Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, is set to announce the dissolution of the executive council on Friday, January 10, 2025.
Eno, who succeeded former Governor, Udom Emmanuel, inherited all the commissioners and advisers appointed by the former governor.
Last year, during a media briefing which was held in September to mark the 37th anniversary of the state, Eno announced that the State Executive Council would be dissolved to pave the way for another set of professionals to bring new ideas into governance.
Some of the commissioners have been in office for close to ten years as some of them served while former Governor Godswill Akpabio was in office.
Sources close to the governor’s office have disclosed that the valedictory council meeting scheduled to be held today will mark the dissolution of the state executive council.
THEWILL reports that the commissioners and advisers were retained to allow the present governor to ‘compensate them for the services they rendered since they were not rewarded by the time the last administration came to an end on May 29, 2023.”
Sources have also confirmed that the commissioners last week received a “favourable handshake” from Eno paving the way for their tenure to come to an end.
“Umo Eno inherited all the commissioners from his predecessor except the Commissioner for Internal Security, General Koko Essien (retd), appointed to head the newly created Ministry of Internal Security.
“Those Commissioners are still there. The governor lacks the political will to dissolve the cabinet, even after he had publicly said he would do so.”
Two commissioners from the Ministry of Special Duties and the Ministry of Environment, exited the state exco last year.
Speaking during the Thanksgiving service on January 2, Eno had criticised his commissioners for claiming that there was “nothing beneficial in government yet they were not willing and ready to resign.”
He said the commissioners were like a nagging housewife, who would say her marriage was not worth the while but has had seven children while still in the marriage.
Speaking at the valedictory Executive Cabinet Meeting on Friday, the Governor stated: “For me, if you were to be changed based on non-performance, I think none of the Commissioners would go.
“All of you have delivered and that’s why the Arise Agenda has succeeded.
“But we must come to the end of a season, start another season and keep moving.”
The state government is also scheduled to organise a dinner night for the outgoing members of the state executive council.
