With Umo Eno’s ARISE, Akwa Ibom Looks To Consolidate

By Iniobong Ima/Uyo

Akwa Ibom State’s Pastor Umo Eno, who will be inaugurated as Governor on May 29th, is an entrepreneur who is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear in the state. Pastor Eno who won the last Governorship election, is taking over from Governor Udom Emmanuel. Both of them are of the PDP.

Eno ran on an “A.R.I.S.E” agenda, which stands for Agricultural revolution, Rural development, Infrastructural maintenance/ advancement, Security management and Educational advancement. It is an agenda and a policy thrust that covers the five critical sectors for economic growth and development.

On the campaign stomp, he said: “Fellow Akwaibomites, When you go to the polls in March 2023, I plead for your votes. I ask for your votes. On May 25th 2023, after I had won the nomination to be our flag bearer at next year’s gubernatorial elections, I made a solemn pledge to run an issue-based campaign that would be devoid of mudslinging, or the resort to vile and incendiary rhetoric , where people’s character and integrity would be mindlessly attacked.

“I pledged to run a campaign where propaganda and blackmail would have no space on our victory train. We will spend our resources to water the seeds of our collective prosperity. That is what the A.R.I.S.E. Agenda is all about.

“My Contract with you, my dear Akwaibomites is captured boldly and clearly in my A.R.I.S.E. agenda. A.R.I.S.E., stands for, Agricultural Revolution, Rural development, Infrastructural maintenance/Advancement; Security Management and Educational Management.

“Today, on this same ground, I stand here to unveil our contract with Akwaibomites at home and in the diaspora; a contract to continue on the path of peace, security and development we have enjoyed in the last seven-plus years.

” A contract to create jobs for our people and enlarge our path for economic prosperity; a contract to maintain and advance our world class infrastructure, a contract to ensure food security through agricultural revolution.

“A contract to stem rural urban migration through robust investments in rural development, to ensure that our people continue to live in peace and that the sanctity of human life would be protected through our security management.

” A key component of any government is to reduce rural urban migration. We hope to continue from where this current administration will stop. I am here to unveil a contract for peace, for unity, for brotherhood, and above all, a contract with God as the Author and Finisher of our lives”

” This election is a choice between those who have produced a robust and easy-to-digest Economic Blueprint as we have done through our A.R.I.S.E. agenda versus those who only, daily talk the talk, but lack the capacity and the competence to positively affect lives in the long run.

“Let me use this platform to enjoin us to live in peace and in unity. We should not allow politics to divide us. Politics and political parties are merely vehicles to aspire for power, but our cord of unity remains sacrosanct.”

Continuing on his agenda, Eno said he will run an inclusive government and ensure social cohesion. Already, analysts say Eno’s ARISE agenda complements the ‘DAKKADA’ (can do) theme of the outgoing Governor, Udom Emmanuel, himself a technocrat from the private sector.

On agriculture for instance, which is the dominant economic activity of the rural areas, the new governor promises to implement a “well-managed and efficient agricultural credit programmes”  to grow the sector from traditional subsistence level to more modern and economically yielding agriculture. Under this, he plans to raise Akwa Ibom’s output in agriculture as a percentage of national output. Governor Eno also plans to set up palm oil mills in the catchment areas of the State to produce palm fruit and broaden the value chain of the agriculture sector in the state. Among the nuts and bolts issues that he says he will address vigorously are providing better inputs and marketing techniques to farmers to make the sector viable. Fishing will also be taken seriously with investment in small and large scale fish farming and fishing.

Also tangential to growing the rural economy is the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the state, especially in the rural areas, which he promises to equip with ICT and modern infrastructure.

His message must have resonated because when the results were announced, Eno won in 29 of 31 local government areas, polling a total of 354,084 votes to emerge Governor.

In his acceptance speech, he again spoke of his vision for the state. “You came out massively to vote for the continuation of the peace and security of lives and property we have enjoyed in the last almost eight years; the continuation of a Christ-centric leadership, of humility in governance, compassion, competence, character and development across all sectors. You did this, so our children and generations yet unborn will enjoy the dividends of democracy and live happily, in brotherhood, love and unity.

“We have enjoyed peace and security, development across all sectors in the past almost eight years. Governor Udom Emmanuel has given us world- class infrastructure, industries, great healthcare services, tourism, aviation, through Ibom Air, among other great and enduring achievements. We will deploy our resources to the task of building our people, engendering agricultural revolution, stem rural-urban migration and other avenues of wealth creation as clearly outlined in our A.R.I.S.E. Agenda.

“Akwa Ibom is Rising and it will always be! As we all join hands with one voice to kick-start this journey of our next phase growth and development as a State, I therefore, once again implore us all to jettison all forms of bickering, hatred, malice, blackmail, pull-down syndrome and their attendant retrogressive tendencies, so that we can jointly build the Akwa Ibom of our dreams.

” Thank you for this great opportunity to serve, God bless Akwa Abasi Ibom State, God bless us all!”