The Akwa Ibom State Governor Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, said he has discussed with the leaders of Urue-Offong/Oruko LGA and was told that what they need right now apart from the road is the primary healthcare centre.
The governor who reiterated that his administration is really concentrating in the local areas, said he believe someone is sick in this community now and the person will need the primary healthcare facility first before referral.
Eno disclosed this when he address the congregation at Methodist Church Nigeria, Eyulor Circuit Hqtrs., Diocese of Oyubia in Urue-Offong / Oruko LGA where he attended a church service.
He said his decision to worship in churches outside Uyo the state capital was to identify with the people using the Church as points of contact to touched the lives of the people in each of the local government areas of the state.
“We are doing primary healthcare centres so that we can link up to the secondary healthcare facilities that was done by the last administration,” he said.
As part of his led-administration’s policy thrust, A.R.I.S.E. Agenda, the governor also promised to build new primary schools.
“This is the kind of projects we are handling in schools is not “a change of roof kind of renovation. We are trying to create models in those schools so that our kids will love to go to school.”
“So I would please ask that you show us the venue, either the one that you have that is dilapidated so that we can bring it down and put a new one or you give us a new place altogether where you want it to be cited,” he continued.
“If it is a new place, we won’t pay compensation on the land because we are bringing development to you.”
He said If it is an old place, his administration will work with the authority to see how it can temporarily relocate and then in the next two or three months put up a brand new primary healthcare center for the local Government.
“The People of Ibesikpo / Asutan LGA did it last week and that project has started,” he said.
After once again categorically emphasized on the non-payment for land compensation he went further to talk about the palliatives, one of the things he said his administration will adopt was a method where the palliatives will get to the real people that need them.
“The palliatives must not end in Uyo, it must not end in local government headquarters. It must find its way to the villages so that the villagers can benefit no matter how small,” he assured.
“Don’t worry about being cheated. We will publish what comes to your village. The village head or whoever is coming can not lie to you. When they go to the local government, they will collect what is due to them.”
“I don’t want to preempt the committee’s report but what we are thinking is that we should distribute it village by village so that every village will have a share,” he said.
“We will tell the Village heads, Youth leaders and Women leaders, then they will go to the local Government Councils and collect their portion.”
He said “We have decided to be very open about these things because for me, I see it as blood money. People are suffering, they make things available for them and you want to take it from them.”
He said he was concerned with delivering of the palliatives to the vulnerable people who have need for those items to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal on them.
While informing the people that the state government has taken delivery of thirty thousand bags of rice and two billion naira, being the first tranche of the five billion naira announced by the Federal government, he said the palliatives would be delivered to designated gazetted villages through their respective LGAs with names of recipients, items and quantity published for transparency and accountability.
The Governor used the occasion to appreciate the people for the support given him during the last general elections.
The Media Unit of Government House, Uyo reports that the Bishop of the Urue Offong-Oruko Diocese of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Rev. Victor Eyo Effiom, preached that the love and mercy of God is never exhausted but always available for those that repent and return to him.
It said the Cleric admonished all to repent from ungodliness and go to the way of God which he said is the way of life.