Former minister of budget and national planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, former governors Obong Victor Attah and Mr. Udom Emmanuel, yesterday tinkered on the development blueprint (Arise Agenda) of the Akwa Ibom state Governor Umo Eno and advocated for government/private sector synergy to create opportunities for investments to enhance job creation.
Udoma, who chaired the forum with the theme: “Come Let’s Reason Together”, noted that the private sector provides most of the investment required to grow the economy and create jobs, as such, governments must provide the enabling environment that would encourage entrepreneurship, innovation, investment and wealth creation.
Tagged: “Akwa Ibom Dialogue”, the three-day event which opened yesterday x-rayed myriad of challenges impinging development policies and programmes of government urged for effective implementable strategies to achieve success.
The former minister charged Governor Eno to ensure that the policies of the Arise Agenda’ must be directed at making Akwa Ibom state one of the most desirable destination for investment in Nigeria and indeed Africa.
He said, “Government must provide an environment that encourages entrepreneurship, innovation, investment and wealth creation. It is incongruent on those in government to get those of us in the private sector to know the opportunities they are creating for private sector investment.”
Addressing the forum, Governor Eno said his “Arise Agenda” would be focused on Agriculture, Rural Development, Infrastructure, Security and Education; adding that it is time Akwa Ibom people take ownership of the dream and articulate its realisation together.
Eno said the policy framework would be further broken down into 17 focal sectors targeted at short, medium and long term implementation, urged the people, irrespective of their political leanings to eschew hatred and join hands together to build the state.
“I would like to inform the incoming commissioners that you are coming into a new season. You maybe old on the job but there is a new template. I have fulfilled my part of the bargain with you to ensure that as colleagues, we come back together and run the government because you laboured during the elections,” he added.
His predecessor Udom Emmanuel, who was special guest of honour at the event, called the people to cooperate with Governor Eno to actualize his administration’s dream for the state, noting that “Akwa Ibom has the human resources to realise the goal.”
Emmanuel said execution, planning and acceptance of the agenda would drive its actualisation and warned the people against distracting the governor with negative comments.
