ARISE Agenda: Akwa Ibom State to Partner NBS on Accurate Data

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD, has said his administration will partner with the National Bureau of Statistics to accurately capture the gains of the ARISE Agenda in its drive to provide more transparent and people-centric governance.

The Governor made the call at the public presentation of the Socio-Economic Impact of the ARISE Agenda in Two Years, anchored on the theme “Measuring Progress, Deepening Impact”, which took place at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Uyo, on Thursday, August 07, 2025.

He said the public presentation was in fulfilment of the promise he made in his inaugural speech to occasionally invite stakeholders in the political class, the media, civil society, and corporate Nigeria to present his scorecard so they may know the direction of government and how the resources have been utilised to advance the vision of the ARISE Agenda.

The Governor, who said the evaluation was a measurement for improvement, added, “This event can be likened to a first-half review, where we pause to take stock of our progress so far, ask questions, assess impact through data representations, and look for ways of improvement where gaps may have been detected.

“We are also, by this event, demonstrating in practical and concrete terms our passionate commitment to transparency and accountability.

“We are a data-driven government, which is why the State House of Assembly expeditiously signed into law the bill we had sent to establish a stand-alone Bureau of Statistics. The bill was signed into law by me some months ago. Let me again thank the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Udeme Otong, and the Honourable members for their great cooperation and collaboration,” he said.

The Governor enumerated some of the achievements of the State under his leadership to include setting up an Internal Evaluation Team to help streamline and eliminate waste in the procurement processes, executing audacious projects, providing social services, building 205 ARISE Compassionate Homes with a target to build 400, paying over N78 billion in backlogs of gratuities, which dates back to 2012, with an accumulation of over 90 billion, and building economically viable roads and bridges.

Related: Gov Eno Launches Arise Agenda Brand Insignias To Promote Administration’s Image, Ideals

He also mentioned the outright purchase of two brand new CRJ 900 Bombardier aircraft, taking delivery of two Airbus 200-300 series, getting the International Terminal at the Victor Attah International Airport ready for operations, and meeting all other obligations to Ibom Air and the larger aviation ecosystem.

“Model primary healthcare centres are being built, healthcare delivery services are being improved and expanded, with free medical services extended to various layers of our society, especially the most vulnerable under our ARISE medical insurance scheme. Just yesterday, we commissioned the first ‘Mother and Child’ hospital in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area, a project that shows President Tinubu’s passionate dedication to tackling the mother-child mortality rate, especially those in the rural areas.

“We are building tourism assets all over the state, chief among them the ARISE Resort, which, upon completion, will be the mini-Disneyland of Nigeria. The Honourable Commissioner for Information will ensure that you get to visit the resort and see for yourself how resources can be applied for the common good.

“The land upon which the ARISE Resort sits used to be a gulley-erosion-ravaged ravine. We are priming Akwa Ibom State beyond oil, with strategic investments in tourism, blue and digital economies.

Through various projects executed by the government across sectors, we have created jobs and got thousands of our people out of poverty in line with the SDG goals.

Over 50 audacious projects are currently ongoing, and we are doing all these without borrowing from the banks. These projects are fully funded because we have decided that we will use the resources of Akwa Ibom State to work for the Akwa Ibom people, not for individual or group interest.

“But we are not resting on our oars. As captured in Philippians 3:13-14, we are pressing forward, not counting what we have already collectively achieved, but with Renewed Hope for what lies ahead, especially with our Progressive Movement to the Centre,” he added.

The governor appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the leadership he has provided and for ensuring that the sub-nationals have the resources to fund projects, saying, “He deserves our support to continue with his laudable reforms and good work for the nation.”

While saying the state was very peaceful to live in and invest in, he commended the security agencies for their dedication and synergy and assured them of continuous support to maintain the trajectory.

He also appreciated his team from the Secretary of State Government, SSG, Prince Enobong Uwah, to the entire implementation team and Lead Presenter, Professor Chris Ekong, for distilling and putting together statistical documents that detail the achievements of the government across sectors in the last two years, stressing, “Through this presentation, you will see how we have impacted the lives of our people across sectors, presented in measurable, authentic and verifiable data.”

In his presentation on the theme “Socio-economic Impact of the ARISE Agenda”, Prof. Christopher Ekong, who touched on all the thematic areas of the ARISE Agenda, said the ARISE Agenda has witnessed a tremendous level of accomplishment in the two years of its implementation and has surpassed expectations, as indicated in the MTEF document of the State.

He said if the state government sustained its abiding faith in fiscal responsibility and sagacity, it would soon emerge as the economic pride of the Nigerian Federation.

In his tone setting, the SSG, Prince Uwah, said the ARISE Agenda, with 17 aspirations, is not a mere slogan but a governing philosophy, a bold and deliberate road map anchored on conviction and clarity of purpose, adding that the gathering was not only a moment to report but also to reflect, to introspect, and a time to pause, to measure, and to ask the hard questions that strengthen institutions and sharpen focus.

He commended the governor for initiating the bold exercise, saying it takes true leadership to open its books halfway, weigh itself on the scale and invite others to take a look, listen and speak over its direction.

In a goodwill message, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, commended Governor Eno for doing so well and praised him for subjecting his administration to public scrutiny, adding that the state was unique for being very accommodating and peaceful.

He said, given the laudable pace of development, Akwa Ibom is one of the component states that will help his ministry achieve the trillion-dollar economy challenge by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

On his part, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, commended the Governor for his inclusive approach to governance and described him as a ‘true Democrat’ whose achievements have set an unprecedented benchmark for future administrations.

Also speaking, the Director General of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, represented by Prof. Agba Gambo, commended the Governor for his exemplary leadership style, saying that in a state-for-state analysis, Akwa Ibom came top.

While commending the governor for not borrowing, yet doing amazingly well, he presented a plaque of honour from the forum to the governor as the best governor in the country.

Similarly, the Statistician General of the Federation, who was represented by Chief Austen Anyakorah, Director: Corporate Planning & Statistical Coordination, felicitated with the Governor for hosting the evaluation event and assured that the Bureau will collaborate and partner with the State government to validate the numbers and to compile the State GDP and Consumer Price Indices.

In their separate views, a team of expert panellists, including Prof. Akpan Ekpo, Nancy Illoh and Terry Ikumi, as well as Dr Ruben Abati, commended the Governor for his transparency and for hosting the event for public scrutiny and contribution.

They described the ARISE Agenda as an audacious and robust economic development blueprint and advised that more efforts be made in areas of macroeconomics and setting out development plans for a specific time frame.

The event also witnessed presentations on the Next Steps and New Projects Delivery Plan by the Chief Delivery Advisor, Mr Aniefiok Johnson, and on the Akwa Ibom State Investment Outlook by Pastor Imoabasi Jacob, Akwa Ibom Investment Corporation (AKICORP).

The highpoint of the event was the presentation of the award of the “Governor of the Year 2025” by the Director-General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Abdullateef Shittu, represented by Prof. Abba Gambo.