Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has said the Ibom International Hotel and other projects within the Ibom Tropicana area are being developed as part of a deliberate strategy to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for youths in the state.
Eno said the projects had already engaged several Akwa Ibom people directly and indirectly, adding that their completion would generate additional employment opportunities for the citizenry.
The governor spoke while fielding questions from Government House Correspondents shortly after inspecting the Ibom International Hotel, Uyo.
He said employment generation required deliberate planning and investment in infrastructure capable of supporting sustainable economic activities, rather than relying on promises without concrete foundations.
“What we promised Akwa Ibom people, we are delivering. You can imagine for yourself how many people this project is employing now and what it will employ when it is finished,” Eno said.
He added, “If you don’t create a foundation, you can’t build on it. You don’t create employment in the air. You deliberately and intentionally prepare, put something on the ground and then employ people to work.”
The governor linked the hotel project to his administration’s broader employment drive, citing the recent recruitment of 4,000 civil servants as another example of what he described as a structured approach to job creation.
According to him, the recruitment exercise was preceded by careful consideration of the number of workers required and the process through which the employment target was arrived at.
“We have just done orientation for 4,000 newly employed civil servants. We didn’t create it in the air. I took time to explain how we arrived at the number. So these things are precept upon precept,” he said.
Eno described the inspection as part of his routine visits to project sites, particularly those within his area of engagement at different times, noting that the exercise was intended to monitor progress on ongoing projects.
