Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, has announced plans to convert Ibom Specialist Hospital into a stand-alone medical facility by 2025, similar to how Ibom Air is run.
The governor, who made this announcement in his 2025 New Year broadcast in Uyo on Wednesday, explained that the conversion aims for the specialist hospital to fulfill the mission of its founding.
It could be recalled that the multi-billion Naira facility, since its inauguration during former governor Godswill Akpabio’s administration, has not realized its full potential.
Governor Eno also stated that this year, he would flag off the construction of a Medical Village along the medical tourism corridor between the Ibom Specialist Hospital and the Raffia City of Ikot Ekpene. He mentioned plans to formally launch the State Ambulance Services to complement the Insurance Scheme.
His words: “The health and well-being of our people will continue to be our priority, even as we pay greater attention to healthcare delivery. In the New Year, we will continue to commission more model primary healthcare facilities across the state, in addition to those already commissioned. We will enroll more people into our Arise Care Medical Insurance Scheme, in addition to almost 10 thousand public service employees and some senior citizens who have already been enrolled.
“Ibom Specialist Hospital will be reorganized to enable it to fulfill the mission of its founding. It will be run as a stand-alone medical facility in the model of Ibom Air.”
He also announced plans to reinvigorate the power sector in 2025 by holding a power summit, while thanking the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Udeme Otong, for the swift passage of the State Electricity Bill into law.
On the Ibom power plant, the governor promised to turn around its fortunes, saying, “The forensic audit earlier instituted is expected to submit its report, and we will study and implement some of the recommendations that are germane to our strategic plans.”
Speaking on the realization of the Ibom Deep Seaport in 2025, Governor Eno urged the people to be patient, as seaport development is a long-term investment. He stated that his administration would continue with its strategic engagements with partners toward its realization.
He added, “We will expedite work on the Oron Jetty, complete with cold room facilities, in our efforts to support our fishermen and our blue economy in general.”
The governor also urged the people to remain united and shun politics of division and personal destruction, expressing his determination to run an inclusive government.
“Politics should not divide us or sever our bonds of kinship. We are first and foremost Akwa Ibomites before we became members of any political parties. Let us continue to hold aloft our defined identity as a peaceful, prosperous, and forward-looking people. I will continue to run the state and involve and consult our leaders across party lines because if we succeed, Akwa Ibom succeeds, and if we succeed, we will!” he said.
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