Andrew Iro Okungbowa 
Akwa Ibom State government has declared its commitment to the preservation of its heritage sites across the state as part of developing and promoting the state as a tourist destination of choice.
This was made known by the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr. Anieti Udofia, during a recent to re-appraisal tour of Mary Slessor Memorial Cairn, Use Ikot Oku, Ibiono LGA, as part of his ongoing familiarisation tour of tourism sites in the State.
Accompanied on the tour by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Grace Akpan, Udofia disclosed that the ARISE Agenda of Governor Emo Eno holds the promotion of tourism as critical for sustainable development. To this end, he assured the people that the government would work tirelessly on the maintenance and preservation of all critical assets of tourism including heritage sites such as the Mary Slessor Memorial Cairn.
“The Umo Eno administration is committed to promoting and preserving Akwa Ibom’s rich cultural heritage,” said Udofia. He used the visit to unfold plans by Eno to undertake significant upgrade of tourism facilities and heritage sites for the benefit of tourists and creation of job opportunities for the people of the state, particularly the host communities.
The Commissioner also acknowledged the rich tourism eco-system of the State and expressed optimism that as a tourism stakeholder and investor of note in the sector that Eno is dedicated to repositioning of the tourism sector for increased Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Udofia further stressed the importance of effective collaboration with host communities for the preservation of heritage sites geared at bolstering the tourism sector of the State.
While welcoming the Commissioner and his team to Ibiono Ibom heritage site, the Council Chairman of the LGA, Asuakak Umoh, highlighted the rich cultural heritage of Ibiono Ibom and expressed gratitude to the State governor for prioritising tourism development.
Besides Mary Slessor Memorial Cairn, the Commission and his entourage also visited Use Ikot Oku, the Okopedi beach market and the Traditional Rulers’ Council (TRC) complex at Ikpa Ibiono and Mary Slessor Vocational School, Ibiono Ibom.
Among the Commissioner’s entourage were the SSA to the Governor on Tourism (Hotels), the Publisher of the Mail Newspaper, Mr. Ifreke Nsewo, Directors and tour guides in the Ministry.
