The state could only boast of a few moribund companies like Peacock paint, Oku Iboku Paper Mill, and some privately owned businesses, to carter for the large number of graduates our tertiary institutions were churning out yearly.
Having knowledge of this prevalent situation, His Excellency, Deacon Udom Emmanuel while campaigning for the top job in 2015, summarized his campaign promises in a five-point agenda. Top on his priority list were industrialization, job creation and wealth creation.
As part of events marking the 28th anniversary of the state, His Excellency, Deacon Udom Emmanuel launched the 'Dakkada Campaign', which is geared towards economic and social regeneration. The campaign awakened in the minds of the people a new consciousness of moral, spiritual, social and political rebirth predicated on the values of hardwork, enterprise, self development and attitudinal re-orientation.
To further demonstrate his commitment to his vision of wealth and job creation for Akwa Ibom people, the Governor went ahead to establish a Directorate of Marketing and Brand Management, an office that handles the Government's social re-orientation and entrepreneurship programme known as 'Dakkada'.
In achievements, the Dakkada Multi-purpose Co-operative Association, ably led by Mr. Ime Uwah has registered thirty one (31) unions, trained four hundred and twenty two (422) of it's officers in various agricultural value-chain programs, facilitated training of twenty four (24) of it's members on palm oil production; and no fewer than a hundred on improved maize cultivation.
Akwa Ibom Employment and Enterprise Scheme(AKEES), an agency that engages the skills, ideas, capacities and productive endeavours of Akwa Ibom people towards job and wealth creation was also established.
AKEES so far has emloyed over one thousand five hundred (1,500) and created/reinforced about eighty five (85) businesses and championed the much talked about vegetable farming revolution in the state.
Notwithstanding the fact that Governor Udom's first year in office was plagued by litigation and economic down turn, his administration so far has initiated projects, programs and policies that have positively impacted the economy of the people and the state.
In the area of industrialization, Akwa Ibom in the last two quarters has been rated by the National Bureau of Statistics as attracting the highest number of Foreign Direct Investments after Lagos. Governor Udom Emmanuel has attracted not a few industries to the state. Top on the list is the Syringe Manufacturing Company which is arguably the largest in Africa followed by the Electric Metering Factory, the resuscitated Peacock Paints, Pencil and Toothpick Factory.
It is also worthy of note that Akwa Ibom Fertilizer Plant had commenced operations in May this year (2018). The Coconut Refinery and Flour Mill is in the pipeline and recently, Mr. Ufot Ebong and his team took delivery of containers of imported equipment for the establishment of a Plastic Manufacturing Company in Akwa Ibom.
As part of the strategies to re-orientate the people to become self-reliant, the Governor Udom Emmanuel-led government of Akwa Ibom State had unveiled a social innovation project called ‘Hire a Workman’ an online job board that will inform and engage the minds of young creatives as well as create more job opportunities for the teaming youths.
In addition to these, about twenty thousand (20,000) youths drawn from the three senatorial districts of the state were trained in ICT/Computer Engineering, catering, pharmaceuticals, interior/exterior decoration, cosmetics, aluminium fittings, carpentry/furniture making, fashion and design, civil engineering, food processing, agro-allied, pipeline welding, hat/bead making, song/sound production, videography/photography/editing, arts, painting, welding and fabrication, shoe making, designing/printing, bags designing, solar energy, hairdressing, music/film production, paint production, vulcanizing, electrical installation, phone repairs/maintenance, makeover, auto mechanic, poultry/fish farming, barbing, laundry, chalk production and many others at five hundred and thirty (530) different training centres across the 31 Local Government Areas of the State for proximity. At the end of the training, some trainees were provided with starter packs for sustainability and self-reliance.
In the area of agriculture, cocoa production has been revamped in the state with the flag-off of the Cocoa Maintenance Scheme to improve the yield of cocoa. This came with the training of four hundred and eighty (480) youths in the scheme and provision of support for eight thousand two hundred (8,200) cocoa farmers to cultivate thirty thousand (30,000) hectares of cocoa.
To boost cassava cultivation, the Governor has approved the establishment of three new cassava processing factories in the three senatorial districts in the state namely Nung Udoe in Ibesikpo Asutan (Nung Udoe, Eket LGA (Ikot Okudom) and Abak LGA (Ikot Ekang). This will reduce the cost of processing cassava into other derivatives such as foofoo, garrison, and pallets as well as their prices significantly.
He has secured 10billion naira for small scale rice growers through the Anchor borrowers program of the Central Bank of Nigeria in collaboration with the Bank of Agriculture, a total of 63,715 hectares of swamp land is targeted for cultivation by 48,920 rice farmers in the state
Deacon Udom Emmanuel is also partnering the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development under the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) on the provision of farm inputs for a total of 3,600,000 farmers in Akwa Ibom State.
With these conscious efforts of Governor Udom Emmanuel in transforming Akwa Ibom State through job and wealth creation, one can only say, we are in the pathway to affluence and greatness.
For this reasons and many more, I support Gov. Udom Emmanuel for a second term.
#IStandWith
#UdomDeclares
#FutureAssured
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