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• Commissions Ibom Air Airbus A220-300
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has pledged to work with Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, rather than engage him in a political feud, saying the unity and development of the state must take precedence over political differences.
Akpabio spoke on Tuesday at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, where he commissioned an Airbus A220-300 acquired by Ibom Air as part of the airline’s fleet expansion programme yesterday.
A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, quoted Akpabio as saying he had learnt from past political disagreements between governors and prominent political leaders and would not allow such rivalry to undermine Akwa Ibom.
“As a good student of history, I have made up my mind that rather than fight with my governor, I will join hands with him to develop our state,” he said.
Akpabio, a former two-term governor of the state, described Akwa Ibom as a “shining example of unity, development and progress in Nigeria,” attributing the development to cooperation among its leaders.
He commended Eno for his infrastructure and human capital development initiatives, particularly the training of young people for careers in the aviation industry.
“Let me thank Governor Eno for what I have seen here today, particularly the number of Akwa Ibom children you are training to join the aviation industry. I am seeing Eno in me. He is also seeing himself in me,” Akpabio said.
He also assured residents that the state would not witness the kind of political confrontation between governors and Senate Presidents experienced elsewhere in the past.
“The unity of this state remains paramount. I stand on ARISE in this state and, at the federal level, we all stand on the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
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Akpabio commended the Chairman of Ibom Air, Captain Mfon Udom, and the airline’s management for expanding its operations.
He also praised Eno for continuing projects inherited from previous administrations rather than abandoning them.
“Thank you, Governor Eno, for not abandoning the money of Akwa Ibom people. You have decided to complete all projects initiated by previous administrations,” he said.
Akpabio also paid tribute to former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, for creating Akwa Ibom State.
Earlier, Eno thanked the Senate President for accepting the invitation to commission the aircraft.
The governor described the acquisition of the Airbus A220-300 as part of Ibom Air’s fleet expansion programme and acknowledged the contributions of previous administrations to the development of the state’s aviation sector.
He declared September, the month Akwa Ibom was created from the old Cross River State, a month of appreciation and urged residents to reflect on the state’s progress.
Eno said successive administrations had laid the foundation for the growth of the aviation sector, adding that his administration was building on that foundation.
He described the latest acquisition as another step in expanding Ibom Air and strengthening Akwa Ibom’s position in Nigeria’s aviation industry.
