Posts

Showing posts from August, 2026

Gov Eno Inspects Ibom Air's Third New Airbus A220 Ahead of Christmas Rollout

Image
 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. ...

EDITORIAL: Harsh Economy: Gov Eno's SMEs Billions Missed The Target

Image
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...

Special REPORT: :The tears of Ibotio: How Government Secondary School Ibotio died and took a community’s future with it

Image
  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...