It was Arnold Glasow, an American author who noted that, “one of the tests of
leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an
emergency”.
This line of thought suffices in the light of the uncommon transformation
initiative
of the Akwa Ibom State Government, which will on August 14, 2014, receive
a boost,
as the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal
Republic
of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan visits Akwa Ibom State on a one day
working
visit.
Mr President, while in Akwa Ibom will perform the ground breaking ceremony
of a
multibillion dollars Methanol Plant at Ibeno, and commission some
trailblazing
projects such as the 69 kilometer Gas Processing Facility at Uquo, and the
Goodluck
Boulevard expected to add value to the the aesthetic outlook of Uyo, the
state
capital.
Also included in Mr President’s schedule are the inspection of the 30,000
capacity
Ibom international Stadium, which is nearing completion, the first
suspended bridge
in the state at Abak, and the dualization of the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene Road,
which has
reached an advanced stage.
One thing is certain about these projects to be commissioned and inspected
by Mr
President: for Akwa Ibom which is referred to as the Gilgal of Nigeria, the
projects will engender sustainable livelihood and the development of the
state,
through job creation, reduction of income inequality, and ultimately
integrate Akwa
Ibom into the international capitalist economy. This is in consonance with
Dudley
Seers’ conceptualization of development which hinges on providing answers
to the
questions about unemployment, inequality, and poverty!
Ultimately, these projects to be inspected and commissioned will give a
synergy to
the transformation agenda of Mr President, whose dividend is being felt in
almost
all sectors of Nigeria’s political economy.
Those who ignore the lessons of history, are doomed to repeat it, says George
Santayana, a Spanish Historian. Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will today make
history
as the first Nigerian President to visit Akwa Ibom four times in five
years, and the
first Nigerian President to visit Ibeno, one of the oil hubs of Nigeria
twice.
This feats, are of great historical and political essence, as it reveals the
emotional affiliation of the president to the Akwa Ibom project, while
severally
earning for him the toga, “a true friend of Akwa Ibom State” .
Little surprising that the people of Akwa Ibom had confidence in Mr
President, when,
in January 2011, all the delegates from the state voted for him in the
presidential
primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, and repeated same feat during
the April
2011 presidential elections, with over 95 percent of votes for Mr
President. On his
part, President Jonathan has not hidden his appreciation to Akwa Ibom for the
ensuing political partnership with the state.
It is instructive to note that the trust, and bond of friendship between
the state
and Mr President accounts for the emergence of the Uncommon Transformer,
Governor
Godswill Akpabio, as Pioneer Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, and a
strategic
team player in the Goodluck Presidential project. This, the Governor, has
effectively harnessed, by making Akwa Ibom, a major support base of Mr
President.
Other evidences of Mr President’s magnanimity to Akwa Ibom include the
appointment of Akwa Ibom sons and daughters into juicy federal positions such as
Minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, and the Managing Director of NDDC;
and the recent siting of a federal polytechnic in the state.
These are testimonies of reciprocity on the part Mr President, and an
indication
that better things are in the offing for Akwa Ibom State, afterall it is
commonly
said that “one good turn deserves another”.
As Nigeria approaches the year 2015, when it’s future will be redefined
through a
general election, it’s the resolve of the people of Akwa Ibom to massively
urge
President Jonathan to accept their clarion call and throw his hat into the
ring for
a second term mandate.
This will afford President Jonathan an opportunity to consolidate on the
gains of
his transformation agenda, while the people of Akwa Ibom stand the chance
to reap
greater dividends beyond 2015!
Finally, as Mr President appends his seal to the Uncommon Transformational
leadership of the state, by inspecting and commissioning this pathbreaking
developmental projects, the people of Akwa are proud to identify this great
statesman and one of their own on the momentous occasion and pledge for a
greater
partnership in the ensuing days. Ete Amedio
Uwemedimoh Umanah, is a Peace Researcher, and Newspaper Publisher