Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has said the sacrifices made by the founding fathers of the state laid the foundation for its growth and sustenance over the years.

Mr Eno made the statement in a broadcast to mark the 39th anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom in Uyo on Wednesday.

The governor said the state witnessed 39 years of faith, resilience, sacrifices, progress and unfailing grace.

“Today, we honour those who laid the foundation, past and present leaders, workers, farmers, teachers, clergy, professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders.

“We are here because many hands built before us, so we have a sacred duty to build for those who will come after us,” he said.

He said that upon assumption of office three years ago, he had the awareness that the government’s major business was to serve the people.

Mr Eno said that his administration had made considerable progress, undertaking and completing no fewer than 1,500 kilometres of roads, including about 43 bridges.

He said that as part of activities marking the 39th anniversary of the state, the government was inaugurating projects such as roads, schools and healthcare facilities.

Mr Eno added that his administration was committed to sustaining the free and compulsory education policy at primary and secondary levels.

“We have disbursed N1.69 billion as bursaries to students. We have also built model primary schools, equipped them with modern facilities and recruited 3,000 teachers.

“Our government has also advanced the transformation of Akwa Ibom College of Education into a University of Education,” he said.

Mr Eno said that 258,000 people, including the elderly, had been enrolled in the state-managed medical insurance scheme.

“Every local government area in the state has an ambulance service for emergency situations,” he said.

He said that the government had acquired palm oil seedlings and other agricultural inputs and given grants to 1,700 farmers to boost their production.

“No fewer than 4,000 youths have been trained at Bumedi and Dakkada Skill Acquisition Centres. Entrepreneurship grants of over N2 billion have also been disbursed.

“Youth development centres are being built to channel the creativity of our young people into technology and creative industries,” he said.

He said that the administration built 500 units of ARISE Compassionate Homes and handed them over to poor and vulnerable citizens.

Mr Eno said that the government had paid more than N98 billion out of the N111 billion inherited from previous administrations as gratuities and other emoluments.

(NAN)