The Akwa Ibom State Government says its proposed 18-floor Ibom Towers in Lagos is to tap into the bullish Lagos and Abuja real estate markets by converting the hitherto State-owned moribund property to a commercial investment to generate income for the State.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ekerete Udo stated this in a release issued today while reacting to media reports against the government’s decision.
The statement describes Governor Umo Eno as “a leader who thinks outside the box of conventional wisdom. He desires to increase the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR).”
According to the statement “The Ibom Towers will consist of 31 and two-bedroom flats and business suites that would be sold to high-income earners and proceeds sent to the state’s treasury. Additionally, the administration will convert the current state Liaison office in Abuja Central Business District into a three-star hotel that will also, generate income to the state’s coffers.”
“Today, over N20 billion have been paid as gratuities for retirees in the state civil service, primary school teachers and retired local government workers. The Governor had augmented to the tune of five billion naira, the palliatives earlier rolled out by the Federal Government in the wake of the removal of the fuel subsidy.
“Over 2 billion interest-free loans have been given to traders to expand their businesses and 500 thousand naira each given to 800 trainees of the Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme (EAP) scheme run by IBOM-LED. Free medical outreach programmes have been conducted across the state where surgeries and other medical needs were undertaken free of charge to the patients, most of them, the most vulnerable.
“The Governor has undertaken the construction of Arise Humanitarian Homes – a 2-bedroom housing scheme built, furnished and donated to the most vulnerable in each of the 369 wards in the state. This gesture has been celebrated all over the nation.
“Yesterday, the State Government acknowledged the receipt of 24 thousand bags of 25kg rice sent in by the Federal Government in their effort to further cushion the effect of the high cost of staple food items in the nation.
Governor Umo Eno, true to his humanitarian disposition, has doubled the donation with 24,000 additional bags bringing the total quantity to 48,000. Each of the gazetted 2,272 villages will receive 20 bags each. This is quite a laudable effort by the Governor. Plans are also underway to buy staple food items and store them in two 40-foot containers, to be distributed later to voucher holders from August this year.“ The statement said.
