Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno has announced the conversion of a previously announced N2 billion single digit interest loan scheme to traders in the state to a grant.
Governor Eno explained that this was in alignment with his administration’s determination to strengthen the private sector.
He expressed optimism that the prevailing socio-economic challenges confronting Nigerians would be overcome through a people-oriented policies and programmes, pledging to provide effective synergy with the private sector to achieve optimal results.
Eno also disclosed that plans have been concluded to create a delivery unit for his administration’s ‘ARISE Agenda’ blueprint that will be saddled with the responsibility of tracking the plans and promises made to the people to ensure timely implementation.
Governor Eno who made the announcement while addressing a group of Christian faithful in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, explained that “the unit will comprise of delivery advisors, and would be headed by an Executive Assistant (EA), who will work directly with the governor.”
He stressed that it was time for all hands be on deck to deliver on the government’s blueprint in line with the yearnings and aspirations of the people, while highlighting the need for collaborations towards collective success.
“We have decided to appoint delivery advisors to accelerate the execution of our projects because there is a lot of work to do.
“We want to ensure that government promises are followed through, and we must have what is identified globally as delivery advisors. We must, as a State, begin to have people that don’t get involved in politics, but their jobs would be to sit down to ensure that everything we have said is being followed up”, the governor stated.
Frowning at the spate of dependence on freebies, Governor Eno reiterated the value of hard work and ingenuity, describing dependency on handouts as a non-sustainable practice that cannot lead to prosperity.
He outlined various support schemes introduced by his administration to empower youths and entrepreneurs for economic advancement.
Such interventions include the creation of an employment portal for youths to serve as a pool where government agencies and companies can recruit from, opening of a branch of the Bank of Industry in the state to enhance access of Akwa Ibom entrepreneurs to loans on single digit interest rate, and provision of the N2 billion grant for traders in markets across the state, as well as monthly financial support for the elderly.
The governor explained that government will work directly with the leadership of markets across the state to get nominees for the grant, adding that such nominees will be verified as actual stall owners in the respective markets.
