deliberations, he said, will guide the budget for the next two years.
According to Ememobong, "The projects proposition report for the administration for 2024/2025 was presented and exhaustively deliberated to ensure compliance with the ARISE Agenda. The Ministries of Finance and Economic Development were charged to ensure that the budget adequately provides for their execution."
