Akwa Ibom state government has pledged to partner relevant organizations for sustainable development and survival of children and women in the state. The commissioner for information and social re-orientation, Mr. Aniekan Umanah made this known recently in Mkpat Enin during a two-day training workshop on the use and management of community information boards for community data recorders. Mr. Umanah emphasized that the state government was committed to the success of programmes sponsored by donor agencies in the state including the United Nation Children Education Fund (UNICEF), adding that this is demonstrated in government’s regular payment of its counterpart funds to all donor organizations working in the state.

The commissioner who was represented by the director information, Mr. Victor Ekpo, commended UNICEF for organizing the training to equip participants with skills to effectively manage the community data information boards. He said that the ministry on its part will always implement programmes in partnership with UNICEF and urged participants to take the workshop seriously for the overall benefit of Akwa Ibom communities especially for the survival and well-being of the children and women. The state director of the National Orientation Agency,(NOA) Mr. Emmanuel Mel Udoh, expressed appreciation to UNICEF for its continuous efforts and initiatives toward the healthy living of children and women in Nigeria and in particular Akwa Ibom and urged the organization not to relent in its humanitarian services.

Mr. Udoh lauded the state government for its continuous support for UNICEF programs in the state and urged beneficiary communities to reciprocate the gesture of both UNICEF and government through proper handling of programmes and projects implemented in their areas. In a similar development the communication specialist of UNICEF ‘A’ Field, Mr. Hilary Ozoh while addressing the batch II participants of the program in Itu, expressed appreciation to them for accepting to work for their communities which he said were humanitarian services and will attract God’s blessings.

Mr. Ozoh applauded the cognitive ability of the recorders, as demonstrated in the versatile recap of the training exercise by one of the participants, and implored them to effectively utilize the acquired skills for proper management of the community data information boards. Earlier, the SOMETEC programme officer in the ministry of information and social re-orientation, Mrs. Grace Akpan had said the training was organized for 72 data recorders drawn from 36 communities in nine local government areas of the state.

Mrs. Akpan said the objectives of the training programme include improved knowledge and understanding of community based indicators for child survival and development; good skill in collection and entry of data on the community information boards as well as effective management of the boards. She listed the nine local government areas selected for the training programme as Mpat Enin, Mbo, Ibeno, Okobo, and Ukanafun in batch I and Itu, Ibiono Ibom, Uruan and Ini in batch II. Present at the training programme were Dr. sunny Udeze and Ifeoma V. Duru both UNICEF resource persons as well as Dr. Uwem Akpan and Dr. Nsikan Senam of the Department of Communication Arts, University of Uyo as monitors.