I'll Empower 2,000 Youth with Skills, start-up Grants within 100 days* - Engr. Otobong Essien

...Gets nod from Paramount Ruler

... Village Head applauds the development 

By Emmanuel Ufon

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairmanship Candidate for Ikono Local Government Area, Engr. Oto-Obong Essien has promised to empower 2,000 youth in the area with skills and start-up capital within her first 100 days in office.

She said this was going to aid the revival of the rural economy for sustainable development and boost self-reliance among the youths. 

The licenced Engineer, while addressing her Skill Acquisition/Youth Empowerment Team on Sunday in Uyo said the Youth will be empowered    to become innovative entrepreneurs and taught business opportunities in different fields.

The Ikono Chairperson hopeful listed the areas for training to include: Information Communication Technology, Cosmetic Production, Baking and  Pastry production while start-up grants would be given to successful trainees.

In the area of Agriculture, the Chairmanship Candidate stated that she will work with the Ministry of Agriculture/Rural Development and Companies like Bertola Machine-Tool Company to ensure that Ikono Youths are trained on large-scale mechanized farming practices and subsequently provided with improved seedlings for food sufficiency.

She expressed confidence in her relationship with stakeholders in the area, saying they will support her bid to empower the youth. 

"Without waiting for the council money we can empower our youths. I have an NGO which I have been championing on skills acquisition training for the youths, I will as well partner with other NGOs including the Happy Hour Connect Initiative ably led by a proud daughter of Nkwot, a woman of substance - Mrs. Affiong Ibanga".

"I will partner with First Love Foundation - a faith based NGO own by Justice Charles Ikpe to empower our youths.  Consultations is ongoing by my team with the traditional rulers, Youth President and other stakeholders in Ikono. I will soon mobilize 168 team of resource persons to move down to the 168 political units of 12 wards in Ikono Local Government Area to embark on the training exercises", She said.

On his part, the Paramount Ruler of Ikono Local Government Area, Edidem Nana Etim Itang lauded the development and advised the team to look for ways of approaching some youths to key into the program.

Other Village Heads including the Village Head of  Afaha Ediene in Ikono Local Government Area, Eteidung Uwem Akpan Umoren and the Youth Leaders welcomed the development and promised to give their support to the success of the skill acquisition programme.

Ikono Chairmanship Candidate pledges support for GIFA ‌

 

By Emmanuel Ufon 

The Chairmanship Candidate of Ikono Local Government Area, Engr. Oto-Obong Essien has  pledged support for the Golden Initiative for All (GIFA) project of Pst. Patience Umo Eno, wife of the Akwa Ibom State Governor. 

The Chairperson hopeful  made the pledge on Friday, August 16, 2024, while fielding questions from Journalists at the Government House in  Uyo, after the monthly prayer meeting with women, organised by the Wife of the Governor, Pastor Patience Umo Eno.

Engr. Oto-Obong Essien who lauded the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno for the opportunity accorded women to showcase their leadership strides stressed that women will continue to play motherly roles in the development of the State, given their involvement in government, courtesy of the Governor.

She therefore promised to reciprocate the good gesture of Pastor Umo Eno and his wife by doing everything possible to unite Ikono people together for development through peaceful advocacy.

 "My emergence as the PDP Chairmanship Candidate for Ikono LGA is a clear indication that God wants to use me to remodel Ikono LGA and add value through His Excellency, Governor Umo Bassey Eno's ARISE Agenda. As we build upon the existing roadmap arising from the landmark ARISE dialogue, we will focus on Agricultural Renaissance, Educational Advancement, Health and Security Transformation,Commerce Evolution and Aggressive Infrastructural Development", she said.

Earlier, in her remarks, the hostess and wife of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Patience Umo Eno urged the women at the event to exercise faith in God for speedy answer to prayers while thanking God for the grace and rare privileged to lead the women of Akwa Ibom State.

The Governor’s wife also took out time to thank the immediate past Governor of the state and wife, for being a channel through which God used to elevate her husband to the throne and specially prayed God to bless and reward them bountifully.

She further expressed optimism that the prayer meeting which had as it theme : "The Sound of the new" would herald God’s blessings on not just the women who will avail themselves every month, but will benefit the entire Akwa Ibom by ushering in peace, prosperity and development.

High point of the prayer service featured  praise rendition, bible readings, prayer sessions, special thanksgiving session by the women for a smooth and peaceful transition.

Ibiono-Ibom Christian Youth Forum

I first heard the word "Stereotype" when one of my female lecturers (of blessed memories) used it in one of her public speaking classes during my undergraduate days.

My understanding of the word then, was a device used for playing music at home. But when she began saying things which sounded different from my lame knowledge of the word, I marvelled at how much such a small word could imply a widely-held concept in today's society.

Basically, stereotype is a conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image perceived from a place of ignorance and untruth, yet circulated and handed down from generation to generation without fact-finding or verification.

Our society today is filled with stereotypes of varying degrees ranging from culture to religion, politics, economy, gender and much more and sadly, not even civilization and education have erased these one-sided biases off our minds.  

We hear people say in absolute terms for instance that educated women are not submissive, men are intimidated by successful women, every politician is a cultist, the rich are proud and haughty, a certain tribe is dirty, a particular religion is violent and so on without any empirical evidence to prove such wild claims. 

Meanwhile, inspite of these claims, thousands of educated women exist who are very submissive, a million men aren't intimidated by successful women, not every politician is a cultist, a billion rich aren't haughty and proud, every tribe has a truckload dirty people just like every religion has a park of violent people.

There are no absolute truths to a lot of the "theories" we postulate and one rotten egg cannot spoil the entirety of others. 

We should therefore understand that exceptions are, and will always be in every situation/case. 

Come next week, the Ibiono-Ibom Christian Youth Forum will hold her yearly retreat on the theme "Stereotype". The planning committee invites you to be part of this spiritually awakening event where topics such as "Redefining my Perception" and "Beyond the Ephemeral" will be taught.

A skill acquisition session on how to navigate through the hard times, using emotional intelligence will also be held alongside sessions of spirit-lifting moments of worship.

I invite you on behalf of the planning committee to share in this bliss. 

God bless you as you come!

Preparations for Akwa Ibom Tech Week in high gear – Planning Committee

 

Priscilla Akpanettot 

Preparations are in top gear for the 2024 Akwa Ibom Tech Week, the central planning committee has disclosed at a press briefing over the weekend in Uyo.

Chairperson of the Planning Committee, Amanda Etuk gave the briefing while bringing newsmen up to speed on projections of the Week-long activity themed: “Building a Resilient Innovation Ecosystem.

According to the chairperson, the event will commence with a hack-a-thon and a cultural night on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, followed by a Conference on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

A career fair and creative showcase will hold on Thursday, October 31st to demonstrate how technology is enabling creativity in arts and interactive media, while recruiters and HR firms will interview and offer jobs to deserving candidates. An ecosystem hub tour and closing dinner will draw the curtains for the week’s events. 

The venture showcase is a platform where tech enthusiasts in Akwa Ibom State and across Nigeria who are building innovations in their small space would be funded and given visibility, she explained.

Justifying the theme for the event, Etuk narrated that the operating landscape in the country generally was becoming almost unbearable for businesses to survive hence, the need to find better ways of getting things done with technology, research and industry.

While acknowledging the tough economic climate and its impact, she submitted that technology, startup enterprise and rapid innovation will pull Nigeria out of the current economic slope she has found herself.

“The tech landscape in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, is poised to transform a nascent ecosystem into a resilient, thriving and innovation powerhouse for what is now known as ‘Africa’s New Tech Destination’. The event promises to be a convergence of visionaries, creators, and change-makers. Together, we’ll shape Africa’s new tech destination—one that thrives on resilience, innovation, and local talent”, she stated.

She therefore called on policymakers, innovators, educational institutions and investors to collaborate with the planning committee to make the transformation a reality.

Speaking on successes the Tech Week has birthed over the years, a co-planer of the Ibom Tech Week and President, Ibom Innovation Hub, Hanson Johnson reported that Akwa Ibom State has today emerged a hub for tech enthusiasts and professionals, with a developer ecosystem growing at an impressive 29.7% month-on-month since March 2023. This growth he noted, rivals that of Lagos, positioning Akwa Ibom as a key player in Africa’s tech scene1.

He also announced that 500 learners in the State, consisting of the young and old have received Google licenses to access Coursera courses, with more than 350 of the learners completing certifications in project management, cybersecurity, user experience design, and e-commerce. These skills empower our youth to contribute to the digital economy.

Meanwhile, they have been able to provide job placement for 1,500 youths through their member hubs and with support from the UNDP, Johnson stated.

“We acknowledge that professional successes are largely dependent on leadership and soft skills. Through our mentorship programme, we are able to develop soft skills and leadership capacity of 150 cohorts in the last 10 months”.

“We have been able to setup and deepen diaspora engagement for the community in order to connect development activities back home with patient funding initiatives and professional competences abroad”, he added.

Stressing the imperatives of resilience in technology, CEO Tedikom Wireless and Founder, Paid Dimension Technology, Edidiong Ekpe observed that resilience allows people to adapt, learn, and thrive even in adversity.

He suggested government’s support through the creation of an enabling environment; collaboration between government, private sector, academia, and civil society; provision of sustainable solutions by innovators as well as international partnerships as means by which resilience can be enhanced.

AK Cares Phase 3: Govt Targets 119,000 Beneficiaries

Priscilla Akpanettot, COOPA 

No fewer than a Hundred and Nineteen Thousand (119,000) Akwa Ibomites are going to benefit from Phase 3 of the AK-CARES project, the Commissioner for Economic Development, Mr. Emem Bob has said.

Speaking while briefing newsmen at the NUJ Press Centre on Friday, July 19, 2024, the Commissioner noted that the third phase of AK-CARES, as approved by the Governor would soon commence as an intervention to reach the needy.

Meanwhile, in a bid to curtail the hunger caused by food insufficiency, unavailability, and inflation, Governor Umo Eno has decided to augment the federal government's palliative donation by adding 24,000 bags to their 24,000 bags of 25kg rice.

The initiative according to the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Offiong Offor is aimed at reaching more families with the needed support to survive the times. 

"Through this food intervention, each of the 2,272 gazetted villages in the state will receive 20 bags of rice. This is in addition to the over 100,000 families from the social register who have already received, or will soon receive, free food items from the state government through the Bulk Purchase Agency", she said.

She explained that the long-term solution to the hunger crisis is the Back-to-Farm initiative, promoting local food production, and designating the first and third Fridays of the month as work-free farming days.

While commending civil and public servants for effectively utilizing the work-free days given to them for farm work, Dr. Offor informed that those taking the farming activities seriously would be appreciated by the Governor as a motivation to do more. 

The Commissioner therefore encouraged every Akwa Ibomite to indulge in agriculture, stressing that the Ministry of Agriculture was ready to give them the needed support for productivity.

"The Ministry of Agriculture has implemented several strategic interventions, including distributing cassava cuttings, maize grains, pepper seedlings, and coconut seedlings to 135 public primary and secondary schools".

 "Additionally, we have distributed 150,000 cocoa seedlings to cocoa farmers, 40,000 oil palm seedlings to oil palm farmers, 80,000 pepper seedlings to vegetable farmers, 20 metric tonnes of rice shared to rice farmers' across the state, and livestock and poultry supplies to poultry  farmers".

"Furthermore, we have provided livelihood grants of N150,000 to 1,560 beneficiaries and agricultural inputs and services to 900 farmers under the AKCARES Scheme", she enumerated.

On the destruction of farmlands by herders/cattle, the Commissioner informed that an enforcement team has been set up to look into such issues for disciplinary action against defaulters. 

She therefore requested that enquires on the enforcement team and other information relevant to farming and agriculture be channeled to Room 99 of the Ministry at the State Government Secretariat.

The distribution of the Federal and State Governments' food intervention will occur at Local Government Council Headquarters, from where Council Chairmen will ensure the safe transportation of 20 bags to each gazetted village for onward  Distribution dates will be announced soon.

At the briefing were the Commissioner for Information, Comrade Ini Ememobong; Chairman, Bulk Purchase Agency, Rt. Hon. Dan Akpan; Media Consultant to the Governor, Hon. Aniekan Umanah; Chairman Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Akwa Ibom State Council Comrade, Amos Etuk; members of the press and Conference of Online Publishers in Akwa Ibom State (COOPA).

Akwa Ibom Audit Service Commission Holds 2024 Pre-Promotion Seminar for Auditors

 

...As Head of Civil Service Assures Workers Prompt Release of Promotion Results, Capacity Building 

MARY EKERE 

The 2024 Pre-Promotion Seminar for Auditors in Akwa Ibom State Public Service has been held.

The exercise, to herald the examination, interview and subsequent promotion of qualified Auditors, was organised by the Akwa Ibom State Audit Service Commission at the Governor's Office, Annex, Uyo on Thursday, 11th July, 2024.

The 2024 Promotion exercise which is the third in the series, have 89 Auditors from the offices of the State and Local Governments Auditors-General undergoing the process.

Declaring the Seminar open, the Head of Civil Service, Elder Effiong Essien has assured that henceforth, there shall be no arrears of carrying out promotion for qualified Civil Servants when due, courtesy of the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno. 

The Head of Civil Service disclosed the State Government's commitment to building the capacities of the Auditors and other Civil Servants to bring them to spar with existing knowledge and expertise in their fields. 

"Aside the necessary protocols of being promoted, Akwa Ibom State Government is committed to building the capacities of Civil Servants in the areas of computer literacy, professional competency and leadership.

"In this regard, it is the place of the Commission to ensure the training and retraining of staff on Information and Communication Technology to bring them up to speed with the digitization of the Public Service in line with the A.R.I.S.E. Agenda of Governor Umo Who's led administration".

Appreciating the Governor for his fatherly disposition to workers welfare and approving the hosting of the promotion process, the Head of Civil Service urged all Civil Servants to arise to their responsibilities of effective service delivery, punctuality to work.

Reacting to the 'lack of befitting office accommodation' for Workers in the State and Local Government Auditors-General, Elder Effiong Essen disclosed that Government is working towards providing them a befitting office space at the Governor's Office Annex.

In a welcome address, the Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Audit Service Commission, Pastor Bassey Umo said the aim of the Seminar was to serve as a refresher course in updating the knowledge and sharpening the skills of the Auditors to perform their work with diligence, dignity, integrity and excellence.

While setting the tone of the 2024 Pre-Promotion Seminar, the Chairman of Promotion Committee, Pastor Praise Okon revealed that needed actions were undertaken to ensure that no qualified Auditor is exempted from the exercise. He urged them to get acquainted with the necessary materials, to be successful at the forthcoming examination.  

In separate goodwill messages, the Commissioner of Finance, Mr Linus Nkan represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance - Mr Mark Umoh, the Permanent Secretaries - Offices of the Auditor General for State and Local Government, the Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission, Mrs Ekereobong Umoh represented by the Commission's Permanent Secretary - Barr Selong Asuquo urged the participants to utilise the Seminar in strengthening their financial knowledge, prudence and efficiency at service whilst assuring a speedy compilation of the results.

The Seminar featured sessions on Personnel Management in State and Local Governments, Financial Management in State and Local Governments,  General Paper, Public Sector Audit and Investigation and Security in State and Local Governments. 

Meanwhile, the examination of the qualified Auditors is slated for Thursday, 18th July, 2024 at Aka Community Model School, Uyo followed by an Oral Interview on 25th and 26th July, 2024 at the Audit Service Commission Office, Uyo.

REFORM OF THE AFRICAN DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS IN AKWA IBOM STATE

By Nora Inwang

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Akwa Ibom State has undergone significant reform under the leadership of its new chairman, Hon. D. Udom. His exceptional performance in state politics over the years has earned him considerable recognition and the role of chairing the party.

In just one month, Hon. Udom has acquired a new, well-furnished office at 84 Udotung Ubo Street in Uyo, marking a significant milestone in the party's reformation. The ADC is preparing to constitute the State Executive Council, Chapter Executive Councils, and Ward Executive Councils across the 31 Local Government Areas, demonstrating its readiness for the upcoming Local Government elections.

Under the leadership of Hon. Udom and the new political leader of the party, Dr. Umo Ntuen, the ADC has undergone a transformative change. The Independent National Electoral Commission recently verified the ADC Secretariat and commended the leadership for the office's well-furnished condition and the peaceful coexistence among members.

Astonishingly, the current stakeholders are opting for significant changes in the party, armed with concrete ideas and a positive mindset that will bolster the party. Like other parties that started with few members and have now become strong voices in the state, the ADC is set to grow rapidly. With the new structure and leadership, the party aims to soon be in a position to govern Akwa Ibom State.

The ADC is now considered the main opposition party and a formidable force in the forthcoming Local Government election, thanks to the new state chairman and dynamic state leader. The party's commitment to providing an enabling platform for its members to contest political positions is evident. Aspirants are encouraged to contest through the African Democratic Congress.

The ADC's doors are open to Akwa Ibom citizens seeking a robust platform to pursue leadership roles. The party's stakeholders are working diligently to ensure that their aspirants win various positions, from councilorship to governorship.

The rapid growth of the ADC under the current leadership is remarkable, and it is poised to become an unrivaled political force in the state.