It is no surprise that Governor Udom Emmanuel is loved by the Akwa Ibom youth as he has worked tirelessly to empower them and make life easier for them. The Akwa Ibom government has announced its intention to set up a suitable bursary payment system for its indigenes in tertiary institutions in the country.

Governor Udom Emmanuel made the commitment during a solidarity rally set up in his honour by the cross section of Akwa Ibom students drawn from the state College of Education, the Polytechnic, and the Universities. The rally took place at the Wellington Bassey Way Globe, Uyo on Thursday.

In addition, the state government reiterated the commitment to ensure the introduction and accreditation of more courses in all tertiary institutions owned by it.

Governor Udom, accompanied by the secretary to the state government, (SSG), Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem said that the accreditation of more courses in the tertiary institutions would facilitate easy ranking of the institutions for the students to compete favourably with their contemporaries internationally, stressing that the state government was committed to implementing all sections of the social contract with the students.

The governor emphasised that his administration was working assiduously on the process of commencing the payment of bursary to students of the state’s origin in tertiary institutions in the country, indicating that once the modalities were completed, the bursary payment system portal would be open to all students from the state.

He explained that his administration was taking appropriate steps in fashioning out viable programmes for the students rather than rushing to making empty promises. Emmanuel encouraged students of the respective tertiary institutions to continue in showing the sense of positive followership, adding that the state government was impressed at the result of students representing the state at national and international public examinations in sciences and humanities.

The spokesperson for the students, Comrade Otobong Akpan said that the rally was organized to appreciate the student-friendly policies of the Emmanuel administration, stressing that the students were impressed with the continuation of the ongoing free and compulsory education policy in the state.

She added that the provision of the over 15 functioning industries by the administration has provided avenues of employment for students at graduation, adding that the students were deeply impressed at the performance of Emmanuel through expertise and ingenuity in spite of the hardship brought by the economic recession in the country.

Akpan mentioned that the entire student body from the three senatorial districts have confidence in the Emmanuel administration with the payment of final year examination fees for students in post primary schools, promising to mobilize and canvass support for its continuation through the coming governorship elections in the state.