ENGR. OTO-OBONG ESSIEN LAUDS GOV. ENO’S YOUTH-CENTRED GOVERNANCE
…as the ARISE Youth Development Centre Takes Root in Ikono.
The future of Ikono young people has received a powerful boost as the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno PhD, commissioned the state-of-the-art ARISE Youth Development Centre at Ibiaku Ntok Okpo, Ikono LGA, opening a new frontier of skills, technology, entrepreneurship and self-employment for youths across the Local Government Area.
The landmark facility, delivered under the youth development component of the ARISE Agenda of Governor Umo Bassey Eno, is more than a physical structure. It is an investment in human capacity, a platform for innovation and a deliberate pathway towards transforming young people from job seekers into skilled professionals, entrepreneurs, employers of labour and drivers of grassroots economic development.
For Ikono, the commissioning represents another significant milestone in the growing partnership between the State Government and the Local Government Council under the purposeful leadership of Executive Chairman, Rt. Hon. Engr. Oto-Obong Okon Essien.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Executive Chairman of Ikono Local Government Area, Rt. Hon. Engr. Oto-Obong Okon Essien, expressed profound appreciation to Governor Umo Eno for extending the youth-focused intervention to Ikono.
The Chairman described the Centre as a timely and strategic investment capable of changing the economic narrative of young people in the Local Government Area.
She emphasised that the facility would provide Ikono youths with an enabling environment to acquire relevant skills, harness digital opportunities, develop entrepreneurial ideas and establish sustainable sources of livelihood.
For the Chairman, the Centre is a manifestation of what purposeful governance can achieve when infrastructure is deliberately connected to human empowerment.
She assured that the youths of Ikono were prepared to embrace the opportunity and make maximum use of the facilities provided by the State Government.
Governor Umo Eno, represented at the commissioning by the Member representing Oron Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House Committee on Youth Development, Hon. Martins Esin, urged the beneficiaries to take full advantage of the Centre.
He noted that the facility was established to equip young people with marketable skills, digital competence and entrepreneurial capacity in response to the rapidly changing demands of the global economy.
Hon. Esin described Governor Eno’s investment in youth development as deliberate and strategic, stressing that the administration had demonstrated a clear understanding that empowering young people is fundamental to building a productive and prosperous society.
“What I see this evening is, OPPORTUNITY, because the Governor has created opportunities for the youths of Ikono.”
He urged the youths not to allow the opportunity to go to waste, but to transform the knowledge and skills acquired into businesses, employment and sustainable livelihoods.
Providing an overview of the facility, the Commissioner for Youth Development, Dr. Ekerette Ekanem, described the Centre as a major milestone in the State Government’s efforts to reposition Akwa Ibom youths for self-reliance and productive engagement.
The Centre features a creative hub, counselling unit and multipurpose hall, alongside facilities designed to support digital learning and youth-oriented programmes.
Fully digitised and powered by solar energy, the Centre reflects a modern approach to youth development, combining technology, innovation, mentorship, entrepreneurship, counselling and skills acquisition in one strategic location.
Goodwill messages from traditional rulers, political leaders, lawmakers, elders and youth representatives reflected a common appreciation for the intervention.
Among those who commended the Governor were the Paramount Ruler of Ikono, represented by the Clan Head of Ikono, Etebom Okon Udo Ekpo; Elder statesman Senator Aloysius Etok; Member representing Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo, PhD; Member representing Ikono State Constituency, Rt. Hon. Asuquo Nnana Udo, PhD; and Youth Representative, Comrade Ndifreke Ibanga.
They applauded the State Government for taking development beyond the urban centres and into the communities, while pledging continued support for the ARISE development agenda.
The vision behind the ARISE Youth Development Centre is clear: to create a generation of young people who possess the skills, confidence and entrepreneurial capacity to build their own future.
In Ikono, that vision now has a physical home. From digital innovation to creative enterprise, from skills acquisition to entrepreneurship, the Centre provides a platform upon which the aspirations of Ikono youths can be transformed into economic realities.
And for the administration of Engr. Oto-Obong Okon Essien, the task ahead is clear, to ensure that the Governor’s investment does not remain a beautiful structure, but becomes a living engine of skills, businesses, employment and prosperity.
The commissioning may mark the beginning of the Centre’s journey, but its true significance will be measured in the lives it transforms.
Every skill acquired. Every idea developed. Every business created. Every young person empowered to stand independently.
That is the real meaning of the ARISE Youth Development Centre.
So, from the Government and people of Ikono Local Government Area, and especially from the teeming youths who now have a new platform for growth and self-reliance, the message is simple and heartfelt:
THANK YOU, GOVERNOR UMO ENO. Thank you for believing in Ikono. Thank you for investing in our youths. Thank you for bringing opportunity closer to the grassroots.
And under the purposeful leadership of Executive Chairman, Rt. Hon. Engr. Oto-Obong Okon Essien, Ikono is ready to turn that opportunity into skills, enterprise, employment and a brighter tomorrow.
