Gov. Udom Emmanuel Is Tactful, Calculative And Prayerful – Dr. Godwin Ntukudeh
Dr. Godwin Ntukudeh, Chairman AKIROMA in this interview with our Team took a swipe on Akwa Ibom at 32, Gov. Emmanuel’s milestones in office and his strives in keeping alive the Governor’s plan through his agency for the people of Akwa Ibom state among other salient issues.
Excerpts
What is your take on Akwa Ibom at 32, is the state faring well or a failure?
Akwa Ibom State at 32 years of its creation can be described as matured and purposeful state. Great men who are our true heroes envisaged Akwa Ibom. We are unique people, we are different, determined, focused, very aggressive and purposeful. We have unique culture and character with rich potentials that we found difficult to maximize around those surrounding us, so we carved out an entity for ourselves, that was the reason we all yearned for Akwa Ibom State. We are very unique people, that was why our brothers in old Cross River State found it difficult to contain us. Akwa Ibom people are very enterprising, robost and potently aggressive. So 32 years after our statehood, we can say yes we are on the right direction. We are still growing though, yet to reach our destination, but there are great indicators politically, economically and socially that points to the fact that we are advancing towards that envied destination. If you can compare our State with others even those states created 10 or 20 years before Akwa Ibom, you can’t even match them with the progress we have made.We have capable leaders in Akwa Ibom. I mean leaders who have contributed positively towards moving the state forward. From Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga through whom we got a state secretariat structured as one of the best today in Nigeria, which was uniquely designed and customized. We have great judiciary and a sound legislature without any record of serious crisis in governance or government since creation of the state.We are peace loving, united and poses character imbued with integrity. We love and respect each other and also conscious of each other’s right.
Again, it is on record that Obong Akpan Isemin fought for resource control under the then presidency of Ibrahim Babangida using Christy Essien Igbokwe. Isemin though had a short tenure imbued in the hearts of Akwa Ibom people, the need to think big. Obong victor Attah designed Uyo, the state capital of Akwa Ibom, as a private citizen and great architect. When he became governor he tried to interpret the design starting with the Ring Roads, the Airport, the Ibom Five Star Hotel, if you look at where the hotel is cited, you will know that it is not the choice of an ordinary mind. Even when you see the style of the airport, you will know that the designer is a great thinker. Ibom deep sea port was conceived by Obong Victor Attah and started by him. The seaport has the deepest sea shore and longest coastal line in Nigeria.
Then we had Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio and his uncommon transformation. Akpabio dismantled the house boy/girl syndrome plaguing the state. Akpabio brought free and compulsory education, he introduced unparallel generosity in governance, put up the new stadium, fly-overs and built upon the unfinished projects started by Obong Victor Attah. Then our incumbent Governor, Udom Gabriel Emmanuel came with a complete departure of the past, he brought corporate and structured governance that drives the state to self-sufficiency and relevance. Udom Emmanuel came with sustainable development especially at the time our country is facing Economic Challenges. He brought his expertise and prudence in management of our scare resources. He has taken the airport project to a higher level with the introduction of Ibom air. This shows he wants the state to make a major leap in her growth. Transportation is the key and greatest indicator of development because you can access everything including health, business, tourism, investment etc once the transportation is there. The airplanes are sound and new, the first ever to be owned by a state in Nigeria. We have a time conscious Governor and his habit has been transferred to the management of Ibom Air. Their time for departure is sacrosanct. The deep seaport project have been driven to the point of final realization, this was made possible because the government understand the country too well and her challenges, he has pushed the necessary titles and documentation for the realisation of the deep sea port from point A to Y and will get to Z any moment from now. The governor is tactful, calculative and prayerful. The Governor brought the “DAKADAA” philosophy, which has challenged our youth to stand up for greatness. That is what I referred to as spiritually packed and inspirational drive to achieve greatness. The message and the meaning of DAKADAA is a pure indication that Governor Udom Emmanuel saw the end from the beginning. So a man who sees the end from the beginning is a great visionary and the right man to lead us. Today Akwa Ibom people are witnessing sustainable development in Agriculture, Industrialization and ICT which is the need of the 21st century. His investment in agriculture is massive making food available and affordable. He brought FADAMA 3, introduce all round the year farming and gave quality and high yielding seedlings to the farmers. He made available fertilizer plants, and enough fertilizers to match the various soil types across the state. We have several garri processing machine, Akwa prime hatchery producing all the birds we need in the state. He is also putting up a ranch in Adadia inUruan, all geared towards ensuring food sufficiency in the state. With the achievement of food security, we are encouraged to move head long into industrialization, which is the cardinal point of his government.
Today we have a Governor who understands the true meaning of industrialization with several industries already on ground. Which includes Akwa prime hatchery, metering factory, plywood factory, flour mill industries, syringe factory, coconut factory etc. Notwithstanding the challenges facing the coconut factory today, the governor is determined to see to the success of that project. The governor has made tremendous impact in the power sector. He has further put into use the power being generated into effectiveness by building power sub stations across the state to boost electricity supply in the entire state. That is the Hallmark of industrialization.
We have industrial harmony today in Akwa Ibom because the Governor is a human centered leader. He has paid in one fell swoop, ten years old gratuity to local government retirees. As we speaks, he has paid that of the state civil servants beyond 2017 and 2018. Salaries are being paid regularly not withstanding drop from the federal allocation. He has managed the meager resources of the state well. The governor brought peace and tranquility to the people because of his strong desire to surrender the state to Almighty God from the beginning of his administration. He has dedicated himself and the state to God and has encouraged every Akwa Ibom person to rededicate themselves to God. Akwa Ibom is today under Godly influence because her leader surrendered her to God and we are enjoying his mercies and favour. Akwa Ibom no doubt is a successful state today.
AKIROMA is now under your supervision, how far have you driven the vision of the Governor in that sector.
Governor Emmanuel has brought inspirational leadership to AKIROMA. The governor came with the mantra of sustainable development and you cannot sustain development without maintenance culture and maintenance programme. Even life given to us by God needs maintenance, God needs us to fast, pray and refresh ourselves. Sometimes we go to hospitals, take drugs, eat well and all these is to maintain our health.
Governor Emmanuel has created roads to all nooks and crannies of the state that is unprecedented and it needs maintenance. Hospitals have been built and they need maintenance too. Akwa Ibom State roads maintenance Agency was established in 2009 by previous administration but Governor Emmanuel is the first governor to really put the agency into proper use with adequate funding to move round the state and intervene on bad spots.
So we as Agency today is bearing driven by a pragmatic leader and we are on our toes always fixing the bad spots across the state. we are daily receiving accolades on our achievements because we are under the supervision of a great leader and achiever. The governor wants the state to remain clean and green and had challenged us to clean up potholes on the roads across the state. We are not unaware of the challenges the raining season posed to our roads with new pot holes but I want to plead with our people to tarry because in the next one or two months they will all be gone. Even now we are working round the clock. For instance, we have done the Okopedi– Uya Oro 12 km overlay. We have done a marvelous work at Dominic Utuk Road on overlaying. If you go to Eket-Oron Road, you see what we have done in over laying, the same to Ikot Ekong – Etinan round about, you see what he have done on long stretches. Others includes Okokon Etuk Street which we reconstructed, Itam B division police road is in top shape now, for years that road was impassable. Today we have installed a special culvert underground piping system there in our own way to discharge water out of the road. Ebet Ayah by Sam Law/IBB have been reconstructed too. Akwa Ibom people are applauding us for our pro-activeness, Itu Road is good again, Ikpa Road by the university is memorable now, Nelson Mandela and so many adjourning roads have received our attention. Any moment from now work will start at Aka-Etinan Road etc. the governor has kept us on our toes twenty four hours. Eket bridge head received our attention. Enennsit road have be resurfaced etc. We are also into community grading of roads linking communities to one another, village to village. We grade bush tracks and open new roads so that agricultural produce can hit the urban centers for sale and farmer making returns on their efforts. We have opened rural road through grading in almost all the local government in the state. We have also fixed some of our vandalized equipments in the yard and employ more hands to further ensure the success of our mandate.
All our achievements today is dedicated to our governor who funds and encourage us.
We are responding to calls from Akwa Ibom people on areas with challenges and the governor is doing everything possible to ensure he kept the promise the made to Akwa Ibom People.
What is your major philosophy or drive that seems to help you post results wherever you are engaged to serve? Your feats in Transport Ministry and Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio is still fresh in the minds of our people.
Service; service to the people. Humanity must be touched by those the Lord has lifted higher. So at any point, we have the belief that wherever we found ourselves, human beings must benefit from the gifts of capacity and in depth content values.We must always strive to change the fortunes of our people.
Therefore, the drive is to touch other human beings on the mantra of service before self is compelling ideology that motivate us day and night. So when others go to sleep we remain awake until the fortune of greater number of people if not all is met. Therefore, it is service before self and service to the people and a promise that whoever called us to serve must not be disappointed by that call. If God calls us in the church, God must not be disappointed, if a political leader calls us to serve, he must not be disappointed. We must pray to God at all times to live up to expectation both to the leader, to God and to humanity that abound around us.
