Lawmaker urges Gov. Umo Eno to bring back Government Technical College
By Dennis Udoma, Uyo
Akwa Ibom lawmaker representing Ibiono Ibom State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Moses Essien has called on the State Government to return the remodeled Dakakada Skills Acquisition Center to it’s original status.
The Skills Development Center, it can be recalled was hitherto an abandoned Government Technical College at Ikot Ada Idem in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area of the state but, remodeled and converted by the Udom Emmanuel administration into skills center that never been put to use.
Essien, worried by it’s abandonment urged Governor Umo Eno to consider the recent resolution passed by the state legislature on the need to establish more technical colleges in the state and return the center to the former status.
He said, such decision would favour Itu/Ibiono Ibom, Ukanafun and Ikono/Ini federal constituencies, where many students from the affected areas have been denied technical education due to the absence of technical colleges.
Essien, who is a YPP lawmaker made this known in Uyo, while presenting his Certificate of Return to the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State of Assembly after winning a By-election recently.
He regrated that many of his constituents who initially would have loved to pursue careers in the fields of engineering, science and technology have been denied such opportunities due to the absence of technical college in the constituency.
He also lamented that, years after the college was taken away from the area, and months after the Government Technical College, Ikot Ada Idem was renovated and converted to a skills’ acquisition centre by the immediate past administration, nothing has happened to show any seriousness.
According to him, “I am so worried that the people of Ibiono Ibom were not comfortable when that decision was taken by the immediate past Governor, and they are not still comfortable that months after, nothing is happening to show any seriousness. The people of Ibiono Ibom believe that they would be better with the technical college, and I believe so with them.
“I don’t know what was the intention of the past Governor, Udom Emmanuel so, I am urging the present government to return the centre to its former institution as a technical college, and that is the mindsets of the people of Ibiono Ibom state constituency as we need a technical college in Itu/Ibiono Ibom federal constituency”.
While dedicating his recent victory in the rerun election to God and the people of his constituency, he promised to champion the development cause of Ibiono Ibom State Constituency.
