In a direct push to tackle youth unemployment through practical empowerment, the Member representing Itu/Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Ime Bassey Okon, has paid the training fees in cash for 20 youths from Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area to undergo long-term skill acquisition programmes. The beneficiaries received the support on Wednesday, February 5, 2026, at the Village Hall, Ikot Usen, Ibiono Ibom LGA, marking the first batch of a constituency-wide skill development initiative designed to equip youths with sustainable, income-generating skills. The skills covered include Auxiliary Nursing, Fashion Designing, Hair Making and Dressing, Patent Medicine Practice, Shoe Making, Hair Styling and Make-up, Carpentry and Joinery, Truck Driving, Plumbing, Automobile Mechanics, Tailoring, Furniture Making, Barbing, as well as trading support for a widow. Presenting the cash support on behalf of the federal lawmaker, the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Mr. Basse...
A’Ibom Tax Reform Bills to Protect Low-Income Earners, Boost SMEs — AKIRS Assures Amid Dissenting Voices
By Asuquo Edem The Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Internal Revenue Service (AKIRS), Sir Okon Okon, has assured residents that the proposed State tax reform bills before the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly are designed to protect low-income earners, stimulate small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), and strengthen economic growth, despite concerns and dissenting opinions raised by some stakeholders. Sir Okon gave the assurance on Wednesday during a public hearing on three executive bills organised by the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation. The bills include the Akwa Ibom State Revenue Service and Administration Bill 2025, Akwa Ibom State Taxes and Levies Bill 2025, and the Akwa Ibom State Betting and Lottery Regulatory Agency Bill 2025. Addressing stakeholders, the AKIRS chairman—who is also a member of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms—said the reforms would eliminate multiple taxation, harmonise tax administration across the state, ...