By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
Member representing Ibiono Ibom State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mosses Essien has urged Governor Umo Eno to revert the dormant multi million Naira state’s owned Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre in Ikot Ada Idem to its former technical college status.
This came on the heels of the general concerns and continued dormancy of the centre, more than a year since it was commissioned by the immediate past administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Essien, who recently won a rerun election in some units in the constituency, said that his stance was informed by the recent resolutions passed by the state legislature on the need to establish more technical colleges in the state.
The legislature took particular interest in the federal constituencies of Itu/Ibiono Ibom, Ukanafun and Ikono/Ini, where many students from the affected areas have been denied technical education due to the absence of technical colleges.
Essien, a Young Progressives Party (YPP) lawmaker, made his position known in Uyo, when he presented his Certificate of Return to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly during plenary last week.
The Lawmaker, who was also contributing to the said motion, regretted that many of his constituents who initially would have loved to pursue careers in the fields of engineering, science and technology have been denied such opportunities due to the absence of technical colleges in the constituency.
He regretted also that years after the college was taken away from the area, and months after the defunct Government Technical College, Ikot Ada Idem was renovated and converted to a skills’ acquisition centre by the immediate past administration, nothing has happened to show any seriousness.
“I am worried, and so worried for that matter. The people of Ibiono Ibom were not comfortable when that decision was taken by the immediate past governor, and they are not still comfortable that months after, nothing is happening to show any seriousness. The people of Ibiono Ibom believe that they would been better with the Technical College, and I believe so with them.
“I don’t know what was the intention of the immediate past governor, so, I am urging the present government to return the centre to its former institution as a Technical College, and that’s the mind of the people of Ibiono Ibom state constituency and it is my mind too. We need a Technical College in Itu/Ibiono Ibom federal constituency” Essien posited.
He however, dedicated his recent victory in the rerun election to God and the people of his constituency and assured that he would continue to champion the development cause of the constituency.
“A lot of people don’t know what I passed through, from the initial campaigns, the elections, and the rerun and all the challenges involved, but, I must thank God and the people of Ibiono Ibom State Constituency for their support, for standing by me throughout the period, and I want to assure them that I will continue to champion the cause of Ibiono Ibom by ensuring that I lead in making good laws for the growth, youth empowerment, education, infrastructural development and the economic prosperity of the Ibiono Ibom people”. He said.
