GOD’S FACE IS ON AKWA IBOM STATE BY ELDER SAMUEL E. EDET Ph.D ACTING CHAIRMAN GOVERING COUNCIL AKWA IBOM STATE POLYTECHNIC IKOT OSURUA

When God chooses a leader, His countenance is lifted upon that leader and the people, and by extension, the people rejoice. Put differently, when a leader respects and honours God, His abundance, both in terms of peace, security and happy life follow the people. This scenario is evident in the Udom Emmanuel leadership of the state. He began his administration by handing his administration, the state and its people over to God Almighty. Today, the bountiful blessings from God abound with the state and its people.

Prior to his coming into office, insecurity was the order of the day in the state. Hardly did a day go by without cases of kidnapping, child theft, murder, political assassinations as well as robbery. As if those were not enough, communal crises were recorded amongst most communities in the state.

Away from these, there were labour crises and the youth of various communities held government contractors to ransom. Consequently, there was stagnation, fear and contractors moving away from project sites. These in turn had adverse consequences on the resources of the state.

And when Governor Udom Emmanuel took over the leadership of the state, very unfortunately, the nation went into a recession the type that has never been witnessed since Nigeria became independent. If the recession had met the condition we had in the state before Mr. Udom Emmanuel came into office, the situation would have been appalling. Luckily, Mr. Emmanuel came at a time like that – God fearing, imbued with the ability and capacity to manage men and resources coupled with being a man of character and competence we see the state moving forward in spite of the recession. Unlike most other states, salaries are paid regularly even when federal allocations are not forthcoming.

The education of the people is vital to the development of any society. To achieve this goal, the administration has sustained the free and compulsory education programme. This is capped up with the recruitment of some three thousand primary school teachers to beef up the teaching strength of state public schools. This is in keeping with the postulation by Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States of America who said; “I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion by education”. This is the task that Governor Udom Emmanuel has taken upon himself.

With regard to tertiary education, the state polytechnic received a major boost with the recruitment of some one hundred members of staff. In addition to this, funds were released to ensure the accreditation of programmes in the institution. As a result, the Polytechnic received the nod of the NBTE to handle thirty- three programmes. According to the NBTE official, this is first of its kind in the country. When leaders respect and honor God, all other things fall in place.

In the area of healthcare delivery, hospitals in the three senatorial districts have been given a facelift. This has brought quality healthcare facilities to the rural poor. A large category of people within the state are given free medical attention – children, pregnant women and the elderly.

Roads are also constructed in the three senatorial districts of the state. In just three years, over one thousand seven hundred kilometres of roads have been done. When you consider the fact that the nation went through the worst recession in its fifty eight years of nationhood, you will realize that all these are remarkable achievements.

In addition to these, industrial development is on the front burner of this administration’s five-point agenda. Industrial concerns are brought to the state. There is a first of its kind syringe factory in the state. Agriculture is receiving a boost and much more. These will not only make the state the industrial hub of the South South but will also create jobs and take our young men and women off the streets. This, indeed, is the first step to a major paradigm shift.

However, all these would not have been possible but for the prevailing peace and security in the state. In the words of Paul Harris, founder of Rotary Club, “the greatest resource which a nation can have is the resource of peace; it counts more than arable lands, more than mines of untold riches”. Peace has been the harbinger of the prosperity that is coming to the state, it is the reason behind the development processes going on in the state, it is the reason that government and labour work in harmony and peace will be the reason the state will continue to march forward into the future.

Most importantly, peace has come because God is leading the state through His anointed servant Deacon Udom Gabriel Emmanuel.

The most honorable thing for the people of the state to do is to thank God Almighty with all their heart. The greatest gratitude will be to vote massively for God’s chosen one, Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel and the development processes will go on while the prevailing peace will endure.

SIGNED
Dr. SAMUEL EDET
Acting Chairman, Governing Council.