Gov Emmanuel set for post-COVID economic prosperity, announce new initiatives
- The Akwa Ibom government has concluded plans to inject N50billion into the state's economy in the first quarter of 2021
- There are also plans to declare a state of emergency in the state's education sector
- Also in the works are increased investments in health, agriculture and security in the state
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The governor of Akwa Ibom, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has announced bold initiatives to jump-start the post-COVID economy of the state this first quarter of 2021.
A statement from the Akwa Ibom state government seen by Legit.ng indicates that the initiatives include efforts to revamp the state education sector, massive investment in infrastructure, further investments in the health sector, and additional support for agriculture and security.
For these, the governor has promised to inject a whopping N50billion as an economic stimulus, beginning from the first quarter of this year.
Source: Facebook
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His words:
“We are going to stimulate the economy very fast this January and we are going to do that very fast, in fact after this first week and the second week, we are going to stimulate the economy of the state.
“We are going to put in a lot of money to the contractors with that, they can stimulate the economy.
“Mr Speaker had approved for me that within this first quarter I should stimulate the economy of the state with not less than N50 billion. With this, we can encourage a lot of socio-economic growth.”
Governor Emmanuel made the declaration at the Government House Banquet Hall, during a church service organized by the state government to usher in the New Year 2021 on Saturday, January 2.
The governor also reechoed the importance of adhering to the precautionary measures against COVID-19, warning that government cannot afford the socio-economic impact of another lockdown and does not wish to if the people cooperate by obeying the protocol.
He commended the agricultural sector for the abundance of rice in the state during the 2020 national lockdown and promised to revisit productivity and other subsectors to boost output and ensure that the state has no reason to import food items that it cultivates.
Recall that Governor Emmanuel assented to a N456.2 billion budget for the 2021 fiscal year while reassuring that all projects initiated by his administration will be completed.
The decision was due to a N20.5 billion augmentation to the N435.6 billion proposal presented by the governor to the state House of Assembly on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, before passage on Tuesday, December 8, 2020.
Meanwhile, Governor Emmanuel has fulfilled a key part of his campaign promise to ensure the completion of the Ibom Deep Seaport project before the end of his administration as evidenced by the securing of the final approval for commencement of the project.
The approval of the project by the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, signalled the completion of a series of approvals for the prime A¹ project which has outlasted two previous administrations.
COVID-19: Is Nigeria ready for another lockdown | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
