As part of activities marking his first year in office, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has allotted 150 two-bedroom apartments to civil servants.

These units are part of the 236 apartments at the Grace Estate in Ibiono Ibom and Ikono local government areas.

Governor Eno made the announcement while commissioning the housing estate over the weekend.

He explained that the beneficiaries would be chosen through a raffle draw to ensure fairness. “Today, we are commissioning 236 units of two-bedroom deluxe apartments. 150 of these units will be given to civil servants from grade levels 01 to 08. The Head of Civil Service must ensure that only people from levels 01 to 08 express intention and cannot do that expression more than once,” he stated.

Governor Eno emphasized that the draw process would be transparent. “For expression of interest, you will pay N50,000 (fifty thousand naira). When you pay, you will collect a form. We will set a day within the next month, and we will all gather at the amphitheatre. Everyone who bought the form will have a form number. We will conduct the draw openly. I will have no slot here, nobody will have a slot here. When you win a house, you win a house, and that is the end of the matter,” he added.

This initiative aligns with Governor Eno’s commitment to improving the living standards of Akwa Ibom workers by providing affordable housing through a low and medium housing scheme.

Additionally, Governor Eno commissioned 36 two-bedroom bungalows for indigent families across the state under the ARISE Compassionate Homes programme.

He also approved the construction of 164 more housing units to accommodate additional indigent families.

“If there’s one person in your village living in a thatched house with a leaking roof, we want to be God’s answer to their prayers. That is what the ARISE Compassionate Home signifies,” Governor Eno said.

He pledged to build a total of 400 compassionate homes by the end of his first term. “I have just approved the construction of another 164 compassionate homes so that we can meet the first 200 houses. I believe that before the end of our first term, by the grace of God and your support, we will build 400 so that in every ward in this state, there will be an ARISE Compassionate Home,” he promised.

Stakeholders from Ibiono Ibom and Ikono Local Government Areas, including Commissioner for Information Ini Ememobong, expressed their gratitude to the Governor for his development initiatives and pledged their continued support for his administration and the ARISE Agenda.