THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY ESIN. By Larry Esin The race to the Akwa Ibom State governorship position is in full swing and if current events within the State’s political ecosystem have been anything to go by, then we will be spot on to opine that this one will be a keenly contested battle characterized by Olympian hurdles and reserved strictly for the fearless. But why would anyone want to submit themselves to these sorts of harrowing experiences just to be governor? Could it be the passion to serve the people that propels them to the extent that they defy the sometimes life threatening dangers along their virtuous path or is it merely the inordinate lust to feast at the coveted national banquet table that tantalizes them? From face value, the untrained eyes may be unable to decipher between the former and the latter, what with the media razzmatazz which some of the aspirants have resorted to, displaying crisp sloganeering and the mesmerizing use of graphic design to befuddle their applauding audience. It is only upon a meticulous investigation of some of these individuals and their activities that they will discover a gaping vacancy of ideologies and strategy in their jamboree. Some are clueless errand boys who are ignorantly dancing to their Godfathers’ dictatorial tune while others are simply on a revenge mission against former political allies within the system, yet a few others are hoping to buy cheap sympathy from the public by spending lavishly on youths and women groups, churches, royal fathers etc. Bizarrely enough, one man has even jumped into the race for the laughable reason that his initials correspond with that of the past three governors of the state and so he is vying for the office of governor just to sustain that alphabetical sequence in the hope that it will confer on him some measure of luck to (under)perform like his predecessors. A certain man however seeks to be governor of Akwa Ibom state. He has a beautiful message and like a self-effacing missionary he has taken this message with him across the nooks and crannies of the state. His name is Egnr. Larry Bassey Esin and he needs little or no introduction. This political evangelist, convicted by his own promise of a better life for his people in the hereafter has preached his sermon articulately and has won over thousands of adherents to the cause. There has to be something about the message, the messenger and the method he propagates his message. I call it “THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY ESIN.” The genre of this gospel would be “REAL DEVELOPMENT” as I find that it presents a better version of the overrated “Uncommon Transformation.” First, let us establish that Esin has robust experience in 3 core areas; INVESTMENT INFRASTRUCTURE TOURISM His emergence as Governor would therefore be timely seeing that these are areas currently in dire need of attention in the state. On investment, Esin has among other things conceived a fine-tuned brand of public private partnership with Akwa Ibom State Development Fund (AKSDF) as the nexus that will facilitate public and private funding. Hear him: “The primary objective of the AKSDF is to facilitate the development of key economic sector (Education, Health, Infrastructure, and Capacity Building) by providing cost effective long term financing on economically viable projects and initiatives across the State… help Public and Private sector operators to develop sustainable projects that are sensitive to the social welfare targets of government (jobs creation. technology transfer, and capacity building), while at the same time yielding a healthy return to the fund investors.” This means that with increased private funding, there will always be resources to embark on STRATEGIC projects at all times, thereby increasing economic activities in the state. “So how does the common Akwa Ibom man or woman benefit from this” you may ask? Well, Esin has the answer. The AKWA IBOM LOCAL CONTENT LAW will be passed and this will ensure that a fixed percentage of all contracts awarded by government will be reserved for indigenous companies. It also requires non-indigenous companies to as a prerequisite to benefiting from government contracts reserve a certain percentage of positions in its workforce for Akwa Ibom indigenes. “This is to curb the alarming rate of capital flight in Akwa Ibom state and will also ensure that our people are trained by companies operating within it to acquire industry-relevant skills.” He states. This is in addition to his plans of revamping moribund companies littered across the state. To put it succinctly, Esin promises that with proper implementation of these strategies, his government will create 2,000 jobs in 6 months. In addition, a ‘BUREAU OF COOPERATIVES’ will be set up within the governor’s office to ensure that programs that support Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) are implemented. Under Infrastructure, Esin targets an overhaul of the transport sector by introducing standard practices within the sector. He also vows to checkmate rural-Urban migration by pursuing a vigorous rural development agenda. He intends to set up the Senatorial Districts Development Committees (SDDCs) for this purpose. On this he says: “…The primary objective of the SDDCs will be to implement sustainable economic development across the 3 senatorial districts of Akwa Ibom State, ensuring that development is dispensed equitably among all Akwa Ibom people, wherever they may come from and wherever they may be in the state.” The health sector will not be left out as a general hospital will be located in each of the LGAs of the state. He intends also to boost medical tourism by building a world class hospital which will serve not just Akwa Ibom, Nigeria but as far as West Africa and beyond. Esin also believes that Tourism can become huge income revenue for the state. He believes that the Akwa Ibom story which is often badly (and sometimes ‘never’) told can be rescripted. He considers Akwa Ibom to possess the rarest of flora and fauna that can be developed to attract visitors into the state. He promises to transform the Ibeno beach to meet world standards and spin income like he did with the Obudu Ranch, Afi Forest reserves, Ikom monoliths and the Marina Resort while working as the Cross River State Tourism helmsman. If you thought he was on a mindless development spree then you would be wrong. Esin hasn’t had his heads buried in the clouds, you must know. He admits the inevitable factor of TIME and PROCESS in his quest to build the new Akwa Ibom and has this to say: “I will not seek to catch up with the developed world, for the pace of our development must be commensurate with our capacity to sustain our development. The magnitude of this challenge requires therefore that we approach our development initiative and vision in phases; short, medium and long term, bearing in mind the burning desire and yearning of our people for immediate economic emancipation and security.” This is the Gospel according to Egnr. Larry Esin... Thanks be to God!. Ndito Akwa Ibom, edangha eda, edian ubok eno Egnr. Larry Esin 2015!!! I believe this good news of transformation. Do you?
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 08:27:27 +0000
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