From lateef Taiwo, UYO
Akwa Ibom State Government and the Nigerian Navy have indicated readiness to collaborate on security of maritime environment for the accomplishment of the blue economy and tourism components of the administration’s ‘Arise Agenda’.
This agreement, it was learnt, came to the fore during a crucial meeting between the Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, and Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff, CNS, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, who led an entourage of top officers of the Nigerian Navy on a courtesy visit to Government House, Uyo, the state capital.
Speaking during the visit Governor, Eno, welcomed the Naval boss and expressed gratitude of the government and people of the state for the visit and the premium given Akwa Ibom in Nigerian Navy’s scheme under his Command, and congratulated Ogalla on his promotion to the rank of Vice Admiral.
Governor Eno appreciated the Navy chief for his support on the ‘Arise Agenda’, stressing that Akwa Ibom, over time, has been blessed with visionary leaders, and that the pursuit of the Agenda, was with the hope that the present administration would contribute reasonably to the development of the state.
He said: “I like to say that, as a state, God has really blessed us that every leader comes with a vision and pursues the vision such that as they live the state, they have moved the state forward and we believe that by the grace of God and through the ARISE Agenda we will also be able to contribute our quota, so that by the time we disengage, people can look back and say we’ve also added our own quota.
“The maritime environment is very critical to the state at the moment. Part of our ‘Arise Agenda’ is agriculture and there lies the blue economy. All of those, have to do with the sea. There’s so much in the sea that we have not benefitted from and we intend through agricultural revolution to tap all these benefits and the blessings that the sea has and we will therefore need more cooperation in terms of security”.
He therefore solicited a revisit of the discussions on a partnership between the Akwa Ibom State Government and the Nigerian Navy to establish a Fish City.
However, CNS Ogalla, congratulated Eno, on his emergence as Governor, describing the feat as a signpost to a new beginning for the state, given his timely launch of the very promising blueprint, ‘Arise Agenda’.
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