Governor Godwwill Akpabio has decried the use of electronic gadgets such as calculator by Nigerian students in solving mathematical problems, stressing that such does not help in their mental capacity and development.

Governor Godswill Akpabio, who stated this when the Chairman, Cowbell Group, Chief Keith Richards paid him a courtesy visit at Governor’s Office, Uyo to present to him winners of the 2014 Cowbell National Secondary School Mathematics Competition held in the state, remarked that, “Mathematics in our schools should not be a subject of only calculator, but it should be a subject of mental calculation to developing the brain power of our children.

“Education is one of the tools used to fight vices in our society. That is why I must commend Cowbell Group and the National Mathematical Centre for this competition, which is a great initiative for quality education that can be used to fight vices in the society. Lack of education could cause some of the vices in our society. And as one of the Governors in the Niger-Delta region of the country, I had to use education to fight some of the vices such as militancy and peer group influence”, he noted.

The governor maintained that “So, I had to introduce the free and compulsory education policy, which is open to all Nigerian children resident in the state. We also did expansion of schools, equipped facilities in the schools and so far we have built about 3,000 classroom blocks in the state because this is a state that places high priority on education”.

“We have also abolished the houseboy/girl syndrome and introduced free medical treatment for children from 1-5 years of age. And this state is one of the states in the country that has eliminated polio drastically”, he said.

Akpabio who thanked Cowbell Group and the National Mathematical Centre, Abuja for what they are doing for Nigerian children, said such would continue to endear Cowbell company to the hearts of Nigerians, congratulating the participants for doing so well in the competition and believing that in the nearest future, winners would emerge from Akwa Ibom.

Speaking earlier, Chairman of Cowbell Group, Chief Richards, had stated that the company sponsored and managed 29,000 students who sat for this year’s competition, disclosing that prizes of the competition comprise school books, computers, among others.

Richards who was accompanied by Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, National Mathematical Centre, Abuja, Prof. Adewale Solarin, among others, said the competition is a long-standing competition to sustain and develop their immediate community.

Hinting that the competition and awards ceremony are usually held in Abuja but they have decided to bring that of this year to the state, he assured to bring next year’s competition to the state and thanked Governor Akpabio for doing well in the education sector in the state and for the massive development of the state.

Akwa Ibom Government and Starwood International have signed a contractual agreement for the management of a four-point by Sheraton Hotel in Ikot Ekpene.

The state Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Emmanuel Enoidem signed for the state government while the Vice President of Starwood International, Mr. Hassan Ahdab signed for his company at the Governor’s Office, Uyo.

Governor Godswill Akpabio remarked” The signing of the agreement is another milestone for Akwa-Ibom people and the building of the four-point hotel is to strengthen our hospitality in the state. The project was awarded to Renaissance Construction Group and the construction of the hotel is already ongoing. We are on the seventh floor now and we are expected to commission the hotel on March 31, 2015. The hotel would be a 12-storey building, with 128 standard rooms, 16 suites, two presidential suites, meeting rooms, swimming pools, roof top cafe, among others.

The governor stated that “Ikot Ekpene is one of the oldest cities in the state. It is not only known as a raffia city but it is an archival centre for Akwa-Ibom State. The project is sited at where the former Ikot-Ekpene Prison was located, which we had to pull down and relocate the prison to another area, so the hotel would turn the place of grief to a place of joy, because this government came with a determination to turn our sorrow to an uncommon joy, which today has led to the uncommon transformation of the state.

“The hotel business ought to be a private-driven affair, but since the state is a civil service state, we then decided to give an enabling environment to the private sector to have a key role in the state”, he said.

On the Le’ Meridian Hotel and Golf Resort in the state, Akpabio disclosed that initially the hotel had some technical deficiencies, electro-mechanical issues, doors were not fire proof, among others, so his administration had to work with the management team of Starwood to bring the hotel to the standard of Starwood hotels and resort worldwide, with about 163 rooms, saying they were not enough for visitors entering the state, and that was the reason the state government had to build another five-star hotel at the Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre with 250 rooms.

He commended Starwood for the best management of the Le’ Meridian Hotel and Resort, and thanked the state Ministry of Special Duties and the construction company for the speedy construction of the project.

Speaking earlier, the Vice President of Starwood International, Mr. Ahdab, had thanked the state government for trusting in them, stressing that they would continue to support the state government for the continuous growth of the state.

He also applauded Governor Akpabio for the massive transformation of the state through infrastructures and for making Ikot Ekepene a modern city through the project, stressing that the governor has the potential for the growth of the state, disclosing that the four-point by Sheraton Hotel is an apex of destination in the country.

The state Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Enoidem who also spoke said that the project is the continuation of the uncommon transformation, which he said is targeted in making the state a universal destination through infrastructure.

Enoidem added that the contract for the project was awarded in September 2013, and is sited at the heart of the city of Ikot-Ekpene, stressing that the site of the project would be a comfort zone to the people and that the four-point by Sheraton Hotel would be of an international standard.