President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to attend Akwa Ibom State’s 39th anniversary celebrations as the state rolls out 39 projects for commissioning across the state.
The projects, which cover key sectors including roads, healthcare, education and tourism, will be commissioned between September 1 and September 30, 2026, as part of activities marking 39 years of the state’s creation.
The Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah, disclosed this on Thursday during a ministerial press briefing at the Government House Press Centre, Uyo.
Umanah said President Bola Tinubu is expected as special guest of honour during the anniversary celebrations and would inaugurate some of the projects lined up by the Governor Umo Eno administration.
Among the projects scheduled for commissioning is the ARISE Palm Resort on Brooks Street, alongside other strategic infrastructure projects executed across the state.
The commissioner said the anniversary would also feature a state inter-denominational thanksgiving service on September 20 at the International Christian Worship Centre, Banking Layout, Uyo.
A State Banquet will hold at the ARISE Palm Resort on September 23, marking the date Akwa Ibom was created out of the former Cross River State in 1987.
Umanah said the anniversary was an opportunity to highlight the administration’s people-centred development agenda and its efforts to improve the welfare and living conditions of residents.
He also disclosed that the state government had so far cleared ₦90.6 billion out of the ₦111 billion gratuity liability inherited by the administration.
The commissioner assured pensioners that the remaining balance would be cleared and appealed to them to remain patient.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem Emmanuel John, highlighted investments by the administration to strengthen healthcare delivery across the state.
John said the government had made deliberate investments to build a resilient, accessible and affordable healthcare system while improving accountability in the sector.
“We now have increased accountability within the health sector.”
He listed the Airport Medical Centre at Victor Attah International Airport among the healthcare projects scheduled for commissioning during the anniversary period.
Other interventions, according to him, include the construction, remodelling and equipping of general hospitals in Ukanafun and Ikot Ekpene, as well as investments in primary healthcare facilities.
John also disclosed that the state had established three medical oxygen production plants in Ikot Ekpene, Uyo and Eket, giving each senatorial district access to locally produced medical oxygen for critical and emergency care.
He said the administration had equally invested in emergency medical services as part of efforts to ensure that residents have access to timely and quality healthcare.
