A’Ibom Commissioner Supports  39 SMEs to Mark Birthday

Okon Bassey in Uyo

Thirty-nine  small and medium scale businesses (SMEs)in Akwa Ibom State  have  benefited from business grant doled out by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade Ini Ememobong to mark his 39th birthday yesterday. 

The beneficiaries, drawn from the 31 Local Government Areas of the state included 13 male and 26 female youths who  are into hairdressing, paint production, barbing, catering services, fashion design,  fragrance production, baking, shoe making, farming, soap making and other businesses..

Also to mark his special day, the Commissioner  donated a new worship center to the Church of Christ, Edem Iyere in Ikono Local Government Area. 

Few months ago, the Commissioner  had donated a church building to the Church of Christ, Awa Iman in Onna Local Government Area and had called on the beneficiaries  to intensify prayers for Governor Udom Emmanuel especially as his administration begins to countdown to May 29, 2023.

 It is also on record that Ememobong’s commitment to service to humanity has continued to extend succor to indigent students in tertiary institutions across the country and beyond. 

 Based on his scholarship scheme, Mr. Ukeme Ikot, who  graduated with a CGPA of 4.90 in  the department of Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU), was offered a scholarship to study in any ivy league university in the world for a master’s degree by the Ini Ememobong Foundation.

 The commissioner has  also taken up the responsibility of  payment of fees for all students in the Church of Christ, AKSU, Obio Akpa campus, who maintained a CGPA of 4.50 throughout their study stay in the university. 

The best graduating students of St. Mary’s Senior Science College, Ediene Abak, Abak Local Government Area, have also benefitted from the Foundation’s financial support. Ememobong is an ex-student of the school. 

In 2021,  12  students from Ukanafun Local Government Area in tertiary institutions got educational grants, while pupils in the Primary School, Oyubia, Urueoffong/Oruko Local Government Area were given books.  Teachers in the school got wrappers. Widows in the community were not left out. They also got wrappers and other gift items. 

 In September 2021, the Foundation, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Uyo Metropolis, donated school uniforms to 965 students of Union Secondary School, Ibiaku, Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.

 Speaking on Ememobong’s humanitarian services and contributions to educational development in the state, his immediate past Director for Education and current Director of Humanity, Mrs Uyai Edidiong Francis said the commissioner picks a minimum of 100 school fee bills every session. 

 She disclosed that two of the 10 students on the Foundation’s full scholarship for tertiary institutions were recently offered scholarship for Master’s degrees abroad. 

 Mrs Francis said in addition to the welfare of the individual students at both secondary and tertiary institution levels, the foundation has also extended care and attention to families of such brilliant, yet indigent students. 

 When the commissioner received some of the students who graduated from his scholarship scheme recently, he had said: “A brilliant student has no business struggling for school fees.” 

In a message tagged: “Seeing Forward by Looking back”, Ememobong said: “As I clock 39 today, a year shy of the famed  40, which is generally seen as the beginning of life, I look forward with great expectations to that great milestone, by looking back to the many blessings that the Almighty bestowed on me in the past 38 years. 

“This retrospection gives me a firm assurance that the God who has been my foundation, guide and guardian these past years, will certainly be my compass in the journey ahead.

“As it is my disposition on days like this, I appreciate all whom the Lord has used to decorate my life and bring me to my current state. I trust the Lord to abundantly bless and reward them.

“My life travel partner Chi and our travel assistants, Ekemeini-Uloma, Ini-Onofiok and Iniekom have made this daily journey to self discovery and purpose fulfillment a pleasure trip and I owe them a debt of gratitude.

“Today is indeed an excellent time to postulate on the future, by reminiscing on the past. This is indeed the time to redouble our efforts at ensuring that we humanize politics and not politicise humanity.”