A’IBOM AT 33: GOV EMMANUEL MARKS STATE ANNIVERSARY WITH LANDMARK PROJECTS

The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, has unveiled several landmark projects to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the state creation.

Emmanuel, flagged off a long list of activities to mark the special event with a Thanksgiving Service at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Uyo on Sunday, September 20.

On Wednesday, September 23, he presented a Statewide broadcast, reflecting on the progress made in 33 years, urging citizens to sustain the peace and unity to foster unceasing growth in the State and launched the State's official symbols comprising a Flag, Coat of Arms, Anthem and a Creed.

Speaking during the launching, Governor Emmanuel expressed appreciation to God for his benevolence to the state from inception, describing the 33rd anniversary as symbolic given the achievements recorded in the state within the past years.


He charged the people to exhibit virtues of unity and love to one another, saying that the bond has been the unique identity of Akwa Ibom people from time immemorial.


“I want to thank God for bringing us this far as a state . I spoke extensively on the significance of 33 and as a state named after God. It holds a whole lot of significance here in our state, the dakkada creed reflects the distillation of our unique identity and a call to take ownership of our destiny and for us to live the true essence of God’s plan for us.


"The launching of the state symbols and creed therefore is the crystallization of all that we as a people represent and shape ourselves forward; this is the land of great and God-fearing people, we are industrious, hospitable creative innovative, peaceful and blessed with good faith.


"Therefore as we launch this state symbols and creed it is my hope that a new Akwa Ibom identity will be unfold ; an identity of love and unity without the bed-ridden impulse to pull down ourselves or leaders”, he stated.


The Governor commended Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey and the House members for backing the usage of the state symbols with a legislation and acknowledged the contributions of designers of the symbols and the panelists for coordinating the project.


Other notable projects comissioned so far by the governor include the palatial Secretariat of the Akwa Ibom State Council of Chiefs in Uyo, the remodelled Immanuel General Hospital - Eket, Psychiatric Hospital - Eket, the 9.5 km Ebe Ekpe-Osiok road project linking Eket with Esit Eket Local Government Area as well as other internals roads in the Eket metropolis.

In addition, he commissioned a fully digitized General Hospital and a landing Jetty in Onna Local Government Area.


At Onna, while commissioning the 9.5km Ikot Ebekpo-Ikot Ebidang road, constructed with a landing Jetty and a spur linking the East-west road, Governor Emmanuel stated that the project has opened an important gateway for trade with other states in Nigeria and neighbouring countries along the Gulf of Guinea.

"This is just the beginning. We will keep improving upon what we have done in this project. We foresee that there may be need to expand the Jetty area depending on the buildup of economic activities, as it will serve as a trade line between Akwa Ibom, Ibom, other states in Nigeria and even other countries along the Gulf of Guinea". He said.

Governor Emmanuel commended the indigenous contractor, Benest Technical Services (BTS), for beating the difficult terrain to deliver the job with impressive quality and promised to complete the ongoing road linking Ndon Eyo junction to the water front at Odio.

He urged youths of the area to allow the contractor handling the job to execute the project at a safe pace to ensure quality delivery and durability, adding that, construction of the Ikot Ebekpo-Ikot Ebidang road in ONNA and the Osiok-Ebiekpe road commissioned at Esit Eket, will make a testament on the accomplishment of his rural development pillar of his administrations completion agenda.

"I am happy that as one of our pillars, rural development is a part of my administration's completion agenda, to commission this road today, for the economic use and wellbeing of not only this neighbourhood, but the entire Akwa Ibom State".

While commissioning the digitized General Hospital in Awa, the governor noted that an healthy society makes wealthy citizens which is why his administrative stewardship has redefined healthcare services in Akwa Ibom State.

"We have completely redefined healthcare services in this state, we have made a commitment that health is wealth, a commitment to provide digitized health equipment to at least one hospital in each of the ten federal constituencies in this state such that any of these hospitals will have your full bio and treatment data after the first visit in irrespective of the location".

The general hospital, he said has the best and state-of-the-art facilities and equipment assuring people in the State of steadfastness to replicate similar healthcare facilities in Ikot Ekpene and Ikot Abasi Local Government Areas by December as he is targeting eleven digitized hospitals across the ten federal constituencies in the state.

The new digitized general hospital housed an Out Patients Department (OPD), Ambulance, Male and Female Ward, Water Treatment Plant (WTP), Mortuary, Accident and Emergency Unit, (AEU), and others.

Cc : Lalasticlala, mynd44

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