Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has challenged the state’s 31 local government chairmen to turn the growing competition among them into stronger development outcomes for their people.
Eno, who said he was impressed by what he described as healthy competition among the council bosses, urged them to raise the bar in project delivery and sustain collaboration with the state government to extend the impact of the ARISE Agenda to more communities.
The governor spoke on Wednesday at Government House, Uyo, during a special breakfast meeting with the chairmen to mark their second anniversary in office.
He told the council bosses, who constitute the government’s leadership at the grassroots, that their performance should be measured by the improvements residents could see and feel in their communities.
Eno particularly urged the chairmen to remain physically connected to their constituents, saying living among the people would give them a better understanding of local challenges while also strengthening security and stimulating economic activities.
The governor commended the chairmen for the projects and programmes undertaken in their respective councils in the past two years, assuring them that his administration would continue to support development initiatives at the grassroots.
He identified model primary schools, healthcare centres, compassionate homes and rural roads among the state government’s interventions designed to improve living conditions across the local government areas.
Eno said the meeting also enabled him to hear directly from the council chairmen about their respective achievements and development initiatives, describing the engagement as useful in assessing progress at the grassroots.
Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Dr. Uwemedimo Udo, said the chairmen used the occasion to brief the governor on their activities and appreciate his support for local government administration.
Udo, who is also Chairman of Uyo Local Government Council, said the governor had created an enabling environment for the councils to undertake projects in roads, healthcare, education, agriculture, sports and tourism.
He specifically commended Eno for providing lodges for local government chairmen, saying the initiative would enable them to stay closer to their respective communities and improve their responsiveness to grassroots needs.
“It is a holistic and continuous engagement, and I want to assure the people of Akwa Ibom State that we will continue to collaborate with His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, to deepen and expand the frontiers of development as far as the grassroots are concerned,” Udo said.
He added that the chairmen would continue working to improve the living conditions of residents across the various sectors covered by the ARISE Agenda.
On the 2027 elections, Udo pledged the support of the council chairmen for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Eno, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other APC candidates, citing what he described as their performance in office.
Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Frank Archibong; APC State Chairman, Obong Stephen Ntukekpo; and Director-General of Campaigns, Chief Assam Assam, SAN, commended the chairmen and urged them to mobilise their constituents for the APC ahead of the 2027 elections. The meeting featured the presentation of a compendium detailing the activities and projects executed by the 31 councils in their first two years in office.
