Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has promised continuous partnership with the World Bank and Community and Social Development (CSDP) to attract development to rural communities in the state.
Emmanuel said this in his remarks to declare open the 2019 First Quarter Review Meeting of the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) held in Uyo on Monday.
The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Emmauel Ekuwem, said that since the advent of his administration in 2015, government has tackled the provision of social amenities to the people with passionate drive
The state governor said that rural electrification project remain one of the best in the country, adding that areas that were long cut off from electricity such as Eastern Obolo have been provided with electricity.
“I am happy that you have identified Akwa Ibom State as the leading State implementing Community and Social Development Project in Nigeria.
“I want to assure you that we will continue to partner with your agency, World Bank, as we work to ensure that we bring development to our people across the social layers,” Emmanuel said.
Emmanuel noted that government has a social contract with the people to provide certain social services such as education, healthcare, housing and other social services to the people.
He disclosed that under direct labour initiative, government has remodelled over 300 schools across the three senatorial districts in the last four years.
He said, “Commercially viable roads are being constructed as well as the feeder roads and the aim of this Government in its determined efforts to provide sustainable development and growth is to open up the hinterlands for free movement of goods and services.”
Earlier, the National Coordinator of CSDP Dr Abdulkarim Obaje, said that Federal Project Support Unit in partnership with World Bank would continue to support states across the country.
Obaje said that the meeting was meant to review the progress the state agencies were making on the field so that they could learn from best practices and also to give advice where necessary.
‘’We are happy that we are all able to meet. I want to thank the government of Akwa Ibom State for accepting to host this management team.
“It is a tradition of CSDP to hold this event every quarter to discuss to our management issues, to review the progress that our state agencies are making on the field, to learn from best practices and also to give advice when necessary,” he said.
The National Coordinator, National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office(NANSCO)- Mr Iorwa Apera, said that CSDP has made enormous contribution to the economy through development of the people.
In his goodwill message, the Commissioner for Economic Development and Manpower, Mr Ekong Sampson said that the state government was committed to providing dividends of democracy to the people.
He said that the impact of CSDP has been well felt in the state through development of infrastructures.
