I am being propelled by my faith It is a wrong timing for zoning Udoedehe Senator John James Akpanudoedehe is a pioneer of the newly registered mega party, All Progressives Congress, APC. In 2011 he was the candidate of the defunct ACN in the Akwa Ibom State Governorship election. In this exclusive interview with Global Concord, he recounts his terrible experiences in Uyo prisons and takes a swipe on the present government under Governor Godswill Akpabio. Excerpts: How would you assess the development plan of Governor Godswill Akpabio’s government in the last six years in Akwa Ibom State? The development plan of Akpabio’s government is a complete failure. Development is not based on media hype. The millennium Development Goals (MDGs) had set out indices that can determine development. Poor sanitary condition must improve, access to water must improve and access to other life- changing facilities must improve; but it is unfortunate we have not been able to meet up with some of these things. You say you are developing a state while you are running a generator at night. When people come you do a guarded tour to show them. You keep advertising a particular thing all over again with nothing else to show. Meanwhile the kind of money we are getting from the Federation Account cannot match the level of development in the State. Imagine a man who has so much money in his pocket and he is still borrowing money. What kind of economy is that? Even his friend, the Governor of Anambra, said “I have done everything, but I have never borrowed”. Will development start with you and end with you? So, nobody will do it apart from you. Like the airport, he would finish his tenure without finishing the airport. Another person that will take over might not even finish the airport. Why are you trying to behave as if you are a superman whereas you are not? Polices that will enhance or actualize the dreams of the indigenes should be embarked upon. Infrastructure that will bring in development to make people self independent should be looked into. It is not when a governor is out of the state the state dies. If you have a state that the economy revolves round the state governor then something is wrong. What is your position on the repeated topic of zoning of governorship seat in 2015? Zoning is a very convenient political arrangement but we have a despot in government; a very deep satanic despot who has stolen so much money and they are afraid. They are trying to bring in their own so that the status quo would continue. We need to be liberated so that we don’t slaughter the freedom of the state on the altar of zoning. Don’t quote me wrong. I support fairness, I am not for zoning. As we speak, everybody who wants to run for this office believes in anointing. They are not people-friendly. You need to have a message that will sell you to the people. There is something that is wrong. Our people are living under a certain spell. Why would you have democracy and have people being frightened to their marrow? Democracy is freedom. In a normal political situation, there is nothing wrong with zoning. The question is: are they going to be fair in their zoning? For instance, if they are fair they should narrow it down to ethnic group. But they won’t do that. Therefore, you need a liberator. You need a government that can prepare platform for individual’s aspirations and dreams or a government that will propel some talented individuals to achieve whatever they are set to achieve. Sometimes when people say stories about what we are doing I always laugh because without this opposition even the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not make money. They only way they can make money is through a credible opposition that we are showing. For instance, they will tell government a number of stories to make money which is nonsense. Which of our children schools here, if you ask me? A lot of people will be judged by the parable of ten talents when God will ask you “yes I gave you a talent, what did you do with it?” It is not a matter of looking at individual. It will be more than that. Ours is different. Are they smarter than me? Of course, not. Will I worship money forever? Where I’m I going after leaving here? What legacy I’m I leaving behind? Will I leave a legacy that I was the richest man or will I leave a legacy that I was happy when other people were sad? The more you get closer to God, the more you realize that the man that fails actually is the greatest man not the man that operates. Now, what I think about is how to speak for those who cannot speak. I am being propelled by my faith. So zoning at a normal political calculation is right, but the people who are qualified will not get it unless they struggle for it. Except you have a message to bring back the State. If not, you will just be giving it to the same set of people who have positioned themselves to get it. In 2015, what the people of Akwa Ibom need is a message that will give hope, a message that will bring back the state from the hands of despots. Was I not one of those who came and actualized the dream? The incumbent Governor, Godswill Akpabio was the least among the people that came from Annang to contest the governorship seat but just because they called him a “bastard”, I was angry because God created everybody. But calling people names doesn’t make sense. So, here we are today, all those people who are clapping for Akpabio today, what did they do that I did not do for Akpabio? The same man who wanted to kill me. You can be happy today because you are eating crumbs; what about your children? We don’t do things for the future, people only think about the present situation. What about the people that fought for the creation of the State? People who even prophesied about the State are not alive to enjoy it. What are you going to leave behind for generations unborn? Some of our children are going to come here for Christmas, would they be able to survive some terrains which are polluted by some deviant behaviours? Our mission is clear. There is no party in this country that I will go to and I will be on the floor. It is not a matter of what you get. I am satisfied with what God has done for me. Are you satisfied with the State Government’s efforts towards poverty reduction? Despite reducing, it seems to be increasing among the low income earners in the state in spite of the huge sum of oil money accruing to the state? It is sad that we have people in this sate that are smiling while suffering. For instance, last month (May), we got from the Federation Account almost N70billion excluding Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). If you have people who believe in anything goes where there is no intellectual component to propel the future and someone is deceiving you and you are still believing him, then something is wrong. Do I need to look for two people to believe the way I think? No, it is not always a lot of people that believe in something. It only takes one person to change a society. It is a terrible situation we are facing here in Akwa Ibom. When we came out with our programme, they copied it and people believed that they would implement it. We know they have no intention. The only thing they are good at is to loot the treasury. They celebrate making billions. Family members celebrate when they make billions of naira. That is what they are good at. Nobody thinks about tomorrow. You cannot cry more than the bereaved. If people are suffering and smiling, and I am telling them you are suffering and they say no, so what do I do? There are those who come to tell me things are difficult. When they come here, they tell me you are not giving us money. How can you be comparing me with Umana Okon Umana, the present Secretary to State Government who has been stealing money since when he was a Director of Budget? He has never done any business than to be in government. How can you be comparing me with him? I am not a Commissioner and not a Contractor here in Akwa Ibom State. How can you be comparing me with your Governor who was a foreman who came into Government House to loot the treasury of the state to his family members? You can only be determined and not be deterred with temporary money that will only earn you garri and after that you look for another one. What about the future? We are now strangers in our land. Other people are giving testimonies about our money in churches all over Nigeria. Our money has gone to Ghana to the point of bringing the President of Ghana to legitimize the transfer of money in properties and wealth in Ghana and you clap hands for it. Everywhere in the world, if other people are behaving this way, will they develop?
Posted on: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 21:06:16 +0000
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