Gov Emmanuel is Determined to Develop A'Ibom Communities, says Akan Okon

Speedy development of Akwa Ibom communities is a key developmental goal of Governor Udom Emmanuel's Completion Agenda which he is determined to achieve.

This was made known by the Commissioner for Economic Development Ibom Deep Seaport, Mr Akan Okon, while welcoming the Minister of Finance, Budget and Financial Planning, Mrs Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, during the opening ceremony of the Federal Project Support Unit's "Stakeholders On Community Driven Development" workshop hosted by the Akwa Ibom State Agency for Community and Social Development, at Watbridge Hotel, Uyo, recently.


The minister as well as community development and finance experts from across Nigeria met in Uyo to brainstorm and produce guidelines for sustainable community developmental practices.

Okon pointed out that apart from providing basic infrastructure to improve the living standard of community dwellers, Governor Emmanuel has consistently and promptly paid counterpart funds and given a hundred percent attention to donor agency activities and shown remarkable commitment to resolving challenges facing communities.

"These are evidents of Governor Udom Emmanuel's determination to develop Akwa Ibom Communities". He said.

The commissioner therefore reassured the minister and her team of continuous co-operation of the Akwa Ibom state government to community development projects.

In her remarks, the Minister of Finance, Budget and Financial Planning, who was represented by her Special Adviser, Mrs Elizabeth Ebosele, commended the governor on his laudable achievements in Akwa Ibom state and for supporting the federal government in its efforts to develop communities.
She charged South-south and South-east stakeholders of community Driven Development (CDD) to bring their vast knowledge in community development to bear while designing policies that will be in the best interest of future generations, their immediate communities, the region and Nigeria as a whole.

Ebosele informed participants that both the Presidency and Federal Executive Council await the outcome of their deliberations to be used as a template to execute developmental projects for Nigerian communities.

Also speaking, the General Manager, Akwa Ibom State Agency for Community and Social Development (CSDP), Mr. Ishmeal Akpan, welcomed the minister and all coordinators of the project to the state.

He thanked them for choosing his state to host such a prestigious workshop and for trusting the grassroots dwellers' capability to select projects tailored to their specific needs and self executing with funds made available by the project.

Akpan assured participants of a blissful stay in the peaceful city Uyo while inviting them to consider more business and leisure visits as well as invest in the state.

The National Coordinator, FPSU, Mr Abubakar Yusuf, in his remarks, commended the Akwa Ibom State government for practicing the best Covid-19 safety protocol in the country, citing the de-contamination chambers at the Victor Attah International Airport and other safety protocol on-board Ibom Air - the state owned airline, saying this has evidently resulted in the state's victory over the deadly virus.

He adviced participants of the two-day workshop to suggest universal policies that would alliviate socio-economic developmental deficiencies in every part of Nigeria and not ones peculiar to their state or Geo-political zone.


Other dignitaries at the workshop included the National Co-ordinator, Federal Project Support Unit (FPSU) Mr Abdulkarim Obaje and his team, Board Members and General Managers of Community Development Agencies, ace community development experts, finance experts from the federal ministry of finance and other financial institutions and others.

Cc: Lalasticlala, mynd44