Akwa Ibom Exco Declares Health Emergency, Approves ₦695bn Supplementary Budget

The Akwa Ibom State Executive Council, presided over by Governor Umo Eno, on Friday, September 12, approved a supplementary budget of ₦695 billion, raising the state’s 2025 budget size to ₦1.65 trillion.

The expanded budget, according to council deliberations, is targeted at emerging government priorities, including the implementation of the new minimum wage, allowances for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, emergency flood and erosion control, infrastructure development, purchase of Ibom CNG mass transit buses, and funding for newly created ministries and agencies.

The Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) was also amended upward from ₦980 billion to ₦1.7 trillion in line with the state’s Fiscal Responsibility Law.

In a major decision, Governor Eno declared a State of Emergency in the health sector, citing the urgent need to strengthen service delivery. The move includes upgrading medical facilities, reopening recruitment for 2,000 healthcare workers—without the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) requirement—engaging retired personnel on contract, and enhancing training institutions for health professionals.

To drive implementation, an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee, chaired by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem Emmanuel John, was constituted.

The council also fixed October 15, 2025, for the launch of two key reforms: the Treasury Single Account (TSA), aimed at boosting Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and fiscal transparency, and the Akwa Ibom Geographic Information System (AKWAGIS), designed to digitize land administration and fast-track the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy.

The meeting, which was attended by the Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, the Secretary to the State Government, the Head of Civil Service, commissioners, and special advisers, ended at 6:00 p.m.

Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah, signed the communiqué.

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