The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno has stated the readiness of his administration to welcome constructive criticisms. He said his he would appreciate criticisms which are not borne out of malice and mischief.
The Governor made the remarks on Wednesday during the commissioning of a 1.3 Kilometres underground concrete flood control tunnel in the State. The underground flood control tunnel was reconstructed on the section of the Atiku Abubakar Way, with walkway, drainage, solar street lights There was also another reconstruction adjourning the 1km Afaha Ube Itam Road.
Speaking at the occasion, Eno reiterated his resolve to use Akwa Ibom’s wealth to put smiles on the people’s faces. He said, he would ameliorate the peoples sufferings through the execution of life-touching projects and programmes.
The Governor noted that the underground drainage on was one of the interventions of his administration in response to citizen’s outcry. He, however, commended the contractor, Hensek Integrated Services for the speedy execution of the project.
“We are committed to touching lives, we are committed to improving the standard of living of our people. We are committed to providing both the soft and hard infrastructure. But the time we are in now demand soft infrastructure. The times demand that we feed our people. It demands that we help them go back to the farm.
“The times demand that our people take advantage of all of the contracts that are providing so many jobs for our young people. And it demands that we keep being in peace to continue to attract investment to our State. And be able to continue to provide jobs for our people.
“I do not know the young man that sent me that photograph on this Road. But we are here courtesy of that young man. So, if you notice anything in your environment, you can send it to us. We will look at it, prioritize it. Handle it and try to see how we can come to your aid.
“What this shows is that all of us can collectively run this State. We try to run an open government. And we try to run a government across party lines because knowledge is not only based on one person or one party. We can work together as a people.
“We accept and appreciate constructive criticism. But not those that are borne out of malice and mischief. Together all of us can be in Government, whether you are given an appointment or not”.
Governor Eno, therefore, charged the people to take up the responsibility of protecting infrastructure within their domains.
He said, “We can not be destroying facilities that Government spend so much money to fix. It is not my money, it is our collective money. So, if you see someone destroying government property, know that it is part of your money that’s being destroyed.”
Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, who was aa quest at the commissioner ceremony, urged the Akwa Ibom people to be vigilant. He urged them to guard against the vandalization of public infrastructure in the State.
The former President lauded Governor Eno for particularly prioritizing the needs of his people by initiating and completing life-touching projects within his first year in office. He, therefore, described the Governor as a proactive leader.
In his remark, the project coordinator and Commissioner for Works and Fire Service, Professor Eno Ibanga, expressed satisfaction with the execution of the project. He said the project which was awarded in August 2023 was completed to specifications.
source: Vanguard
