COVID-19: Emmanuel to inject N50bn into Akwa Ibom economy

Udom Emmanuel, governor of Akwa Ibom,  has announced some initiatives to jump start the post-COVID economy of the sate in the first quarter of 2021.

These initiatives include efforts to revamp the education sector, investment in infrastructure, further investments in health sector especially the training of health workers, additional support for agriculture and security.

The governor has promised to inject N50billion as economic stimulus.

Emmanuel made the declaration at the government house banquet hall during the yearly solemn assembly organised by the state government to usher in the New Year.

He decried the trend of Nigerians going abroad to acquire education, even in smaller African countries.

Emmanuel said his administration’s comprehensive education agenda will soon reverse the trend in Akwa Ibom.

“If you go to these small West African countries you see a lot of Nigerians there some of those universities they go to attend are not as neat as the secondary schools that we have here and you see a whole of Nigerians,” he said.

“When did we lose our pride? How can we be going to these smaller countries to school? We must stop it. If not anywhere, in Akwa Ibom and then try to make sure we get things right going forward.

“In 2021, we’ve declared war on education the same way we declare on healthcare in the State before Covid-19. We have a comprehensive education agenda. We’ve education think-tank. We’ve linked up with all the Akwa Ibom eggheads across the world and we meet with them on zoom; wherever you are, once we know you have something to contribute to the development of the state, education-wise. We have been compiling and we are going to launch out aggressively.”

He announced that government will start with building physical infrastructure of those schools then training the teachers, adding that all the secondary schools in Uyo must be fenced round beginning from this month.