CHRAN
By Julius Nsikak
At a public hearing on the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) for 2026–2028, held on Thursday, 4th September 2025, the State Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN), Comrade Franklyn Isong, put forward far-reaching recommendations aimed at enhancing revenue generation and economic development in Akwa Ibom State.
Comrade Isong suggested that the International Worship Centre located on Udo Udoma Avenue be converted into an international conference centre to attract tourism and generate revenue. He stressed that it was unconstitutional for any state or nation to promote one religion, citing the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), and urged government to take this into account.
According to CHRAN, the International Worship Centre currently has no economic value and does not contribute to the state’s revenue base.
The organisation also proposed that the abandoned Ibom Science Park project be repurposed into a five-star hotel with a conference centre and golf resort, which it said would serve as a major tourist attraction and a revenue earner for the state.
In another recommendation, CHRAN called for the sale or commercialisation of the state’s Gulfstream G450 business jet with registration number N224BH, which it described as being of “no economic utility” to the people of Akwa Ibom State.
Furthermore, the centre advised the state government to step up efforts at boosting internally generated revenue (IGR) and large-scale agricultural production, both for self-sufficiency and for export. It also urged the construction of arterial roads within Uyo Capital City, many of which link three to four local government areas, noting that such infrastructure would enhance economic growth and spur investments in health, education, industry, real estate, tourism and hospitality, transportation, agriculture, and rural development.
CHRAN further recommended the development of coastal communities through the provision of enabling infrastructure such as access roads to the seacoast, construction of jetties, and establishment of petroleum storage facilities including tank farms and cold rooms.
In conclusion, CHRAN commended the industry and painstaking attention to detail demonstrated in the preparation of the 2026–2028 MTEF and FSP. It urged that the document be adopted as a template for state budgets within the period in line with the ARISE Agenda, while also appreciating the Speaker, leadership, and members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for the invitation to the public hearing. The organisation expressed optimism that its submissions would be incorporated into the final document in the interest of the Akwa Ibom populace.
