Ibom Air: How Gov Eno Is Watering ‘Plants’ He Received

The Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo on Friday, December 8 wore an air of expectancy as dignitaries from far and near gathered to add sauce to one of the crowning glories of Akwa Ibom State.

In a country where governments have generally run businesses aground or in deficit, Ibom Air, the five-year-old five-star airline that has become about the fastest-growing airline in Nigeria was about giving birth to another airliner.

Gathered to receive the brand new A-220-300 Airbus being added to the Ibom Air fleet were several citizens including the number one citizen of the state, Governor Umo Eno and a former governor of the state, Sir Victor Attah, after whom the airport has been named.

Apart from the veneration bestowed on him for laying the foundations of the modern Akwa Ibom, Attah is generally recognized for laying the foundation for the state to become an aviation hub. His successors have progressively built on it with the immediate past governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel crystallising the birth of the only government-owned airline in the country.

Governor Eno, being a pastor was quick to set the spiraling fortune of the airline on a scriptural footing drawing from Paul’s first letter to the Church in Corinth “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” 

While all three former governors of Akwa Ibom in the Fourth Republic had a role to play in the joy of the day, it was no surprise that he singled out his immediate predecessor, Mr Emmanuel for his exceptional vision in laying the foundations for Ibom Air.

“Let me particularly celebrate and thank my worthy predecessor for his vision in conceptualizing and breathing life into this pride of Akwa Ibom and pride of Nigeria in the aviation industry, Ibom Air. When this idea was first announced, the usual naysayers had dismissed it as a flash of wishful thinking. But as he always would say: The answer to doubters is success that shocks and confounds. Today, Ibom Air is the leading brand in the Nigerian aviation industry, a mere four years plus after it started commercial operations.”

GWG.ng reports that Emmanuel’s business-minded approach in nurturing the airline has found continuity in Eno who translated from the private sector having been beautified as one of the most successful hospitality entrepreneurs in the state.

For an airline which has won recognition for its on-time boarding and safety records, the future under the present governor appears bright with plans to strengthen international operations into East, Central and South African regions.

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