Recall that His Excellency, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, is embarking on an unprecedented commissioning of 39 projects across the 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State, to mark the 39th Anniversary celebration in this month of September. Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area has benefited greatly in this phase of project commissioning, as the Governor will be visiting the Local Government Area for the third time today to commission the Chairman’s Lodge, an initiative of his administration.

During the first week of the 39 Projects Commissioning, Governor Eno personally visited Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area on September 3, 2026, for the commissioning of the 6.475km road network in Amanyam Community, Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area. According to the project information released by the State Government on the 6.475km Amanyam Community Road, and testimonies from political leaders in the area, the road has transformed previously untarred and largely difficult-to-navigate routes in the Amanyam Community.

Specifically, Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, the political leader of the area, spoke boldly about the deplorable state of the road before the Governor’s intervention during the 6.475km road commissioning event. He said teachers teaching at Community Secondary School, Mbiaso, at the time, including himself, had to park their motorcycles and cars to trek kilometres to the school because the road was not motorable. But with the Governor’s intervention, people can now move freely.

Again, Governor Eno visited Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, for the commissioning of the 4.12km GRA internal road network with outfall drain and additional erosion reclamation works in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area. Speaking during the road commissioning as the Special Guest at the event, the Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, lauded Governor Eno for his love for Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, stating that apart from his time as a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, no other Governor has brought so much infrastructural development to Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area the way Governor Eno has done. Indeed, the entire people of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area are grateful to His Excellency, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, PhD, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, for his numerous interventions in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area since his assumption of office, starting with the 1.1km Spring Road intervention.

Today, Sunday, September 27, 2026, the Governor will visit Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area again to commission the Chairman’s Lodge at Ikot Ekpene GRA. What can we say as a people, other than to share in the month of gratitude, thanking the Governor for all he has done for Ikot Ekpene people?

Governor Eno is not just scoring a hat-trick in Ikot Ekpene project commissioning during this 39 projects commissioning exercise; he is scoring hat-trick plus, as the Governor will soon return for the flag-off of the almighty International Market project in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, which is already ongoing as we speak.

We have every right to declare Governor Umo Eno a friend of Ikot Ekpene, and of course, the Governor has already been given a chieftaincy title as “Obong Emem Ikot Ekpene,” meaning the man that has caused peace to reign in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area. May God continue to bless the performing Governor of Akwa Ibom State.

Arise, that same God.

Pastor Solomon Essiet, ACIA

Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State