AKWA IBOM, WORLD BANK PARTNER IN N52BN DRAINAGE PROJECT

Initiated by the Udom Emmanuel-led Administration, the project is being executed in collaboration with the World Bank as a bold step to curtail the menace of flooding in some parts of the state capital, Uyo.
The estimated implementation cost also includes the redesigning of the master plan of the city of Uyo to eliminate the challenges of perennial flooding because, according to the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ini Emem-Obong, parts of the state capital has continued to experience flooding because the previous channels were not properly emptied to the necessary basins.
The Commissioner explained to newsmen that some parts of the city still experienced flooding because previous channels dug to de-flood the city were not properly emptied to the required bodies of water.
"Governor Udom Emmanuel saw the need to eliminate the challenges of flooding in some parts of Uyo. An assessment of the situation showed that the previous efforts in that regard did not achieve the desired results because the collected water is not properly emptied. Most parts of Uyo are very low ground and that is why flooding occurs in some place when it rains, he explained.
The administration, the Commissioner explained, had rebuilt and expanded 11 general hospitals across the state as part of the deliberate plan to inaugurate state hospitals and upgrade the existing ones also aimed at reducing referral time of patients.
"The hospitals are digitized and are smart hospitals served by a Central Server. What that means is that if somebody goes for treatment at Ikot Ekpene General Hospital and his medical records taken there. If for one reason or the other he goes to Abak and there is need for him to seek medical attention, his medical records can be accessed in Ikot Ekpene from Abak.
*Before Governor Emmanuel came to office and decided to upgrade those facilities, some of them were not better than mere mortuary. For adequate staffing, 130 medical doctors were employed and 30 high level consultants also engaged. The state administration is able to retain the services of these workers because of the good treatment being given them," he added.
On the construction of a new terminal building at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, Emem-Obong said it is being designed in a way that the biggest airplane would be able to land and take off at the airport.
"We have domestic and international wings and it is the first in the country where passengers can transit from the local to the domestic wing and vice versa without coming out of the building. It is also a smart edifice that will compare favourably with any other in any part of the world," he stressed.
Emem-Obong also commended Governor Emmanuel for his vision for the establishment of the Coconut Oil Factory in Mkpat Enin, which he said was a deliberate attempt to safeguard the future of the state and its people.
"The installed capacity is to process about a million coconuts a day. The state is a big producer of coconut in the country and apart from getting the raw material from the local farmers, the administration has also set up coconut plantations where over three million seeds have been planted.
‘’To ensure that our youths benefit from the job opportunities in the place, the governor directed that the model to be used should allow for a larger human machine interface.
"There is no fear of how to properly manage those businesses as the governor has shown great example with the way Ibom Airlines is being run. Though owned by the government, it is run like a private enterprise.
‘’The management and the board are dominated by private business people and every six months they come to the executive council meeting to give an update on their activities. Remember that Governor Emmanuel is an investment banker and an auditor for over three decades," he stated.