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.
Celebrating Governor Eno for reawakening the business environment in the state, as well as, providing succor to citizens and residents alike of Akwa Ibom, 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.
Specifically, Onung expressed the hope that the quest to reposition the state’s economy and raise the bar in standard business practice is sustained.
According to the FTAN President, Governor Eno, being one of the 28 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.
Onug continued: “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 actualising 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.”
The FTAN President also singled out other commendable initiatives of Governor Eno aside 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, 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.
