•Governor Umo Eno (right)
Fresh from the inauguration of International operations from the acclaimed, world-class Victor Attah International Airport last weekend, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has shifted his attention and set his eyes on another word-class infrastructure in the centre of Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, Governor Eno arrived unannounced at the sprawling International Convention Arena, comprising the International Convention Centre, the Ibom International Hotel, the Arise Shopping City and the Ibom Theme Park.
The visit took the governor’s aides and workers at the multi-billion sites by total surprise, as the governor was officially billed to be in Edebom, Nsit Ibom LGA, for the commissioning of the 11- kilometre rural road constructed in partnership with the World Bank under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project(RAAMP).
Instead of heading to Nsit Ibom, the governor sent his deputy, Senator Akon Eyakenyi to stand in for him, where Senator Eyakenyi disclosed that the Umo Eno Administration has so far constructed over 1,300 kilometres of roads and 40 bridges across the three senatorial districts, in only three years.
“There is no local government area without an ongoing project in healthcare, agriculture, education, roads and other sectors”, the governor said through his deputy.
But in Uyo, the governor traversed the landmark Convention Arena, which promises to rival the Durban International Convention Centre in South Africa, currently regarded as the best in Africa.
Addressing the media after his unscheduled inspection of the Ibom International Convention Arena, Governor Eno said the Arena will have the most modern facilities to capture, captivate and boost tourism development in Akwa Ibom State and beyond.
“This entire Arena constitutes part of the tourism ecosystem that we are building in the state. It is built to serve the growing tourism traffic from the Victor Attah International Airport. The Ibom International Convention Centre alone can accommodate all kinds of conventions and conferences with over 5,000-seater space and break-out rooms, banquet hall, amphitheatre, and lots more.
“Then, here in the Arena too as you can see, we also have the 250-room Ibom International Hotel to support the ecosystem. The Arise Shopping City project is equally on course. The progress of work is impressive as all the infrastructures in the Arena are all making steady progress as scheduled,” he said.
The governor thanked President Bola Tinubu for making funds available to sub-nationals for the execution of projects that will positively impact the economy of Nigeria.
