Udom Emmanuel
By Raphael Edem
The
1981 movie, The man who saw tomorrow narrates the story of the
French-born physicist and seer, Michel de Nostredame, known more
popularly by the Latinized version of his name, Nostradamus. He was
reputed to have the uncanny, metaphysical ability to predict what will
happen in the future.
There is a long list of happenings around the
globe that he was said to have foreseen.
Despite contention in some
quarters about the exactitude of his predictions, he is still reputed to
be one of the greatest seers that ever lived.
Some 500 years
have gone by since Nostradamus passed on. He still occupies a prime
place in the pantheon of seers.
But history is littered with three kinds
of persons who see the future. In the first category, you have men like
Nostradamus who use metaphysical methods. In the second category, you
have those cast in the mould of the wise men who saw the star when Jesus
was born and went to look for him. These persons study the universe and
read the stars.
Thirdly, you have those who, like the men of Issachar
in the time of civil war and national crisis in ancient Israel, had an
understanding of the times and knew what Israel ought to do for the
benefit of their future.
Udom Gabriel Emmanuel belongs to the last two
categories. He has seen the star of Akwa Ibom rising and he understands
what Akwa Ibom ought to do to achieve the future he has seen in the
stars. He is making plans for that future because he knows that the best
way to predict the future is to create it.
A tested and trusted
corporate titan, with over 25 years experience in financial services in
different parts of the world, Governor Emmanuel assumed office at a very
auspicious time in the history of Akwa Ibom state.
With dwindling
Federal receipts and a gloomy economic outlook, Emmanuel’s famed
integrity and management sagacity were some of the factors that stood
him in good stead with the electorate, leading to his being voted for by
an overwhelming majority, and being entrusted with the onerous task of
leading the State.
In his inaugural speech, Emmanuel had promised
to transform the economy of Akwa Ibom State via industrialization and
to sustain public-private sector initiatives, thereby opening
opportunities for growth and improved living standards.
Two years down
the line, and in line with his 5-point agenda of job creation, poverty
alleviation, wealth creation, economic and political inclusion and
infrastructure consolidation and expansion, he has initiated policies
and taken actions that stand him out as a leader who came into office
prepared for the task at hand.
The programmes and projects he is
embarking on are designed to cater not only for the Akwa Ibom of today,
but also the Akwa Ibom of the future.
A case in point is the
infrastructure expansion and consolidation agenda of the Udom Emmanuel
administration, which takes into consideration not just current demands
but also the demands of the future.
Facilities at the state-owned
airport, Akwa Ibom International Airport are being upgraded to meet the
projected flight and passenger traffic in the years to come.
The closure
of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and the attendant
difficulty to passengers has exposed the limitations of a mono-runway
airport. Governor Emmanuel had already envisaged this challenge and as
far back as the year 2015, he had begun the construction of the second
runway at the airport.
The runway, which is at an advanced stage of
completion, will have the capacity to serve any size of aircraft,
including the Airbus A-380. The runway will also make it possible for
cargo operations to commence in the near future.
This is another bit of
evidence of the futuristic mindset of a man who has an understanding of
the times and knows what Akwa Ibom ought to do. He had already
envisioned the airport as a hub for both passenger and cargo operations.
The Industrialization policy of the Udom Emmanuel administration is a
looking glass into the future. The electricity meter assembly plant in
Onna Local Government Area will cater for the needs of electricity
consumers almost ad infinitum.
The syringe production factory will
harness raw materials available in the State and will provide gainful
employment to a lot of our citizens.
As syringes are a vital consumable
in the health services sector, with hundreds of millions of them being
imported into the country yearly, the factory is guaranteed to be a
thriving venture, as there will be an almost endless demand for its
products from within and outside the country.
The global sports
industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars and provides gainful
employment to millions of people all over the world. There is an almost
limitless value chain associated with it that traverses almost every
sector of the economy.
Governor Emmanuel is positioning Akwa Ibom to key
into this multi-billion dollar industry by providing the enabling
environment and infrastructure to support the development of sporting
talents within the state.
He has embarked on the construction of 10
standard sports centres, one in each federal constituency. These
centres, one of which is already commissioned and in use, boast of
facilities for basketball, handball, football, hockey, tennis and tartan
tracks for athletics.
These facilities have rekindled the interest of
our children in sporting activities and with the re-introduction of
school sports, these centres will serve as nurseries where sporting
talents would be discovered. Already, the State has produced a common
wealth junior champion in the 100 and 200 metres in the person of
Aniekeme Alphonsus.
These sports centres would surely produce many more
national and global stars with the attendant benefits that come with
their status.
Add the case of the development of logistic centres
within the State to the futuristic model and another gavel drops. With
Akwa Ibom boasting the longest shoreline in the country of 129
kilometres, it is mind boggling that a major seaport hasn’t been sited
in the State thus far.
Numerous studies by maritime exerts have
identified Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area, which has a natural
draught of seventeen metres as the best location for a seaport in
Nigeria. The actualization of the Ibom deep seaport is therefore one of
the priority projects of the administration.
Already, the State
Government is working on providing appropriate access by road to the
location of the seaport, and is also partnering with the Federal
Government and private investors to see to the actualization of this
dream. There is no gainsaying that when the seaport project is
completed, it will create numerous direct and indirect jobs for people
in the State.
It will also reboot the economy of the State in a way
never seen before as there will be an influx of investments attracted by
the maritime potentials of the State. The medium to long term benefits
of this project on the citizenry are so vast that they task one’s
imagination.
The jetty at Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, tank
farms in Mbo Local Government Area, and other downstream operations in
the oil and gas sector of the economy, which he is currently attracting
to the State are a testimony to his foresight.
As the largest producer
of crude oil in the country, Akwa Ibom is being primed to attract
investment that is commensurate with its status. The coconut plantation
and refinery which is ongoing will see a revolution in the agricultural
sector of the state.
It will not only create lots of employment
opportunities but it will also provide an outlet for farmers to dispose
of their products at international market rates. There is definitely a
new dawn in the industrialization of the state, and the electorate,
citizens and residents bask in the expectation of bright and colorful
future.
Recently, there was much hue and cry about the
recruitment of 5000 additional teachers into the State’s school system.
When it would have been more politically expedient and popular to absorb
these `teachers’ into the service, Governor Emmanuel decided to act on
the tons of petitions that trailed the recruitment exercise.
Mindful of
the role played by teachers in moulding our future leaders, he directed a
screening exercise to be conducted on all those who had received
appointment letters. This exercise which consisted of simple,
multiple-choice English language questions revealed that a large number
of the prospective teachers were either unqualified or underqualified.
According to Emmanuel, “If I cannot allow a particular teacher to teach
my children, it would be unconscionable to allow such a teacher to teach
any Akwa Ibom child irrespective of who his parents are.”
This is the
trait of a compassionate and focused leader who wants the best for his
people and is not shy to take difficult decisions, knowing that in the
long run, those decisions will augur well for his people.
Governor Udom Emmanuel has proven to be a leader who has seen the future
and is serving his people with the future in mind. He is conscious that
the future belongs to those who prepare for it today, therefore, he is
laying a solid foundation for the economic well-being of his people.
When it would have been popular for him to pander to short-termism, he
is thinking ahead and using the resources of today to correct the
mistakes of yesterday while building for tomorrow. His lifelong passion
is to create a generation of people who earn a living, rather than beg
for a living.
He is focusing more on sound economic policies than
politics, for he understands that for political power to be fulfilling
and enduring, it has to stand on a strong economic foundation.
The dakkada philosophy, which is his reveille for the people of the
State to rise and take their destiny in their hands, is yielding a lot
of positive results. It has engendered in our people an attitudinal and
moral rebirth. He has imbued in his people a renewed spirit of
enterprise and creativity, and an abiding faith in their capacity to be
all that God had destined them to be.
Governor Emmanuel is the
kind of leader John Quincy Adams had in mind when he said “a leader is
he whose actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and
become more.” His actions inspire Akwa Ibomites to dream more of what
the future holds, learn more about how to fit into that future, do more
to prepare for that future and in the process, become more of what the
future requires.
A leader for all times, Governor Udom Emmanuel is
indeed the man who has seen the star of Akwa Ibom and has an
understanding of where that star is leading to and what the state ought
to do to get there.
No comments: