Akwa Ibom State Government is now conducting more COVID 19 tests and saving more lives because it is the only State Government in Nigeria that is administering two Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) facilities, at the moment.

That much was revealed by the immediate past Commissioner for Health in Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Dominic Ukpong in a recent interview with newsmen in Uyo.

Dr. Dominic Ukpong disclosed that it was only possible for the State to run two sophisticated and very exorbitant PCR machines because Inoyo Toro Foundation and Stanbic IBTC Bank, through a partnership inspired by Mr. Udom Inoyo, had silently donated the second PCR equipment and accessories to the State in the heat of COVID 19 outbreak and lockdown.

He said, “Udom Inoyo through the Inoyo Toro Foundation and Stanbic IBTC/JNCI donation has helped the state to be the only State with two PCR machines, one in Ibom Specialty Hospital and the one established by the Governor in Ituk Mbang. Our PCR laboratory is rated about the best in the country by the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC. So, it accelerated our testing, getting results and treating of COVID 19.”

Dr. Ukpong who currently serves as Honorary Special Adviser on Health Matters to Governor Udom Emmanuel and Coordinator of COVID 19 Incident Management Team in Akwa Ibom State explained that the PCR machines came at a point the country had only four which then resulted in very limited testings. He added that the two PCR machines have significantly helped the state in the management of COVID 19, especially as the successful management of the Delta variant requires early detection and demands increase in number of persons treated.

He said, “At a time in this country, we had it only in Jos, then Irua, then about four. That could not handle the entire county. So, we needed to do it in our State. If you test someone now, and the result comes out in one week, the person must have spread it during the waiting.

At about the same period last year, Mr. Inoyo through Concerned Akwa Ibom Professionals in Lagos, a body he still serves as Coordinator, had also donated over 11,000 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Akwa Ibom State Branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), for onward distribution to frontliners in the combat against the now ubiquitous virus.

Dr. Dominic Ukpong hinted that though it was very costly and difficult to get a PCR machine down to Nigeria at that peak of the global lockdown, he was not surprised that Mr. Inoyo and his team still found a way to have the donated PCR machine delivered to the State, as he had already known Udom Inoyo over the years as one who would always find a way to contribute to the Government and people of Akwa Ibom State, when it matters most. He recounted how Mr. Inoyo, a former Vice Chairman of ExxonMobil Companies in Nigeria, usually went out of his way to facilitate the employment of lots of Akwa Ibom people in ExxonMobil.

Ukpong, himself a former Chief Medical Director of ExxonMobil Companies in Nigeria, noted, “I heard some people claim he did not help Akwa Ibom people while in ExxonMobil. That is false. I know that Udom did a lot to get people from our State to be there. Anietie Johnson who is late fought a lot to get people into the Company. He had lots of obstacles. But Udom came into that place and succeeded.”

He added, “I know that a number of times that people were to be employed through advertisement, he left his office to go to town. I know that because we were very close. If they told him about someone’s house, he went there two times to ensure he sees that person to apply. He sought for those who got First Class or Second Class Upper to apply, if that’s what they are looking for. He got them to apply… In one particular interview of which he encouraged and mobilized our people to apply, 93 people did that interview. The first five (5) of that 93 came from our State.”

Dominic Ukpong further revealed that Akwa Ibom and Cross River State people who worked in ExxonMobil had a rallying forum called “Ufok” where they discussed challenges facing people at home and how to address them and maintained that Inoyo was at the forefront of battling such challenges, especially those appertaining to the employment of Akwa Ibom people in any of the subsidiary Companies of ExxonMobil in Nigeria. He added that such mobilization efforts of Mr. Inoyo and others yielded great results as Akwa Ibom State began to have the numbers in terms of employment, starting from the early 90’s.

According to an official release recently issued by the Company and available on corporate.exxonmobil.com, over 92% of ExxonMobil’s workforce in Nigeria today are Nigerians, out of which 35% are from Akwa Ibom State.