Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is scheduled to commission a 23-kilometre Etinan-Eket dual carriage way constructed by the Akwa Ibom government on Tuesday as part of activities to mark the winding down of governor Udom Emmanuel administration.
The dual carriageway which begins in Etinan town with three bridges runing through two other local government areas before terminating at Eket town which has also witnessed an urban renewal scheme in it’s city centre.
Governor Udom Emmanuel who made this known while conducting reporters around the project said it was in fulfilment of his promise to ensure a dual thoroughfare around the state.
Udom who spoke through his Special Assistant on documentation, Essien Ndueso said the road project awarded to one of the major civil engineering contractors in the country is complete with side drains and drainages.
According to him, the dual carriage way will connect other parts of the state including the 20km Uyo-Etinan carriage way and the Eket-Ibeno dual carriage way leading to the operational base of a major oil producing company.
The project supervisor, Samuel Ukata in his remarks said it took over the project at 5 percent and has succeeded in its completion adding that though there were communal issues, it was a thing of joy that the project had been completed and would be inaugurated accordingly.
Many other dual carriage ways have been inaugurated recently as the governor takes his exit after eight years in office May 29.
Meanwhile, the strike embarked upon by teachers in public primary and secondary schools in the state has been suspended.
This is sequel to the agreement reached by State Government with the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) at the end of a closed-door meeting in Uyo, the state capital and presided over by Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Aniefiok Nkom, commissioner for labour and manpower development said the state government and the labour leaders have reached a compromise on the issues that gave rise to the industrial action and described the resolution as a win-win outcome.
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“It was a very peaceful meeting. The Governor saw what needed to be done and the NLC also saw what was delaying the process. So it was a win-win situation and the matters enumerated by NUT Chairman have been resolved,” Nkom said.
On her part, the Commissioner for Education, Idongesit Etiebet, expressed gratitude to Governor Emmanuel for taking prompt actions to ensure that schools in the state resume.
This, she added, was indicative of the premium Governor Emmanuel places on education and is workers-friendly disposition.
Confirming the resolution, the State Chairman of NUT, Edet Emenyi, lauded the Governor’s disposition towards the teachers, assuring that teachers would return to classrooms for commencement of academic activities.
Emenyi said, “Issues bothering on teachers welfare and non payment of allowances have been resolved today.
“On that note, the teeming teachers in Akwa Ibom State are ready to call off the strike”.
The State Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Sunny James, who was also present at the meeting, expressed the solidarity of Akwa Ibom workers with the teachers, saying that the teachers’ demand for unpaid entitlements including leave grant, refund of 7.5% deductions for contributory pension and other issues were extensively deliberated upon and resolved accordingly.
He therefore expressed appreciation to the governor for his prompt response to the teachers’ demands, maintaining that the resolution would pave way for NUT to join other sectors of the state workforce in the celebration of the 2023 Workers Day.
