By | Destiny Young
“Governance should not be judged by the size of revenue alone, but by the value of what that revenue delivers, the economic climate in which it is spent, and the lives it touches.” – Young, D
As the election campaign season draws closer, Akwa Ibom people have every right to ask questions. Democracy grows when citizens ask what has been received, what has been spent, what has been delivered and what remains to be done.
One of the questions already gaining attention is this: What has Governor Umo Eno done with the more than ₦2.5 trillion reportedly received by Akwa Ibom State in about three years?
It is a fair question. But it must also be answered fairly.
The first mistake some people make is to compare today’s naira figures with the figures received by previous administrations as if the naira has retained the same value. It has not.
A naira received when the exchange rate was about ₦150 or ₦200 to one dollar cannot be compared directly with a naira received when the exchange rate has moved above ₦1,300 to one dollar.
This matters because the purchasing power of today’s allocation is weaker. Road construction, medical equipment, school buildings, imported project components, aviation assets, ICT infrastructure, power equipment, security technology and construction materials now cost far more in naira terms than they did under previous administrations.
So, the right question is not only how much the state has received. The better question is what the government has done with the resources in the face of inflation, exchange rate pressure, high construction cost and rising public expectations.
On that question, Governor Umo Eno has an answer. It is visible in the five cardinal points of the ARISE Agenda: Agricultural Revolution, Rural Development, Infrastructure Advancement and Maintenance, Security Management and Educational Advancement.
In agriculture, the administration has moved from speeches to direct intervention. It launched the Tree Crop Revolution, with the procurement of hundreds of thousands of oil palm seedlings for distribution to farmers across the state. The policy is aimed at restoring Akwa Ibom’s historical strength in oil palm production, deepening rural enterprise and reducing dependence on federal allocation.
The government has also commissioned a modern agricultural equipment leasing facility to support mechanised farming and improve food production. This is important because one of the barriers facing farmers is not lack of land alone. It is lack of access to tractors, harvesters and other equipment needed to farm at scale.
Beyond that, the government introduced grants and equipment support for farmers, traders and entrepreneurs under the ARISE empowerment programme. This intervention has helped to place direct economic support in the hands of small business owners, farmers, traders and productive citizens who need working capital to expand their activities.
The administration also established the Bulk Purchase Agency as an intervention against rising food prices. The agency was designed to support food availability, affordability and price stability for vulnerable citizens. This does not solve every food problem overnight, but it shows that the government recognised the hardship created by national economic reforms and responded with a state level mechanism.
In rural development, Governor Eno has pursued a deliberate policy of taking projects to communities, not only to urban centres. His administration has consistently linked rural projects to the goal of reducing rural to urban migration.
Across the 31 local government areas, the administration has pushed projects such as model primary schools, model healthcare centres, feeder roads, wet markets, water projects and electricity interventions. This is a major answer to the ₦2.5 trillion question.
The money is not only in one flyover or one ceremony. It is in rural roads, health centres, schools, markets, boreholes, youth centres and community infrastructure spread across the state.
In Oron, for example, the Governor commissioned key projects, including a Model Primary Health Centre, Youth Development Centre, internal roads, discharge drains and a new administrative building at the Oron Local Government Council headquarters. He also said similar youth centres would be replicated across the 31 local government areas, with the target of training thousands of youths annually when completed.
The ARISE Compassionate Homes programme also speaks to rural development and social justice. Through the programme, homes have been built for vulnerable persons across the state, including widows, the elderly and persons with disabilities. This is the human side of governance. It is development measured not only in kilometres and concrete, but in dignity restored to people who had almost been forgotten.
In infrastructure, the record is even broader. The state has continued inherited projects, opened new ones and placed emphasis on access roads, bridges, drains and public facilities. Several road projects have been approved, awarded, completed or taken to advanced stages across the state.
Infrastructure under this administration is not limited to roads. It includes aviation, tourism, healthcare, markets, public buildings and electricity reform.
Ibom Air has remained a strategic state asset, with the administration supporting earlier financial obligations and fleet expansion. The delivery of Airbus aircraft and the expansion of regional routes show that the government understands continuity as a duty. Good governance does not abandon viable projects because another administration started them. Good governance completes, improves and expands what benefits the people.
In healthcare, Governor Eno has placed emphasis on primary healthcare, health insurance, personnel recruitment and specialist medical infrastructure. The government has pursued model primary healthcare centres across the 31 local government areas, with facilities designed to take quality basic healthcare closer to the people.
This is important because many citizens do not first need a teaching hospital. They need a functional health centre within reach, with personnel, equipment, drugs, maternity care and emergency response. That is why investment in primary healthcare is one of the most practical interventions under the ARISE Agenda.
The administration has also pursued the recruitment of health workers, expansion of health insurance coverage and development of major health infrastructure. These interventions show a government working to strengthen both access and capacity in the health sector.
In education, the administration has sustained free and compulsory education at primary and secondary levels. It has also supported the payment of WAEC fees, bursaries, model primary schools and teacher recruitment.
The model school initiative shows that the administration is not treating education as a routine sector. It is trying to improve the learning environment, especially for children in public schools. Education is not only about buildings. It is about teachers, access, learning environment, examination support, institutional development and future opportunities for the child.
The upgrade of the College of Education, Afaha Nsit, to a University of Education also fits into this wider plan. It strengthens teacher education and expands the state’s higher education base.
In security management, Governor Eno has made visible interventions. The administration has pursued the Akwa Ibom Security Command and Control Centre as a digital security coordination facility. The aim is to strengthen real time response, improve surveillance and give security agencies stronger operational support.
The state also launched a Security Trust Fund to deepen collaboration between government, the private sector and security stakeholders. This matters because no economy can grow without peace. Investors, farmers, traders, transporters, tourists, students and households all need a secure environment to thrive.
That sense of continuity is important. It shows that Umo Eno is not governing as if Akwa Ibom started in 2023. He is building on what worked, correcting what needs correction and expanding development into areas that need urgent attention.
On electricity, the administration has taken a structural step. The establishment of the Akwa Ibom State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Akwa Ibom State Electrification Agency places the state in a stronger position to participate actively in electricity regulation, rural electrification and power sector development.
This is not a small matter. Power reform is one of the most difficult development challenges in Nigeria. If properly implemented, it can affect SMEs, agro processing, ICT, healthcare, education, night economy, security and rural productivity.
The administration’s budget priorities also show where the money is being channelled. A large share of the state budget has been assigned to capital expenditure, with major allocations to roads, infrastructure, health, education and development projects.
That capital expenditure profile is important because it shows that the administration is not spending the bulk of state resources on recurrent consumption. It is pushing a development budget targeted at infrastructure, health, education, agriculture, rural development and economic expansion.
Those who ask the ₦2.5 trillion question should also ask whether Akwa Ibom has borrowed recklessly under Governor Eno. The Governor has repeatedly stated that his administration has undertaken many major hard and soft infrastructure projects without bank borrowing, while meeting its commitments.
That point deserves attention. In a period when many governments are borrowing to survive, Akwa Ibom has continued to fund projects, pay workers, support retirees, build roads, expand healthcare, invest in education and strengthen social interventions.
The payment of gratuities is another part of the answer. For retirees, that is not propaganda. It is food, medicine, rent, dignity and relief after years of waiting.
So, what has Governor Umo Eno done with the resources received by Akwa Ibom State?
He has invested in agriculture through oil palm development, land preparation, equipment leasing, farmer support and food security interventions.
He has invested in rural development through feeder roads, wet markets, model health centres, model schools, water projects, youth centres and compassionate homes.
He has invested in infrastructure through roads, bridges, drains, public facilities, aviation, tourism assets, health infrastructure, power sector reform and project continuity.
He has invested in security through the Command and Control Centre, the Security Trust Fund and stronger collaboration with security agencies.
He has invested in education through free and compulsory education, WAEC support, bursaries, model schools, teacher recruitment and institutional upgrade.
He has also invested in health, social welfare, youth development, entrepreneurship and the payment of long standing gratuities.
Citizens should ask questions. They should demand full budget details. They should insist on transparent reporting. They should track projects and compare promises with delivery. That is their right.
But citizens should also avoid lazy comparisons. The naira of 2010 is not the naira of 2026. The cost of one kilometre of road today is not the cost of one kilometre of road ten years ago. The cost of importing medical equipment, aircraft parts, power infrastructure, ICT systems and construction materials has changed sharply because the exchange rate has changed sharply.
A fair assessment of Governor Umo Eno should therefore consider three things: the volume of revenue received, the weakened value of the naira and the spread of projects across the state.
On that balanced scale, the evidence shows a Governor who has not hidden behind economic hardship. He has used the ARISE Agenda as a working document and has taken development into agriculture, rural communities, roads, schools, hospitals, security, youth empowerment, aviation, tourism and power reform.
The campaign season will come with noise. But Akwa Ibom people should look beyond noise and ask for evidence.
The evidence is already standing in communities, on roads, in health centres, in schools, in farms, in youth centres, in homes built for the vulnerable and in the new institutions created to prepare the state for the next phase of growth.
That is the answer to the ₦2.5 trillion question.
“Leadership is not proved by what enters the treasury, but by what leaves the treasury as visible progress.” – Young, D
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Citp’ Destiny Young, FIIM, MCPN, a Political and Digital Communication Expert, serves as the Special Assistant (New Media & Digital Communication) to the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, H.E. Gov Umo Umo, PhD
