Gov Eno Returns To Uyo, Relishes London Political Summit
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, says the just concluded 8th Annual London Political Summit was of huge advantage as it was an ample opportunity to attract investors and development partners to the state.
Fielding questions from journalists at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, on his return from the three-day political summit held at the House of Commons, Westminster Palace, Governor Umo Eno said that on the sidelines of his participation in the summit, he was able to showcase the safe and lucrative economic opportunities the state is endowed with to the United Kingdom and the world at large.
As a delegate at the summit, he seized the opportunity of having several multinational agencies and aid organisations in one spot to market the state and convince relevant organisations of the state’s readiness to partner for development as the state cannot depend solely on federal allocation.
“Every opportunity we have, marketing the state’s potential is what we are doing. Not only that, we are looking for investors. We are looking for development partners.
“That is what is important, and we must understand that the monthly allocation alone cannot do all we want to do,” he stated.
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On the benefit of the summit to the state, Governor Eno maintained that the A.R.I.S.E. Agenda blueprint of his administration is tailored to meet sustainable development goals and has positioned the state as a favourable development partner to international organisations, hence his participation in the summit.
“As we meet these sustainable development goals, there are development partners out there that want to hear your story, see what you are doing, and build trust because the problem with Africa is the trust issue. So we go out there, meet these organisations, and talk with them. They want to know what you can do differently from what others have done in the past. So we believe it was a successful meeting”.
The State Chief Executive attested to exploits in various fields by Akwa Ibomites abroad and the need to reassure them of the state government’s readiness to work with them, saying being at the event also availed him of the opportunity to interact with citizens of the state in the diaspora and create openings for foreign direct investment as well as opportunities for exchange engagements in areas of health, agriculture, artificial intelligence, and ICT.
“We also used the opportunity to meet with the Akwa Ibom indigenes in the diaspora. It is very important. A lot of them are professionals and always want to help in the development of the state and country. If you look at the foreign direct investment from the diaspora that came into the country in the previous years, you will find out that it was a large chunk, and if we keep leaving our people, we are losing parts of that large chunk.
