The Chief Press Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Ekerete Udoh, has attributed the accelerated development in the state to good leadership over the years.
Udoh, receiving the new executives of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, on a visit to him, said the state is blessed with good governors.
He lauded the strides of successive governors in key areas of road development, aviation, electricity, education, health, industrialsation and agriculture.
“I can say that the state has been quite lucky with the quality of governors it has produced since the return of democracy. Right from Obong Victor Attah through Senator Godswill Akpabio and Mr. Udom Emmanuel and now Pastor Umo Eno, the state has been blessed with quality leaders, who have translated their quality into infrastructural renaissance we are seeing in Akwa Ibom today.
“Not only have they touched all key areas of health, education, agriculture, industry and infrastructure, they have also focused on areas that were of importance to the state at their own time such that Akwa Ibom has become a reference point when you are talking about development within the sub nationals in Nigeria.
“For instance, if you know how Uyo, the state capital, was in the 80s, a glorified rural area with thatched and mud houses in some major streets, with just one modest guest house in those days and compare that with the now modern city filled with quality neighbourhoods and wide boulevards, then you begin to appreciate the impact of successive governors of the state,” Udoh said.
The new chapel Chairman, Mr. Anthony Bassey, advocated development partnership between the state government and correspondents.
Bassey, who also called for increased editorial relationship between the office of the CPS and the chapel, said such would not, however, jeopardise quality and factuality of reports from the correspondents about the activities and actions of the state government and its officials.
Also present at the meeting were the SSA to the Governor on Media, Mr. Aniette Usen; Vice Chairman of the chapel, Comrade Isaiah Eka; Comrade Udeme Utip (Secretary); Comrade Lovina Emole (Assistant Secretary); Comrade Iniobong Ekponta (Treasurer) and Comrade Emeka Samuel (Financial Secretary)
