Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, in a show of his appreciation to the youth of the state for maintaining the peace and opting out of the ongoing national protest, has announced plans to create over 5,000 jobs for the youth across party lines.
The governor dropped the hint during a meeting with youths drawn from the thirty-one local government areas, representatives of the Arewa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Niger Delta communities, the students, labour leaders, market, and other segments.
Eno, who was pleased and elated by the faith and trust the youths have shown in his leadership of the state, also announced plans to engage 200 youths from each of the local government areas, 50 from each of the four non-indigene groups, and others where he will engage them further on what efforts the government is making to improve their living conditions and seek their continuous cooperation and support for his administration.
“I am indeed very pleased and thankful to the Akwa Ibom youths. What you have done is to energise us more. The responsibility you have placed on our shoulders is huge and we will rise to it, because that’s what you elected us to do.
“If there is leadership, there must be followership and by what you have done, you have exhibited followership and we are deeply grateful,” he said.
A committee to be led by Team Leads across the 31 local government areas, who will each select 200 youths in their respective local government areas for the planned engagement was announced by the Secretary to the State Government, Enobong Uwah. Over 5,000 youths are expected to benefit from this planned job opportunities.
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“I expect the Team Leads to lead a very transparent process. I also expect them to come up with a database of unemployed Akwa Ibom youths, so we may engage investors and others who desire to do business with our state and to inform them of the availability of trained manpower across professions and other ranks of artisans.
“We want to touch the lives of our youths, the great Akwa Ibom youths who have remained dedicated and supportive of our determined and avowed efforts to continuously work to improve their welfare.
“This process is to be carried out across party lines. The youths who listened to our plea not to join the protest are not just members of a particular political party but Akwa Ibom youths, and we appreciate them,” he said.
The committee to plan the engagement and work out the modalities is led by the Secretary to the State Government, and the Team Leads comprise some members of the State Executive Council, the Senior Special Assistant for Youth Matters and Grassroots Mobilisation, some Transition Committee Chairmen, labour, students, non-indigenes groups, traders, among others.
The youth groups, who were led to the meeting by the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Monday Ebong Uko, praised the governor for being a man of peace who, rather than “talking at us, is instead talking to us, engaging us, and assuring us that the government is working hard to make tomorrow better than today,” was the recurring theme of the majority of the speakers.
Led by the SSA on Youth Mobilisation and Grassroots Mobilisation respectively, Iniobong Akpan and Aniefiok Iwaudofia, the youths pledged their continuous support to the governor.
