Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has taken steps to walk the talk of his campaign manifesto of turning the state into a business hub as contained in the A.R.I.S.E. Agenda blueprint of his administration with the creation of a sustainable value chain in the educational sector.
This, according to him will involve getting Akwa Ibom entrepreneurs to produce basic educational needs like uniforms, shoes, desks and other accessories for supplies to the public primary educational institutions and the general public.
Governor Eno stated this, Wednesday, when he stopped over at Christ The King Primary School, Wellington Bassey Way Uyo, to assess the pace of the ongoing remodelling work at the school.
He explained that government will contract out the production of basic school materials to skilled entrepreneurs to enable them to produce and supply to the ever-growing number of school children in the basic public educational institutions, maintaining that such venture will expand the value chain and stimulate the State economy.
“During my campaign, remember I said we are going to create business hubs. These uniforms for pupils will be done by Akwa Ibomites. So we are creating a fashion hub and we will give them the contract for the uniforms.
“We will create a shoe hub. Akwa Ibomites can manufacture shoes. We will take that business and give it to that hub.
“I know the number of children that we have in Akwa Ibom. As we remodel these schools and provide those facilities, we are sending business to those hubs.
“It is a fully valued chain so that one sector depends on the other. Then you can spread and open up the economy.”
The Governor who expressed satisfaction at the execution of the School remodelling project, commended the Contracting Firm U&K Limited for their approach to the work, saying that he was optimistic that the job will be carried out according to specifications and completed in a record time.
The State Chief Executive assured that similar models will be replicated in the health sector and markets across the state and reiterated his administration’s determination to engage the services of indigenous contractors in the execution of projects, calling on the indigenous contractors with proven track records in project execution to make their services available for government patronage.
On the sustainability of the projects, he announced that government will set up an Asset Management Agency to provide surveillance and maintain the projects.
“This is just to produce a model. We are going to do that of the Primary health care, we are going to do the market.
“From that model, our contractors who are young Akwa Ibomites will now see and we say this is what we want.
“We can do it. We have picked a young Akwa Ibom contractor U&K to do this one and we are happy at the level of the project execution. We want other young people who have the experience, not those who want to use us for practicals to come out and bid for jobs and I can assure you that they will have it.
“The Government is setting up an Asset Management Agency. That asset management agency will now take charge of all Government assets and ensure that maintenance of these structures is taken care of”, he stated.
