The Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District, Aniekan Bassey has commended Governor Umo Eno for expanding youth empowerment and grassroots development initiatives across the state.
Bassey described the establishment of Youth Development Centres across the 31 Local Government Areas as a practical investment in the future of young Akwa Ibomites.
He stated this at the commissioning of the Youth Development Centre in Uruan Local Government Area, as part of activities marking Akwa Ibom State’s 39th anniversary.
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The Senator said the large turnout at the commissioning reflected the people’s appreciation of the governor’s interventions in Uruan, including skills training, social protection, appointments and infrastructure.
“Your Excellency, the joyous crowd you are seeing here is not just about the Youth Development Centre. It is about the eight Compassionate Homes dotted across Uruan. It is about those you have trained through DASAC and Ibom LED. It is about the appointments given to the people of Uruan. It is about the numerous projects you have executed in Uruan Local Government Area. They have come out today in support of the dream and vision of Pastor Umo Eno for a new Akwa Ibom State.”
Bassey reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the governor and the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“In support of this initiative, I have pledged ₦200 million for youth training and the provision of start-up kits at the centre. I urge our youths to seize this opportunity, make productive use of the facility, and protect it as their own.”
Representing Governor Umo Eno at the event, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the South South Development Commission (SSDC), Ms Usoro Akpabio, described the centre as an investment in the skills, talents, enterprise and future of young people.
“This centre is more than a building. It is an investment in our young people, their skills, talents, enterprise and future. It is another practical expression of Governor Umo Eno’s commitment to bringing development and opportunities closer to our communities.”
The governor, in a message delivered at the event, charged youths to take advantage of the centre for skills development, entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership.
“For me, this occasion is particularly special because Uruan is home. To our youths, this centre is yours. Please use it, protect it and make it productive. Let ideas, businesses and success stories emerge from here.”
The member representing Uruan State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Dr Itoro Etim, said the facility demonstrated the governor’s deliberate effort to provide youths with meaningful skills and opportunities.
“We have seen, we have heard, and we are witnesses that this facility is being replicated across the 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State. This is His Excellency’s intentional move to take our youths off the streets and empower them with meaningful skills and opportunities.
“He started by sending some of them to Ibom LED and others to DASAC. That is why he has gone a step further to establish Youth Development Centres across the 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State.”
The Commissioner for Youth Development, Dr Ekerette Ekanem, described the initiative as a game changer, saying the centres would equip youths to become entrepreneurs and employers of labour.
He noted that the initiative would position young Akwa Ibomites to compete with their peers in the global economy.
The Chairman of Uruan Local Government Area, Surv. Iniobong Ekpenyong, commended Governor Eno for translating the ARISE Agenda into tangible development.
He said the centre would provide youths with a platform to acquire valuable skills and develop themselves, expressing confidence that the youths of Uruan would make judicious and productive use of the facility.
