It was Arnold Glasow, an American author who noted that, “one of the tests of
\nleadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an
\nemergency”.
\nThis line of thought suffices in the light of the uncommon transformation
\ninitiative
\nof the Akwa Ibom State Government, which will on August 14, 2014, receive
\na boost,
\nas the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal
\nRepublic
\nof Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan visits Akwa Ibom State on a one day
\nworking
\nvisit.<\/p>\n
Mr President, while in Akwa Ibom will perform the ground breaking ceremony
\nof a
\nmultibillion dollars Methanol Plant at Ibeno, and commission some
\ntrailblazing
\nprojects such as the 69 kilometer Gas Processing Facility at Uquo, and the
\nGoodluck
\nBoulevard expected to add value to the the aesthetic outlook of Uyo, the
\nstate
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
Also included in Mr President’s schedule are the inspection of the 30,000
\ncapacity
\nIbom international Stadium, which is nearing completion, the first
\nsuspended bridge
\nin the state at Abak, and the dualization of the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene Road,
\nwhich has
\nreached an advanced stage.<\/p>\n
One thing is certain about these projects to be commissioned and inspected
\nby Mr
\nPresident: for Akwa Ibom which is referred to as the Gilgal of Nigeria, the
\nprojects will engender sustainable livelihood and the development of the
\nstate,
\nthrough job creation, reduction of income inequality, and ultimately
\nintegrate Akwa
\nIbom into the international capitalist economy. This is in consonance with
\nDudley
\nSeers’ conceptualization of development which hinges on providing answers
\nto the
\nquestions about unemployment, inequality, and poverty!
\nUltimately, these projects to be inspected and commissioned will give a
\nsynergy to
\nthe transformation agenda of Mr President, whose dividend is being felt in
\nalmost
\nall sectors of Nigeria’s political economy.<\/p>\n
Those who ignore the lessons of history, are doomed to repeat it, says George
\nSantayana, a Spanish Historian. Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will today make
\nhistory
\nas the first Nigerian President to visit Akwa Ibom four times in five
\nyears, and the
\nfirst Nigerian President to visit Ibeno, one of the oil hubs of Nigeria
\ntwice.
\nThis feats, are of great historical and political essence, as it reveals the
\nemotional affiliation of the president to the Akwa Ibom project, while
\nseverally
\nearning for him the toga, “a true friend of Akwa Ibom State” .<\/p>\n
Little surprising that the people of Akwa Ibom had confidence in Mr
\nPresident, when,
\nin January 2011, all the delegates from the state voted for him in the
\npresidential
\nprimaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, and repeated same feat during
\nthe April
\n2011 presidential elections, with over 95 percent of votes for Mr
\nPresident. On his
\npart, President Jonathan has not hidden his appreciation to Akwa Ibom for the
\nensuing political partnership with the state.<\/p>\n
It is instructive to note that the trust, and bond of friendship between
\nthe state
\nand Mr President accounts for the emergence of the Uncommon Transformer,
\nGovernor
\nGodswill Akpabio, as Pioneer Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, and a
\nstrategic
\nteam player in the Goodluck Presidential project. This, the Governor, has
\neffectively harnessed, by making Akwa Ibom, a major support base of Mr
\nPresident.<\/p>\n
Other evidences of Mr President’s magnanimity to Akwa Ibom include the
\nappointment\u00a0of Akwa Ibom sons and daughters into juicy federal positions such as
\nMinister of\u00a0Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, and the Managing Director of NDDC;
\nand the\u00a0recent siting of a federal polytechnic in the state.<\/p>\n
These are testimonies of reciprocity on the part Mr President, and an
\nindication
\nthat better things are in the offing for Akwa Ibom State, afterall it is
\ncommonly
\nsaid that “one good turn deserves another”.<\/p>\n
As Nigeria approaches the year 2015, when it’s future will be redefined
\nthrough a
\ngeneral election, it’s the resolve of the people of Akwa Ibom to massively
\nurge
\nPresident Jonathan to accept their clarion call and throw his hat into the
\nring for
\na second term mandate.<\/p>\n
This will afford President Jonathan an opportunity to consolidate on the
\ngains of
\nhis transformation agenda, while the people of Akwa Ibom stand the chance
\nto reap
\ngreater dividends beyond 2015!<\/p>\n
Finally, as Mr President appends his seal to the Uncommon Transformational
\nleadership of the state, by inspecting and commissioning this pathbreaking
\ndevelopmental projects, the people of Akwa are proud to identify this great
\nstatesman and one of their own on the momentous occasion and pledge for a
\ngreater
\npartnership in the ensuing days. Ete Amedio<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Uwemedimoh Umanah, is a Peace Researcher, and Newspaper Publisher<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n