The Akwa Ibom State Government says it will continue to commission development projects across the state despite the political activities expected to intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.
Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, disclosed this on Friday during a live programme on XL FM, Uyo, while reviewing activities marking the 39th anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom State.
Umanah said the 39 projects commissioned as part of the anniversary activities formed part of what he described as the 85 “audacious projects” being executed by the administration of Governor Umo Eno.
He said the government would not suspend its development programme because of the approaching campaign season, stressing that project implementation and commissioning would continue alongside political activities.
“Governor Umo Eno will not be distracted by the antics of opposition elements. We are firmly on ground. This administration has a record of projects across the 31 Local Government Areas,” Umanah said.
The Commissioner’s comments come as the administration continues to highlight infrastructure and other projects as evidence of its development agenda. Governor Eno had also previously linked the pace of projects to increased revenues available to the state.
Umanah said the government’s focus was not limited to physical infrastructure, pointing to youth development and digital skills acquisition as other areas receiving attention.
He announced that the first batch of trainees at the newly commissioned Youth Development Centre in Oron would graduate on October 9, following their digital skills training.
According to him, similar digital skills and entrepreneurship programmes would soon be introduced at other Youth Development Centres across the state.
The Commissioner urged residents to remain committed to what he described as the “Akwa Ibom project”, while maintaining that the administration would continue with its development programme.
He said the series of project commissioning would therefore remain part of the government’s activities even as the state moves into a period of heightened political engagement.
Umanah’s emphasis on continued project delivery comes against the backdrop of growing public attention on the administration’s management of state resources. PREMIUM TIMES reported in September that the government had received substantial revenues since 2023 but that its recent fiscal reports contained less detailed capital expenditure information than earlier reports, a concern also raised by BudgIT.
The government has maintained that its projects demonstrate how public funds are being deployed, while Governor Eno has said he is prepared to account for his stewardship and has documentation to support government expenditure
