Emeka Ayaoku: Gov Eno Harps On Accountability As Pivot In Administration

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has said that his administration is founded on the precept of accountability, as it holds governance in trust for the governed.

Governor Eno was addressing participants at the Chief Emeka Anyaoku Lecture Series on Good Governance held on the theme “Imperatives of Good Governance in Nigeria” at Ibom Hall, Uyo, on Tuesday.

The Governor, who was the guest speaker at the event, identified accountability as a template for good governance, noting that he was committed to the delivery of democratic dividends to the people through the A.R.I.S.E. Agenda blueprint of his administration.

He informed participants that he has mandated commissioners and heads of agencies to brief the public on the activities of their departments to keep the 7.9 million residents of the state abreast of the activities of their offices.

“We don’t just want to keep paying money and paying bills. I want to see where these funds are going and what they seek to achieve.

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“I told him and said, You know what? Every day I wake up, I know that I am accountable to the people, and I told him and said, I want my commissioners to begin to step out and say the things they are doing in their ministries. Let the people hear. Let them talk about the ministry that they are in charge of.

“These are ways to try to be accountable, to let the people know that we are not in office for ourselves.

“We have about 7.9 million people in this state, and it is a sacred responsibility.

“We need to each day show the people that we are here to serve them,” he stated.

Governor Eno described the A.R.I.S.E. Agenda as the compass to navigate the programmes of his administration and announced plans to flag off the One-Per-Local Government Project, which he described as a development catalyst in the grassroots, assuring that the project would make available signature projects in every local government area of the state within two years.

Again, he said, “In five months of being in office, we have tried to show the direction we want to go, and we have tried to stay on our campaign promises through the ARISE Agenda.

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“Other than the Bible, the ARISE Agenda has become for us a compass that we want to follow.

“I am convinced beyond all reasonable doubts that if we steadily follow that agenda, we will add to the developmental strides of our predecessors, touch the lives of our rural dwellers, and help them feel the presence of government.

“In the next few days, we will be flagging off the 31 projects chosen by the local governments because we want them to own those projects. So they chose the projects they wanted for their local governments.

“This is not just going to be the end. We believe that within six months, we should be able to execute those projects and then go around again to choose another set of projects. Our vision is that within the first two years, we should be able to have at least four projects each in the 31 local government areas of our state. We are giving them a six-month window to finish one of them. This is where we create jobs in the local government, and we try to enrich and enhance the livelihood of those local governments.

The State Chief Executive reiterated plans to establish a medical corridor between the Four Points By Sheraton Hotel in Ikot Ekpene and Ibom Specialist Hospital in Uyo, where renal treatment services would be provided, adding that the model primary school concept that makes education enticing to the young through the provision of infrastructure, adequate manpower, and an excellent curriculum would be replicated in the health sector to make healthcare services not only affordable but accessible with adequate personnel and facilities.

He said that the Ibom Leadership Empowerment Centre is currently training four hundred personnel who would graduate with starter packs and cash to enable them to set up their businesses, create employment, and grow the economy.

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The Governor commended Chief Emeka Anyaoku, in whose capacity the lecture series was held, and spoke of him as a rare gem and a beacon of hope for future generations, stressing that he is legendary for distinguishing himself as an advocate of good governance in the country.

He described as apt the choice of the state for the 12th Annual Lecture Series and commended the organisers of the event, the Youth Affairs International Foundation, for their decision to immortalise Chief Anyaoku, assuring them of his support for the programme.

Earlier, Chief Emeka Anyaoku noted that the lecture was first hosted by former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, followed by his home state, Anambra, where Governor Peter Obi honoured him as the host, and now Akwa Ibom State under the leadership of Pastor Umo Eno, who has taken the turn by hosting the twelfth in the series and expressed delight at the gesture having come from a state that has showcased good governance from the past leadership to the present, which anchors good governance on the ARISE Agenda.

He said his presence was his first visit to the state and admired the ambience, commending the Pastor Umo Eno-led administration for his passion for education, healthcare delivery, agriculture, and creating a turn-around in grass-roots development, stating that Akwa Ibom has set the template for good governance in the country.

He thanked the guest lecturer, Professor Echosa E. Osaghae, for giving justice to the discourse by delivering an extempore lecture, describing his discourse as apt to the Nigerian State, and thanked the organisers of the lecture, the Youths Affairs International Foundation under the leadership of Justin Ogbona, for the gesture, explaining that the analysis and postulations in the lecture have brought about good governance in Akwa Ibom State, thereby setting the pace for others to emulate.

Chairman on the Occasion, Professor Enefiok Essien, noted that good governance is desirable in the country to give the people a sense of participation in governance and drive development, adding that the choice of Akwa Ibom State is apt as good governance has taken its root in the state as evident in the inclusivity, distribution of projects, and composition of the State Exco.

The keynote speaker, Prof. Echosa E. Osaghae, said that a behavioural approach to how institutions are set up and work is key to good governance and identified the rule of law, trust and confidence, credibility, transparency, constitutionalism, human rights, and access to justice as foundations of good governance.