President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), Mr Nkereuwen Onung has described the 100 days in office of the Akwa Ibom Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, as impactful and re-energising.
Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State
Celebrating Governor Eno for reawakening the business environment in the state, as well as, providing succor to citizens and residents alike of Akwa Ibom, Mr Onung who also doubles as the Senior Special Adviser on Culture and Tourism to the state’s chief executive, described his principal as already giving significance to the term; ‘hitting the ground running,’ by virtue of his achievements within a relatively short period of time.
Mr. Onung, in a statement released, Tuesday, stated that Governor Eno being one of the 25 elected state chief executives during the 2023 General Elections, appears to have already spent 100 months or even years in office, when he is only marking his 100th day.
“Clearly laying down the marker in destination marketing, business management and promotion, Governor Eno within hours of inauguration as chief executive announced his intentions to the country and the world by going beyond the typical rhetoric and laying out a grand plan for transformation of the state’s economy anchored on tourism via his novel ARISE Agenda.
“With the ARISE agenda, Akwa Ibom State is poised to become a premier tourism destination, offering breathtaking landscapes, vibrant culture, and unforgettable experiences.
“Going a step further, the Akwa Ibom Dialogue recently hosted by his government is also geared towards actualizing the goals of the project as the event gathered the best technocrats from virtually all sectors to chart a way forward for the ARISE agenda,” Onung posited.
Onung further hailed Governor Eno for the novel bill recently forwarded to the State House of Assembly, the fourth in the series, which seeks to establish the ‘Akwa Ibom State Bureau of Statistics and Akwa Ibom State Statistical System and for other Matters Connected therewith.’
According to the FTAN President, such documents only go further to confirm his intentions for he economy by way of driving the ease of doing business policy of the state’s chief executive, which ultimately is aimed at repositioning it as a one-stop shop society for enterprise.
As the Akwa Ibom governor marks his 100 days in office, Onung expressed the hope that the quest to reposition the state’s economy and raise the bar in standard business practice is sustained.
While soliciting the support of the Governor Eno in creating opportunities for tourism operators to plug into the ARISE Agenda, Onung also assured of their readiness to assist the governors as partners in business progress of the state.
Mr Nkereuwem Onung, FTAN President, Senior Special Adviser on Culture & Tourism to Akwa Ibom State Governor, Eno
Onung further singled out such commendable initiatives of Governor Eno apart from the ARISE agenda to include, the innovative AkwaGIS, which is designed to help both individuals and companies in land acquisition and management, but more importantly, and drive the Ease of Doing Business policy.
“This is in addition to the fact that the Akwa Ibom State Government, under Eno has decided to participate in the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) which is jointly implemented by the Federal Ministry of Finance, budget and National Planning, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, Debt Management Office and the Nigeria Governors’ forum, financed by the World Bank,” Onung said.
While wishing Governor Eno a successful tenure in office, Onung also enjoined citizens and residents alike to support the chief executive as he continues to chart a new course in business and natural resources management of Akwa Ibom State.
