Governor Udom Emmanuel has sworn in four new Commissioner designates and five new permanent secretaries into Akwa Ibom State Executive Council and Akwa Ibom State Civil Service respectively.
The Commissioner designates are Uko Udom SAN, Dr John James Etim, Mrs Idongesit Etiebet and Pastor Umo Eno.
The Permanent Secretaries are Mr. Ini James Ikie, Dr. Ini Jackson Etukudo, Mrs. Esther Aniekan Inyang, Mrs. Grace Paulinus Jim, and Mrs. Abasiekeme Victor Essien
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Uyo, on Monday, 4th January 2021.
The governor while administering the oath of allegiance to the appointees, charged them on creativity, diligence and commitment to service in line with his administration’s Completion Agenda.
“You have a major task and a critical time you joining us on the Completion Agenda and we are not joking about it if we don’t lay a proper economic foundation for our state now once we derail we would go a lot backwards”.
” You can see a whole lot of things we are doing to make sure we set up a proper economic foundation for the state, so it is a call to duty, it is a call to serve our people. God endowed you with that wisdom and gave you connections so we are all here to serve our state and make the light to shine in our state.
The governor advised the commissioners to be committed and diligent in their service emphasizing that they should remain focused irrespective of criticism saying, “you must serve people diligently knowing fully that you are serving God, in every position and anything we are appointed to do, we must serve diligently with all amount of sincerity, forget about criticisms everybody cannot say everything good about you, people will lie against you but that doesn’t matter let your conscience bear witness to what you are doing for your people”.
The Chief Security Officer of the state, however, frowned at the attitude of any commissioner who complains about lack of funds in his ministry, explaining that a creative and innovative Commissioner will always attract resources to execute the project in his ministry.
“I always say that when you hear a commissioner say there is no money, know that he lacks creative totally, it had nothing to do with the governor the whole world is run by ideas and creativity it is not enough to get an appointment then you sleep at home, if you keep doing the same thing others are doing you will get the same result, there is need for a paradigm shift”, he emphasised.
Similarly, the governor congratulatulated the Permanent Secretaries who made it at the selection process, stating that the choice was based on merit. He, however, charged them to be selfless in their service knowing that commitment and diligence will further uphold the efficacy of Civil Service adding that they will further assist in the realisation of the completion agenda.
” You must also defend that position Permanent Secretary is not a joke that is, the highest level of that career so you must justify that position, gone are the years you sit down and get a letter to be a Permanent Secretary, I must interview you to know that you can key into the vision of the state. We can’t make a Permanent Secretary that looks like a 19th-century Permanent Secretary, we must pick the best. Permanent Secretaries will work seriously towards the completion agenda”, he stated.
Meanwhile, the allocation of ministerial portfolios by Governor Udom Emmanuel, are as follows:
Mr. Akan Okon- Ministry of Economic Development and Ibom Deep Seaport, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno- Ministry of Lands & Water Resources, Uko Essien Udom- Ministry of Justice & Attorney General, Sir Monday Ebong Uko-Ministry of Youth & Sports, Mr. Nsikan Linus Nkan- Ministry of Finance and Rt. Hon. Okpolupm Ikpong Etteh – Ministry of Special Duties, Sir Charles Udoh – Ministry of Environment, Hon. Orman Esin – Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Dr. Glory Edet- Ministry of Agriculture, Prince Ukpong Akpabio- Ministry of Trade and Investment, Rt. Hon. Uno Etim Uno- Ministry of Transport and Solid Minerals, Otuekong Raphael Bassey- Ministry of Housing, Pastor ( Hon ) Sunday Ekanem Ibuot – Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning, Prof. Eno James Ibanga – Ministry of Works and Fire Service and Hon. Frank Archibong – Ministry of Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs.
Others are Prof. Augustine Vincent Umoh – Ministry of Health, Dr. Ini Adiakpan- Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Idongesit Iboro Etiebet- Ministry of Education, Comrade Ini Ememobong Essien Esq- Ministry of Information & Strategy, Dr. Imoh Moffat – Ministry of Science and Technology, Mrs. Enobong Udemeabasi Mbobo – Ministry of Rural Development & Cooperatives, Dr. John James Etim Ministry of Power and Petroleum Development and Elder ( Hon) Amanam Nkanga – Bureau of Political and Social Re-orientation.
