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NIGERIA @ 66: A Stronger Nation, Battered Citizens

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   Michael Ufot It is glorious that at 66, Nigeria still stands as one indivisible, independent nation. Blessed with unquantified natural and human resources, the country has no reason to be poor. In wealth, in strength, in global relevance, Nigeria has grown in leaps and bounds. We have achieved financial independence to function optimally as a nation. But what of the people? On paper, we are a stronger nation. On the streets, we are battered citizens. All thanks to our heroes past who paid the price to champion independence in 1960. Though some pundits argue that struggle was driven more by personal and regional interests than collective good, today the federation has at least given every region a sense of belonging through federal character. Sixty-six years after, we must applaud past and present leaders and ordinary Nigerians who have struggled to coexist despite differences in tongue, faith, tribe and political persuasion. We have survived military rulership and transited...
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A'Ibom @ 39: Progress and needs for adjustment

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  Michael Ufot  Thirty-nine years ago, on September 23, 1987, General Ibrahim Babangida announced the creation of Akwa Ibom State from the old Cross River State. What began as a political aspiration has grown into one of Nigeria's most referenced stories of transformation. At 39, the question is no longer whether Akwa Ibom has made progress, it clearly has,  but whether that progress can be converted into sustainable prosperity for the ordinary Akwa Ibomite. From the pioneering era that built state institutions to the era of massive road construction, Akwa Ibom now boasts over 1,500 kilometres of roads under active construction and intervention, including 40 bridges and 234 projects. The current administration under Governor Umo Eno has disclosed spending N879.22 billion on infrastructure — N747.51 billion on ARISE Agenda projects and N131.71 billion on inherited projects, with 57 inherited projects already completed. The plan to commission 39 projects for the 39th annive...
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Gov Eno Inspects Ibom Air's Third New Airbus A220 Ahead of Christmas Rollout

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 Mathias, (Aviation Correspondent) Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno on Friday inspected Ibom Air's third new Airbus A220-300 aircraft at Airbus's production facility here, ahead of the plane's delivery to the state-owned carrier. The aircraft is expected to enter service before Christmas, adding capacity to Ibom Air's network during the peak end-of-year travel period. Eno toured the Airbus facility and reviewed the aircraft's specifications before the inspection. He said the acquisition was part of the state government's plan to expand Ibom Air's fleet and strengthen its competitiveness. The governor said the new aircraft would improve operational efficiency, passenger comfort and service delivery, and would support the state's tourism drive by improving air access to Akwa Ibom. Ibom Air, wholly owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government, began operations in 2019. It launched international flights from Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, in June 2026. ...
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EDITORIAL: Harsh Economy: Gov Eno's SMEs Billions Missed The Target

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Pastor Umo Eno, Governor of Akwa Ibom State .   Akwa Ibom has long been described as a civil service state. For decades, the dominant narrative has been the same: government is employer, government is provider, government is safety net. While other states were building clusters of thriving small businesses, ours remained fixated on payrolls, appointments, and handouts.  That template was not broken under the immediate past administration. Despite the overhyped “Dakkada” mantra, what mattered most was the number of graduates absorbed into the civil service, not the number of viable enterprises birthed. Some industries were announced with fanfare, but many could not outlive the administration that commissioned them. At the end of the day, the economy remained import-dependent, consumption-driven, and largely propped up by monthly allocations. It was against this background that the present administration of His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, promised a shift. To his credit, the Gov...
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Special REPORT: :The tears of Ibotio: How Government Secondary School Ibotio died and took a community’s future with it

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  Science Lab. Uboho David, Inido Abaikpa & Bassey Blessing  In Ibotio and Ndon Ibotio, two oil-bearing villages in Ikpa ibom clan, Mkpat Enin local government area, there is a grief that does not make the news. It is the grief of watching your fathers’ legacy rot away. It is the grief of a once-proud boarding school that produced Akwa Ibom’s best, now reduced to one leaking classroom, palm trees growing through laboratories, and cattle grazing where students once marched during inter-house sports. Surviving classroom  This is the story of Government Secondary School Ibotio, formerly, Ibotio and Ndon Secondary School. This is the story of a community that feels forgotten, blacklisted, and buried under 16 years of broken promises. Eteidung Engr. Sunday Gaius Bassey of Ibotio still remembers when the school was the pride of the area.   “When I was in secondary school age, our parents built that school. It was fully boarded, with everything. It was one of the n...
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EDITORIAL: Ibom International Hospital: When AKSG thinks like an investor

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  For too long, Nigeria has watched billions of naira leave our shores in search of healthcare. Families contribute, communities rally, and patients travel to India, Turkey, the UK, Germany, and the US — not because we lack doctors, but because we lack facilities built to last and equipped to treat.   The Ibom International Hospital, IIH, is an attempt to change that story. From what the project team has laid out, it is different in one fundamental way: it is being conceived, built, and managed as an *investment*, not as another government project destined to die in two years. The biggest advantage of IIH is its philosophy. The developers started by asking questions government rarely asks: What do the people actually need? How will this hospital operate after commissioning? How will it pay for itself? That led to an end-to-end model — from ideation and financing to construction and post-commissioning operations. A 350-bed capacity was chosen deliberately, because that is ...
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Female Ministers wrap up 2026 Conference in Uyo

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  •••Participants charged to remain steadfast in God  Blessing Bassey  A non-denominational gathering of pastors’ wives, female ministers, and women in Christian ministry has concluded its 2026 conference in Uyo with a call to remain steadfast in God.  The Female Ministers Conference held last weekend at New Point Hotel, along Atiku Abubakar Way, Uyo.  Speaking at the event, the International Coordinator of the Female Ministers Conference, Engr. Pastor Bola Adeoye, said the conference was convened to strengthen the confidence and steadfastness of women in ministry.  She traced the origin of the organization to the vision of the late Rev. Sola Achudume, wife of the General Overseer of Victory Life Bible Church International. According to Adeoye, Rev. Achudume founded Royal Ladies International over 20 years ago. The umbrella group later birthed sub-groups, including the Female Ministers Conference.  “The mandate is to strengthen, equip, and furnish the ...
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