By Precious Udoinyang
On 23 September 1987, the history of Nigeria was altered in a manner that would permanently reshape the political, economic and social destiny of the people who today call Akwa Ibom State home. On that historic day, the military administration of then Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, announced the creation of Akwa Ibom State out of the former Cross River State. The announcement brought to fruition a long-standing aspiration of the people for greater political representation, administrative autonomy and the opportunity to determine more directly the direction of their collective development. Thirty-nine years later, the anniversary provides an appropriate moment not only to celebrate the journey but also to examine the gains, acknowledge the challenges and envision the Akwa Ibom that the next generation deserves.
The demand for a separate state did not begin in 1987. For years, political leaders, traditional rulers, professionals, students, community organisations and ordinary citizens from the area had advocated the creation of a state that would better reflect their identity and developmental aspirations. As part of the former Cross River State, many communities believed that the size and geographical spread of the old state made it difficult for their particular needs to receive adequate attention. The agitation for statehood consequently became more than a political campaign; it became a collective expression of a people’s desire for self-determination within the Nigerian federation.
The creation of Akwa Ibom immediately produced a profound change in the political psychology of the people. Uyo, which had previously functioned largely as a provincial administrative centre, became the capital of a new state. Ministries, departments and agencies were established, and the state began the enormous task of creating its own administrative machinery. Political participation expanded, new employment opportunities emerged, and the people acquired a stronger institutional platform from which to articulate their interests. Statehood therefore represented not merely the creation of a new geographical boundary but the birth of a new political and developmental identity.
The early years were, understandably, years of foundation building. A new state had to establish government institutions, develop its capital, provide roads and other basic infrastructure, create educational and healthcare facilities and connect communities that had long experienced developmental limitations. The resources available to the young state were modest compared with its ambitions, while public expectations were understandably high. Yet the administrations that followed gradually strengthened the institutional foundation laid in those formative years, demonstrating that state creation is only the beginning of the development process; the real challenge lies in converting political autonomy into tangible improvements in the lives of citizens.
The first military administration, led by Colonel Jonathan Tunde Ogbeha, therefore occupies an important place in the history of Akwa Ibom. His administration inherited the responsibility of giving practical expression to the newly created state and establishing the basic structures through which government could function. Subsequent administrations continued the process of institution-building and infrastructure development. Among them was the administration of Colonel Idongesit Nkanga, whose tenure further contributed to the consolidation of the young state’s physical and administrative foundations. These early years laid important groundwork upon which later democratic administrations would build.
The return to democratic governance in 1999 ushered Akwa Ibom into a new phase. With elected governments came stronger political mandates and greater opportunities for long-term development planning. The administration of Obong Victor Attah, which began in 1999, brought renewed attention to infrastructure, economic development and the strategic positioning of the state. His administration contributed to the emerging vision of Akwa Ibom as a state capable of moving beyond its inherited limitations and developing the infrastructure and institutional capacity required to attract investment and improve the quality of life of its people.
The Attah years also strengthened the conversation around economic opportunity, resource control and the rights of oil-producing communities. Infrastructure development and urban renewal became important components of the state’s development agenda, while the state’s oil and gas endowment increasingly featured in discussions about economic transformation. The period helped establish a broader understanding that Akwa Ibom’s future could not depend exclusively on federal allocations. Rather, its natural resources had to be strategically deployed to create infrastructure, stimulate investment and lay the foundation for a diversified economy.
The administration of Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, which commenced in 2007, accelerated the state’s infrastructure transformation. His tenure became particularly associated with extensive road construction, urban renewal, drainage systems, public buildings, schools, healthcare facilities and other visible projects. Uyo underwent a dramatic physical transformation, while road networks connecting different parts of the state were expanded and improved. The scale and visibility of the infrastructure programme changed public expectations about what state government could accomplish and established a new benchmark for development in Akwa Ibom.
The Akpabio administration also pursued a broader strategy of projecting Akwa Ibom as a destination for tourism, hospitality, investment and major events. The development of the Victor Attah International Airport was strategically significant because improved air connectivity could support commerce, tourism and investment. The growth of the hospitality industry, including major hotels and conference facilities, likewise enhanced Uyo’s attractiveness for business meetings, religious programmes, sporting events and other national activities. The state’s growing profile during this period helped change the way Akwa Ibom was perceived beyond its borders.
The administration of Mr Udom Emmanuel, which took office in 2015, introduced a strong emphasis on industrialisation, manufacturing and economic diversification. Drawing upon his background in banking and finance, Emmanuel’s administration promoted the argument that Akwa Ibom needed to move from an economy heavily dependent on government expenditure and oil revenue towards one capable of generating productive economic activity. The administration consequently pursued industrial projects and investments intended to create employment, expand the state’s productive base and demonstrate that Akwa Ibom could participate more actively in Nigeria’s industrial economy.
Among the most prominent achievements of the Udom Emmanuel years was the establishment and expansion of Ibom Air, which commenced commercial operations in 2019. The state-owned airline became one of the most visible symbols of Akwa Ibom’s ambition and enterprise. Beyond providing air connectivity between Uyo and other Nigerian cities, Ibom Air demonstrated the possibility of creating commercially oriented institutions at the subnational level. Its emergence also strengthened Uyo’s position as a regional business and travel centre and created a platform upon which future expansion into regional aviation could potentially be built.
The Udom Emmanuel administration also pursued investments in agriculture, manufacturing and other productive sectors. Projects involving areas such as syringe manufacturing, flour production, coconut development and other industrial and agricultural initiatives reflected an attempt to create value beyond crude oil. The long-term significance of these efforts will ultimately be measured by their sustainability, productive capacity and ability to create substantial employment and local supply chains. Nevertheless, they represented an important shift in the state’s development conversation from simply building infrastructure to asking how infrastructure could support production and economic self-reliance.
The administration of Pastor Umo Eno, which commenced in 2023, inherited a state with substantial physical infrastructure and an increasingly visible national profile, but it also inherited the challenges associated with maintaining those assets and translating them into broad-based prosperity. Its development agenda has placed considerable emphasis on human capital, rural development, agriculture, entrepreneurship, social intervention and inclusive economic growth. The emphasis on bringing development closer to ordinary citizens is particularly important because the ultimate test of development is not simply the appearance of the capital city but the quality of life enjoyed by people in villages, towns and communities across the state.
Perhaps one of the most obvious gains of thirty-nine years of statehood is the transformation of Uyo itself. From a relatively modest administrative centre, the city has developed into a major urban centre in the South-South region. Modern roads, hotels, educational institutions, hospitals, shopping facilities, event centres, religious establishments and commercial enterprises have changed its landscape. This transformation has stimulated private-sector activity and created opportunities for a new generation of entrepreneurs, professionals and investors. Yet urban growth must now be accompanied by deliberate planning, efficient transportation, environmental management, drainage and other systems capable of supporting a rapidly expanding population.
Education has also recorded substantial expansion since state creation. The growth of institutions such as the University of Uyo and the Akwa Ibom State University, alongside other tertiary and specialised institutions, has widened access to higher education and helped produce generations of graduates across numerous professional disciplines. The next challenge, however, is to ensure that education becomes an even stronger engine of economic transformation. Akwa Ibom needs educational institutions that produce not merely degree holders but innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, technologists, skilled craftsmen and professionals equipped to compete in Nigeria’s increasingly digital and globally connected economy.
Healthcare has similarly benefited from successive investments in hospitals, primary healthcare facilities, medical personnel and specialist services. Considerable progress has been made, but the healthcare challenge remains unfinished. Maternal and child healthcare, emergency services, specialist medicine, affordable treatment, health insurance and access to quality healthcare in rural communities require sustained investment. As the state moves towards its next decades of development, the quality of its healthcare system should become as important a measure of progress as the number of roads, buildings or other physical infrastructure constructed.
Agriculture remains one of Akwa Ibom’s greatest untapped opportunities. The state possesses fertile land, abundant rainfall, a long coastline and communities with generations of agricultural and fishing experience. Cassava, oil palm, plantain, vegetables and other crops can support much larger commercial value chains than currently exist. The transformation required is from subsistence production to modern agribusiness, supported by mechanisation, improved seedlings, storage facilities, processing plants, affordable financing, transportation and reliable markets. Akwa Ibom should aspire not merely to produce food but to become a significant processor and exporter of agricultural products.
Oil and gas will remain important to the state’s economy, but the experience of the past thirty-nine years demonstrates the wisdom of diversification. Petroleum resources have contributed enormously to the state’s development, particularly through the revenues that have supported infrastructure and public services. However, the volatility of the oil economy makes it imperative for Akwa Ibom to build other strong economic pillars. Manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, aviation, maritime activities, technology, logistics, the creative economy and professional services can provide the diversification required to make the state more resilient and competitive.
The most important issue confronting Akwa Ibom as it approaches its thirty-ninth anniversary is therefore not whether progress has been made, but whether the gains already recorded can be transformed into sustainable prosperity. The state must confront youth unemployment, rising living costs, infrastructure maintenance, rural-urban inequality, environmental challenges and the need for stronger private-sector participation. Government cannot indefinitely remain the principal employer, contractor and economic driver. The next phase requires a stronger partnership between government, indigenous businesses, investors, universities, traditional institutions, communities and the Akwa Ibom diaspora.
Thirty-nine years after General Ibrahim Babangida announced the creation of Akwa Ibom State on 23 September 1987, the journey from political aspiration to developmental achievement is unmistakable. Each administration has contributed a chapter to that journey: the pioneers built the institutions of a new state; successive governments expanded infrastructure and public services; the democratic era deepened the development agenda; and more recent administrations have increasingly focused on industrialisation, aviation, agriculture, human capital and inclusive development. Yet the 39th anniversary should be more than a celebration of what has been accomplished. It should be a moment of recommitment to what remains possible. The Akwa Ibom of the next thirty-nine years must be more productive, technologically advanced, agriculturally prosperous, socially inclusive and globally connected. If the state can combine its impressive infrastructure base with accountable governance, human-capital development, private enterprise, innovation and economic diversification, the greatest chapter of the Akwa Ibom story may not belong to its past. It may be the chapter that the present generation is only now beginning to write.