By Akpan Essiet
Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State is unarguably one of the best governors in Nigeria in the last 7-8years in terms of delivery of dividends of good governance in every true sense of it. He has redefined “great performance in public office”, and has raised the bar when it also comes to preservation of public trust, probity, accountability and dedication to service.
In the last 7-8years, the good people of Akwa Ibom have been living in the state one would have imagined only existing on 3D prototype design and in their imagination with an extensive road network connecting towns, industries springing up all over the state, youths gainfully engaged and employed, and the flag of Akwa Ibom being flown all over the country by its’ Ibom Air.
A few highlights of the Udom Emmanuel’s administration which upped the standard of good governance and established him as the best in the country includes projects like the Ibom 3,000 project which was a demonstration of the much-needed support and development for SMEs in the State as 3,000 youths from the 31 Local Government Areas were trained on improvement of their capacities in diverse vocational, technical, entrepreneurial and managerial skills in oil and gas sector. Similar efforts were made in Agribusiness, ICT and SMEs to enable them secure gainful employment and create jobs .
This was followed with another batch of 8000 indigenes trained for the same purpose in a preparation for the industrialization of the State. The ICT training laid emphasis on digital acquisition required in the 21st century such as Coding, software architecture and engineering, and android engineering which encapsulates SOLID principles, writing clean code, application architecture and testing. Data-structures and Algorithms which are the needed skills set for the artificial intelligence driven future. The Jubillee Syringe Manufacturing Complex, where many young people operating many equipment and machines and not as casual workers. I was told most of the workers and people undergoing training in maintaining, repairs and servicing of those machineries are youths from the host communities. This will enable them function well after the knowledge transfer and get gainful employment with the company. There is also Kings Flour Mills, where except the “Miller” who is Turkish, all other operators are Akwa Ibom youths and a process in place where youths of the state are undergoing training on acquiring the special skills towards being a miller.
The Dakkada Industries Limited where production of toothpick, plastics and tissue paper are done by youths of the State under the supervision of various technical partners, products from this place are of national and international standard. Production was later expanded just to meet up with the demands for their products and this translated to more jobs and Akwa Ibom youths with specialized training.
The skyline of Uyo will never remain the same again. The Dakkada Towers which many believed was owned by a multinational oil company because of the sheer size of the project is surely going to be the first of more to come. All the aforementioned policies and projects are things an average Ibomite read about and hoping to behold one day in his or her state.
Now it has happened, what is next? There is always that sense of lack of motivation after satisfaction and fulfilment, especially when the ultimate may seem to have been achieved, but there is always need to sustain whatever greatness that has been achieved and also improve on it. There is always room to better the best. I dare say Ibomites may have felt there could be nothing better or beyond the “Transformation Era” of former Godswill Akpabio. Alas, they were quick to soon realise that assumption was wrongly premised as Udom’s emergence on the scene has set the pace and made a very valid case for bettering the best which is what the ambition of Pastor Umo Eno represents to the good people of Akwa Ibom.
It will amount to stating the obvious that he (Pastor Eno) tick all the boxes to inspire the sense of déjà vu among Ibomites. A cursory assessment of his credentials and his proposed policy thrust which will form the essence of the social contract he is entering with the people of the state come May 29 2023, one will be buzzing with confidence and convictions that better times lies ahead.
His ARISE agenda which is a detailed document most certainly is complimentary to the Dakkada vision which would continue to advance the aspirations of a further progressive Akwa Ibom State. This is naturally expected as he has been a member of the team and the administration which conceived and has advocated the culture of Ibomites to greatness. With the ARISE agenda, Uno most certainly tickles the imagination, stirs aspirations and increases the expectation of people of the State as many expect it will translate not just into further improvement of their individual lives. But also the collective advancement of the state’s socio-economic status and fortunes.
The promise to improve education through increased enrolment, improved teaching aid, improved condition of service, also on health and infrastructure with the promise to do more is an indicator that the best Ibomites are experiencing is about to get better. The projects and achievements, which brought the state to national reckoning is set to get bigger without a doubt. One may ask on what is this conviction premised to which I say, my conviction is emboldened by the antecedents and demonstrated capacity of Umo Eno. His well articulated intentions to diversify the state’s economy, expand the revenue base, ensure financial stability, and also create income and opportunities which will in turn reduce poverty in the state. His vision to hasten the industrialisation vision of the state and ensure a creation of massive variety of Akwa Ibom brands will also attract increased foreign direct investment and also increase the Gross Domestic Product of the State.
There is also a great vision to bring governance closer to the people and more efficient through the promotion of e-governance enhanced workers’ welfare and public service excellence. This will be achieved through good governance practices with promotion of transparency, accountability, consultative, and an all-inclusive government in line with the values, character and mission of Pastor Eno.
His desire to create an enabling environment for business to thrive as well as wealth creation will support the growth of micro, small and medium scale enterprise. Ibomites are not just about to experience a new height of good governance, they will also benefit directly as there will be an evident rise in households’ income across the state. Pastor Eno has promised the state will not be left behind in the race for Metaverse and AI (Artificial Intelligence) as there will be massive investment into the ICT sector to produce a population competitive for the future in the horizon.
Trust me, when Pastor Umo Eno is voted into office and done with all these plans, governance witnessed in the last 7-8 years which is considered the best across the country would could only get better. Akwa Ibom is set to get better. Pastor Umo Eno is out to better the best on ground for the good and benefits of the people of Akwa Ibom.
Essiet writes from Uyo