Date Published: 05/27/09

Govs to undergo training on governance in USA

The forum of serving governors in Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kennedy University in the United States of America to undergo more basic training in the art of governance beginning from October, this year..

The State Governor, Chief Godswill O. Akpabio announced this while bring government house correspondents, Uyo at Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar on his mission to the United States of America.

Akpabio who was in USA with his counterparts- Comrade Adam Oshemole, Edo; Dr Bukola Sariki, Kwara; Alhaji Isa Yuguda, Bauchi States respectively explained that the training exercise would expose them to the ethics of governance and help to deepen democracy in Nigeria for transparency and more result-oriented delivery in the coming years.

“It is unfortunate that in Nigeria once you are elected a governor and sworn in, you are on your own. You can stumble and fall if you do not have experience in government. You make some blunders the moment you start”, the governor lamented.

According to him, “In USA, it is not the same thing. Once you are elected, they teach you from governance to ethics even the way you talk, your comportment and teach your spouse and family members how to behave in public”.

While in the US, the governors also met with National Governors Association in America and with the Assistant Secretary of state, Ambassador Kern.

Akpabio said he would never be deterred in giving a purposeful leadership to the people in the face of certain distractions in some quarters.

He said the people of the state have a lot to celebrate as Nigeria marks its 10 years of democracy as the state governor is focused on delivering the dividends of democracy.

Reacting to some of the issues raised in a letter written to him by his predecessor, Obong Victor Attah and published in some national dailies, the governor said Obong Attah had commissioned a lot of uncompleted projects such as the Ibom Power Plant (IPP), Le-Meridien Ibom Hotels and Golf Resort, Nwaniba with less than 20 rooms and Akwa Ibom International Airport with one cleared runway.

On the provision of pipe-borne water, Chief Akpabio also blamed his predecessor for receiving about N400 billion but failed to release the needed N6 billion to complete the project as contained in the letter by Obong Attah.