Emmanuel Nicholas
Governor Umo Eno has distinguished himself as a leader endowed with the Finisher’s Anointing. To many, it may sound like political propaganda, but a critical technical evaluation of his performance clearly validates that he possesses an uncommon grace for project completion and delivery.
In this article, I will be x-raying three legacy projects where the Governor has demonstrated this finishing grace: The Ibom International Hotel (formerly Ibom Tropicana Hotel and Entertainment Centre), the 5,000-capacity International Conference Centre, and the 7.868km Ring Road III Extension dual carriageway.
IBOM INTERNATIONAL HOTEL & CONVENTION CENTRE: FROM ABANDONED SUPERSTRUCTURE TO FINAL FINISHES
Senator Godswill Akpabio as Governor commenced the construction of the Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre in October 2008, with the groundbreaking performed by then President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
The masterplan comprised a 5,000-seat convention center, a 200-room 5-star hotel, a theme park, a shopping mall, and a cineplex.
The project could not achieve substantial completion at the expiration of his eight-year tenure.
At the time of exit, the hotel superstructure was at approximately 60% completion stage, comprising mainly the reinforced concrete structural frame, blockwork and roofing.
The Conference Centre was still at the substructure stage, with piling and pile caps completed , estimated at 20% completion. Only the Cinemaplex had attained 100% completion, commissioned and put to operational use.
Governor Umo Eno, upon assumption of office, conducted a value engineering appraisal and saw the enormous sunk capital invested in the project. Rather than allow the asset to deteriorate and become a dead investment, he visited the site and gave a commitment to complete the complex for the State to achieve return on investment.
The State Government had earlier signed an initial contract of about 33 billion naira with the Silverbird Group and with approved variations executed twice, over 35 billion naira had been expended before Senator Akpabio left office. It would have been structurally and economically unintelligent to allow such capital to waste.
On May 24, 2025, Governor Umo Eno flagged-off the reconstruction, remodeling and completion of the 200-bedroom Ibom International Hotel and the 5,000-capacity Ibom International Convention Centre, and later introduced two additional components , the Shopping City Complex and the African Village, plus the Water Park.
As at today, the Ibom International Hotel is at 95% completion, currently at the final finishes and MEP installations stage, with only furniture, fixtures, equipment (FF&E) and electronic systems integration remaining. The International Conference Centre has attained significant milestone , the long-span roof has been successfully erected.
Built to span a column-free 5,000-person capacity hall, the roof system comprises heavy-duty steel roof trusses, space frame and modern architectural cladding systems designed to handle large-span open interior spaces without intermediate support columns, ensuring both structural stability and aesthetic elegance. This Center is now at about 80% completion.
The newly introduced Shopping City, which commenced a few months ago, is currently undergoing vertical structural development after the successful completion of deep foundation piling and substructure works. All civil and structural engineering works are being handled proficiently and professionally by Hensek Integrated Services.
In the next four to six months, all components are projected to achieve practical completion and be put to use.
From a socio-economic impact assessment, the complex will generate over 1,000 direct jobs and over 3,000 indirect jobs, and is projected to increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State by more than 10%.
RING ROAD III EXTENSION: CLOSING THE LOOP ON THE OUTER RING
The 3rd Ring Road concept was first initiated by Senator Godswill Akpabio. He dualized the section from Idoro Road to Aka Road, providing dual carriageway access to the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. That section is now known as Goodluck Jonathan Boulevard.
Former Governor, Deacon Udom Emmanuel, commenced the construction of the 9.5km, 10-lane Ring Road 3 (now named Idongesit Nkanga Avenue and Clement Isong Avenue) in Uyo to open up the capital city and ease traffic congestion.
It connects Nwaniba Road (by University of Uyo Main Campus) through Oron Road and Aka-Nung Udoe Road, leading into Goodluck Jonathan Boulevard.
However, in the original geometric design and alignment of the 3rd Ring Road, a critical 7.868km link was left undone, leaving the ring unclosed.
The man with the finisher’s anointing came, reviewed the engineering blueprints, horizontal and vertical alignments, and right-of-way (ROW) drawings of the 3rd Ring Road and decided to close the loop.
Governor Umo Eno flagged off the construction of the Ring Road III Extension (from Idoro Road to Ikot Ekpene Road) on March 21, 2024. The dual-carriage expressway measures approximately 7.868km, traversing from Idoro Road (Uyo), through Ibiono Ibom LGA, to Itak in Ikono LGA.
The project, awarded to Hensek Integrated Services, involved extensive earthworks, cutting and filling, subgrade preparation, sub-base and base course laying, binder and wearing course asphaltic concrete, provision of reinforced concrete drains, culverts, median and street lighting.
As at today, the pavement structure has achieved 100% completion, road markings and furniture are installed, and the road is awaiting commissioning. That is the finishing grace of Governor Umo Eno.
Governor Umo Eno is a leader with extraordinary grace, whose vision is rare and whose project execution methodology guarantees value for money and asset optimization.
He does not seek the accolade of “I initiated it”; as long as Akwa Ibom State resources have been committed and the future viability of the investment is feasible, he will reinvest, remobilize contractors to site, and ensure the State reaps the full lifecycle benefits of its infrastructure investments.
He is not just building new projects; he is reclaiming, reconstructing, and completing abandoned engineering assets for the prosperity of Akwa Ibom people. He is a leader with the finshers anointing.
