By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo
A former Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, has called on governments to increase more investment opportunities for the private sector to enhance their job creation potentials.
Udoma said the private sector has provided most of the investment required to grow the economy and create jobs, as such, governments must provide the enabling environment that would encourage entrepreneurship, innovation, investment and wealth creation.
The former Minister who spoke as Chairman at Akwa Ibom Dialogue, a programme put together by the state government to enhance business and entrepreneurship potentials of the state in Uyo on Monday however identified non-implementation of government policies as the bane of governance.
He charged Governor Umoh Eno to ensure that the policies of the ARISE agenda must be directed at making Akwa Ibom one of the most desirable destination for investment in Africa.
“Government must provide an environment that encourages entrepreneurship, innovation, investment and wealth creation.
It is incongruent on those in government to get those of us in the private sector to know the opportunities they are creating for private sector investment.
“A healthy private sector drives economic growth. It is the private sector that provides most of the investment that is required to grow the economy and create jobs, and job creation must be the essential part of His Excellency’s agenda, as creating jobs is the fastest way to alleviate poverty and elevate the living standards of our people.
“To be sustainable, most of these jobs must be in the private sector. In my view, government policies must be directed at making Akwa Ibom State one of the most desirable destination for investment in Nigeria and indeed Africa.
“To achieve success, we must set ourselves ambitious targets. Your Excellency, fellow Akwa Ibomites, let us think big.” Udoma stated.
In his address, Governor Eno, said his ARISE agenda would be
focused on Agriculture, Rural Development, Infrastructure, Security, and Education, urging the people of the state to take ownership of the dream and articulate its realisation together.
Eno explained that the ARISE agenda is further broken down into 17 focal sectors targetted for short, medium and long term implementation, urged the people, irrespective of their political leanings to eschew hatred and join hands together to build the state.
The governor who explained that he was bringing back all the Commissioners in the last administration to help in the realisation of the ARISE Agenda, however warned them not to be lazy.
He stated that his administration would be operating a new template and urged them to key into it, but warned that excuses would not be tolerated and non-performancers would be removed from office.
“I would like to inform the incoming Commissioners that you are coming into a new season. You maybe old on the job but there is a new template. I have fulfilled my part of the bargin with you to ensure that as colleagues, we come back together and run the government because you laboured during the elections.
“We worked together, I didn’t just have the heart to throw you away but truth is, there is work to be done. The truth is, we will not take excuses, we will take results. We still nedd your wisdom, we still need your ideas, that is why there is a continuity in this government, so we can sit together and finish. But how far you will travel will depend on you. If you don’tdeliver, you will hear the announcement on the news.” He stated.
Speaking as the special guest of honour at the event, immediate past governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel called on the people to cooperate with Governor Eno to actualize his ARISE agenda, saying Akwa Ibom has the human resources to realise the goal.
Emmanuel said execution, planning and acceptance of the agenda would drive its actualisation and warned the people against distracting the governor with negative comments.
Also speaking, former Governor, Obong Victor Attah said the ARISE agenda was the restoration of the dream he had for the state that was beginning to fade and urged that the policies realised from the dialogue and the blueprint of the agenda must be implemented for the state to make progress.
