Our Reporter
Ukanafun Local Government Council in Akwa Ibom State under the Chairmanship of Prince Uyo Ukpanah has executed and completed multi-million-naira development projects and unveiled a ₦200 million empowerment programme for its indigenes.
Ukpanah rolled out the achievements when members of Amalgamated Newspaper Publishers Association (ANPA) team arrived at Ikot Akpa Nkuk, the local government headquarters for on-the-spot-assessment tour on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
Among the completed projects are the state-of-the-art administrative block named after the late Obong (Barr.) Asuquo J. Ukpanah; the well-furnished Women Development Centre, which houses the Office of the First Lady and is named after the late Governor’s wife, Mrs. Patience Umo Eno; a 20-room office complex equipped with staff facilities; the remodelled and furnished Legislative Chamber; and a 100KVA Mikano generator serving the council secretariat.
Other projects undertaken by the administration include the grading of roads across the 13 wards in the area to improve transportation and inter-community connectivity, construction of a Primary Healthcare Centre at Ikot Ebok, solar-powered boreholes at Nsekhe, Odoro Ikot, Ikot Esa and Ikot Oku Usung, and acquisition of land for a proposed stadium.
The administration also listed ongoing construction of the Udo Ekpenyong Unity Hall, completion of a conference room, provision of offices for councillors, and official vehicles for the Secretary to the Council, Legislative Leader and six aides of the Council Chairman.
Similarly, the council has unveiled a N200 million empowerment programme for its citizens.
According to Ukpanah, the council would provide beneficiaries with cars, tricycles, cooking ovens, sewing machines and business grants to enhance their livelihoods and economic independence.
Under the programme, the Chairman said his administration would provide beneficiaries with N500,000 grants, cars, tricycles, cooking ovens, sewing machines and business grants to enhance their livelihoods and economic independence.
Speaking on the funding of the projects, Ukpanah said his administration had relied solely on the statutory allocation accruing to the local government.
“All the progress you have seen here in Ukanafun is done with the local government allocation. I have not borrowed any money from any quarter, and I am not ready to do so in the near future,” he said.
The Chairman explained that he had adopted a gradual approach to project execution by implementing projects within the resources available to the council.
According to him, his commitment to transforming Ukanafun was partly driven by the historical significance of the local government, which was created in 1976.
He said he considered the development of the area both a responsibility to preserve his father’s legacy and an obligation to justify the mandate entrusted to him by the people and begin landscaping of the secretariat.
Udo Ekpenyong Unity Hall in progress
Ukpanah further stated that the council has acquired a permanent site while its construction would commence in 2027, alongside the payment of bursaries to deserving students.
Earlier, the Secretary to the Council, Pastor Hon. Dr. Ubong Odudu Jonah, who received the publishers, had commended the association for undertaking the assessment tour.
Pastor Jonah mentioned N500,000 grants to six law students of Ukanafun origin and sponsorship of the coronation of the Paramount Ruler, Akuku Amos Daniel Akpan.
Speaking after the assessment, ANPA President, Pastor OsuiniAbasi Alfred, described Ukpanah as a leader who had demonstrated genuine concern for the welfare and development of his constituents.
“Council Chairman, on behalf of my members, you have done well. If we, the watchdog, are saying you have done well, then there is no politics about it,” he said.
Alfred noted that receiving public funds was different from deploying them effectively for the benefit of the people, stressing that the projects inspected showed that the council chairman had approached governance with preparation and commitment.
“It is one thing to receive an allocation and another thing to do justice to it. From what we have seen, you came prepared for governance,” he added.
The ANPA President urged the chairman to sustain the pace of development and improve on the achievements recorded as his administration progresses.
