Ex-Minister urges Eno to create opportunities for private investors

Akpan Umoh, Uyo
Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, former Minister of Budget and National Planning, has called on Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom to create opportunities for private sector investment in job creation.
Udoma, who was the Chairman of Akwa Ibom Dialogue, the formal launch of the ARISE Agenda of the governor said this in his remarks in Uyo on Monday.
He said that the private sector provides most of the investment required to grow the economy and create jobs, as such, governments must provide the enabling environment that would encourage entrepreneurship, innovation, investment and wealth creation.
He charged the governor to ensure that the policies of the ARISE agenda must be directed at making Akwa Ibom one of the most desirable destination for investment in Nigeria and indeed Africa.
“Government must provide an environment that encourages entrepreneurship, innovation, investment and wealth creation.
“It is incongruent on those in government to get those of us in the private sector to know the opportunities they are creating for private sector investment.
“A healthy private sector drives economic growth. It is the private sector that provides most of the investment that is required to grow the economy and create jobs,” Udoma said.
He urged the governor to set up implementation think tank in the office of the governor to facilitate and monitor implementation of his development plans in the state.
He said that deliveries of campaign promises and implementation of development goals has been the problem of past governors in the country.
“For the governor’s agenda to be transformative, it must be effectively implemented. I emphasize that it must be effectively implemented.
“Often, we underestimate the importance of implementation. Many governments underestimate the importance of implementation.
“Government spent 90 per cent of their time on designing their policies and only 10 per cent of the time working out implementation.
“In my experience, a good implementation strategy requires setting out measurable goals with clear timeline. We must set out measurable goals for each of these priorities because what cannot be measured cannot be monitored,” he said.
Umo Eno in his speech said his ARISE agenda would be focused on Agriculture, Rural Development, Infrastructure, Security, and Education, adding that it is time Akwa Ibom people take ownership of the dream and articulate its realisation together.
Eno added that the ARISE agenda is further broken down into 17 focal sectors targetted for short, medium and long term implementation.
He urged the people, irrespective of their political affiliations to eschew hatred and join hands together to build the state.
In his remarks, Obong Victor Attah, former governor of the state pointed out that the summit represents a restoration of a dream in the state that was beginning to fade.
Attah commended the governor for bringing back what he described as Akwa Ibom dream in the development of the state, adding that there are enough human resources in the state to drive the dream.
“Today represents a restoration of the dream that was begining to fade in the state. There are people who are concerned about governance in the state.
“The governor should ask questions and give listening ears. You need good guidance to implement all the blueprint in development the agenda,” Attah said.
Speaking as the special guest of honour at the event, immediate past governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, called on the people to cooperate with the governor to actualise his ARISE agenda.
Emmanuel said that execution, planning and acceptance of the agenda would drive its actualisation, urging all Akwa Ibom people to cooperate with the governor to actualise his ARISE agenda.