Reports of societies that have experienced breakthroughs in many field of endeavor
like in science and technology, also recorded that education was not relegated to
the background in such places.
Education is known to be one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty
and inequality and laying a foundation for sustainable
economic growth. That is
to say that where poverty is rampant education becomes the vaccine against it.
The State Governor of Akwa Ibom state Chief Godswill Akpabio believe strongly that
education is the main determinant of the state’s collective future and must be re-organized
through production of quality teachers, expansion of educational infrastructure
and increased funding. Youth empowerment, Talent development, social development and building a dynamic, prosperous and productive populace is what the recently
declared free and compulsory education in the state will not fail to yield.
Akwa Ibom state with qualitative and functional education system will serve as the
catalyst for development, job creation, poverty alleviation and also a foundation
for the envisaged science and technology, as well as industrial revolution in Nigeria.
Recently, one man who sat close to me at the Abuja International airport dare asked,
where are all this Akwa Ibom people emerging from? As he looked up from the newspaper
spread in front of him to draw the attention of his allies to a news story on Akwa
Ibom. |
A Worthy Legacy
That was why in 2008 when the free and compulsory education was announced by the
present administration, the Governor stated firmly that his government will intensify
its efforts to overhaul the educational sectors by rehabilitating dilapidated school
buildings and boosting the morale of teachers.
So far, the progress and response is encouraging. The inter-ministerial direct labour
coordinating committee in that same year (2008) recorded that 22 school buildings
were renovated in some of the state’s local government areas. Places like Eket,
Esit Eket, Essien Udim, Etinan, Ibiono Ibom, Ika, Mbo, Nsit Atai, Nsit Ibom, Onna,
Oruk Anam local governments had 1 school building each renovated in their areas.
Other areas were Ikono, Obot Akara, and Uyo where 2 school buildings for each of
these local governments were renovated while 5 school buildings were also renovated
in Nsit Ubium.
Yes! Where are we coming from? I repeated his question to myself. We have always
been there but the good news that brought this question started in 2007 when Chief
Godswill Akpabio was declared winner of the state governorship election. Then a
year after, national dailies seem to have found a new love in Akwa Ibom as the governor’s
goodwill institutionalized heart-warming good news traversing the air waves especially
that of the free and compulsory education.
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Year 2009 was a year of great development. No local government was left out of the
inter-ministerial school building projects. This brought about an increase of 327
buildings in the number of renovated and newly constructed school buildings all
over the state in 2009.
An outline of the commissioned school buildings in that year shows that Abak had
16, Eastern Obolo 9, Eket 11, Esit Eket 10, Essien Udim 16, Etim Ekpo 16, Etinan
9, Ibeno 14, Ibesikpo Asutan 8, Ibiono Ibom 14, Ika 13, Ikono 14, Ikot Abasi 3,
Ikot Ekpene 13, Ini 7, Itu 5, Mbo 9, Mkpat Enin 7, Nsit Atai 12, Nsit Ibom 3, Nsit
Ubium 12, Obot Akara 2, Okobo 12, Onna 12, Oron 6, Oruk Anam 4, Udung Uko 11, Ukanafun18,
Uruan 9, Urue Offong oruko 10, and Uyo 22. There were much more school buildings
than ever in 2009.
In 2010, the inter-ministerial direct labour committee is already commissioning
the completed 294 new school buildings in all the local governments in the state.
Among the 294 newly constructed and renovated school buildings of 2010, 21 will
be commission in Abak, 7 for Eket, Esit Eket 4, Essien Udium 32, Etim Ekpo 3, Etinan
20, Ibeno 3, Ibesikpo Asutan 9, Ibiono Ibom 14, Ika 8, Ikono 5, Ikot Abasi 4, Ikot
Ekpene 21, Ini 9, Itu 19, Mbo 2, Mkpat Enin 3, Nsit Ibom 11, Nsit Atai 5, Nsit Ubium
20, Obot Akara 15, Okobo 2, Onna 2, Oron 2, Oruk Anam 9, Ukanafun 7, Uruan 11, Urue
Offong Oruko 3, and Uyo got 22 again. |