•Governor Umo Eno (L)
TONY UDOH, Uyo reporting
Akwa Ibom State governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has disclosed plans to transform the reclaimed Uyo Village refuse dump-site into a modern Government Residential Area, comprising of a creative village, and a housing estate, to reduce housing deficit in the state.
The governor made this known yesterday, Tuesday, January 6, 2026, while fielding questions from the Government House Correspondents immediately after his inspection of the reclaimed dump-site spanning over 100 hectares of land alongside the ravine prone landscape that has been sand-filled for future development.
“The truth is, with vision and foresight, we can do a lot. You won’t believe this was a terrible refuse dump-site. Today, we have reclaimed it all, over a 100 hectares of land to be used for housing, agriculture, and more.”
He added that the whole area has been reclaimed and mapped out for proper development purposes with appropriate water channels.
The governor revealed that the ravine will be adequately transformed “to contain Uyo GRA first with about 150 middle-class housing; and the creative village with a spur to link them all.”
He said the project is strategically designed to open up previously unusable land, address erosion challenges and create new development corridors for housing, agriculture and creative industry, all within close proximity to the Uyo city centre.
“This project is about reclaiming valuable land close to the city centre and deliberately deploying it for the benefit of our people,” Governor Eno said.
He explained that his decision to visit the site was informed by the need to physically examine the road design and fully appreciate the scope of work being executed by the contractors beyond technical presentations earlier made in his office.
Expressing satisfaction with the progress so far achieved, the governor noted that the area, once used as a dump site, has been successfully reclaimed as part of efforts to support government long-term urban development policy.
He once again, urged contractors handling government projects to ensure timely delivery and quality execution, noting that the Uyo Village road project will address housing deficit and would contain middle-income housing and other strategic residential developments.
“We are committed to ensuring that every square meter of this reclaimed land serves the people of Akwa Ibom,” he said.
Speaking further, Governor Eno said the various projects being embarked on by the government are opening up significant job opportunities for youths and local workers, urging the youth to embrace the opportunities and uphold the culture of hard work, emphasising that, deliberate infrastructural development could serve as a catalyst for economic growth.
Governor Eno who stressed that the 2026 budget of N1.584 trillion naira reflects the scale of planned projects, urged citizens to engage with the budget and key into its opportunities and expressed confidence that, with collective effort, Akwa Ibom can achieve development standards comparable to global cities.
On the governor’s entourage were the Executive Assistant/Chief Delivery Advisor, Mr. Aniefiok Johnson; Commissioner for Works, Prof. Eno Ibanga; and other government functionaries.
