Tony Nyong
Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has disclosed that projects executed within the first two years of his administration were delivered without borrowing from any financial institution.
This was made known Thursday at the occasion of his investiture as a Patron of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), in Uyo, the state capital.
Eno said: “As we stand today, we have not in the last two years borrowed a dime from anybody.
“We have been building a serving pool from the funds that came to us to be able to seamlessly finance our projects and development.”
The governor attributed the availability of funds to the strategic and visionary decisions taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which have yielded increased revenue and more funds for developmental projects.
“This wouldn’t have been possible if our President didn’t take some serious decisions to maximise the revenue of the country and that of the states,” he added.
Expressing his determination to make the State a tourist destination of choice in the country, he outlined the ongoing reconstruction of the abandoned 5,000 seater capacity International Conference Centre, the 200 room world-class hotel as indicators.
He said: “We are developing our infrastructures to be able to support tourism, and I think that the next time you come by the grace of God, our International Conference Centre, with a capacity for holding five thousand people with several break out rooms and two hundred bed-hotel by it, as well as a shopping city should be ready.
“It is an 18-month project and we are very deliberate about it.
“We believe that our programmes towards diversification of our economy are tilting towards tourism, and we are developing tourism assets across the State that will make any visitor want to spend time here.”
The highpoint of the occasion was the induction of the governor as a Patron of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations.
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In his acceptance speech, Governor Eno promised to abide by the code of conduct that governs the Institute as well as support the ideals of the organisation.
Performing the investiture, the NIPR President and Chairman of the Council, Dr. Ike Neliaku, said the honour was in line with the acknowledgement of the role of the Patron as the guiding light of the NIPR in promoting the organisation’s code, professional standard and solemn commitment to create a more reputation-conscious society where the dignity and pride of all people and cultures in the land are respected.
The investiture, which was part of the Nigerian Public Relations Week in Uyo, with the theme: “Beyond Headlines: Harnessing Public Relations for Economic Renaissance,” was graced by members of the State Executive Council, political class, fellows, and members of the Institute.
