Akwa Ibom Spends Over N20bn on Youth, Women Empowerment in Three Years — Umanah

The Akwa Ibom State Government has spent more than N20 billion on direct empowerment programmes for youths and women over the past three years, Commissioner for Information Aniekan Umanah has said.

Umanah disclosed this while representing Governor Umo Eno at the Daily Times Centenary Award, themed “Honouring the Past, Shaping the Future,” where the governor was recognised as the Best Governor in Nigeria’s South-South region.

The commissioner said the empowerment initiatives formed part of the administration’s broader human capital development strategy, targeting youths, women and small business owners across the state’s 31 local government areas.

He said more than 2,300 youths had been trained through programmes at the Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre, with the government investing N1 million per beneficiary. He added that the Ibom-Led initiative also provides training and financial support ranging from N750,000 to N1 million, depending on the beneficiaries’ activities.

“There’s a massive training and empowerment of our youths,” Umanah said, adding that small businesses could receive up to N5 million in equipment and other support, alongside monitoring to help beneficiaries sustain their businesses.

Beyond empowerment, Umanah said the administration had spent N6.8 billion over three years to cover examination fees for students sitting for WAEC, NABTEB and other examinations. He also disclosed that N1.9 billion was recently released for bursaries, with the amount received by students increased from N20,000 to N50,000.

The commissioner said the state had also spent more than N2.2 billion since August 2025 to support National Youth Service Corps members serving in Akwa Ibom through an additional N20,000 monthly allowance. He added that more than 13,000 elderly citizens had benefited from a N50,000 monthly stipend under the administration’s social intervention programmes.

Umanah further highlighted investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education and tourism, including 31 model schools and 31 model healthcare centres across the state, as well as a 350-bed international hospital and other projects linked to the state’s medical and tourism development plans.

He said the administration had achieved more than 95 per cent implementation across its five pillars and 17 focal areas within three years, arguing that the programmes had helped strengthen public confidence in the government.

“There’s just a lot going on in Akwa Ibom. And that’s why the people are clamouring for the re-election of His Excellency the governor,” he said.

Umanah also commended Daily Times for its century-long contribution to Nigeria’s media industry, describing the newspaper as “the baker of everything that represents the Nigerian media today.” He urged media organisations, particularly print outlets, to embrace digitisation and artificial intelligence, warning that static print publishing alone would no longer be sufficient to remain competitive.