Transformation in Akwa Ibom unprecedented – Umanah Posted on Wednesday, August 14th, 2013 Aniekan-UmanahAniekan Umanah, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information and Communications, has in the past five years been an effective spokesman of the government. In this interview with our Correspondent, ANIEFIOK MACAULEY, in Uyo, he spoke about Governor Godswill Akpabio’s uncommon transformation and industrialisation of the state as well as the governor’s rising profile, among other issues. Excerpts: What would you say have been the major achievements of this administration in the last six years? First, I do not know if you have the time and the pages because if you are asking me to talk to you about the monumental achievements of His Excellency, Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio, in the last six years, I am tempted to think you have the time because it is a very serious matter. I will like to start by saying that the movement that took over Akwa Ibom State and change the political landscape of the state through the election of Governor Akpabio in 2007 signaled a new beginning for the state. It signaled a departure from the old era and propelled the state into an era of true and concerted development, and era of bold, purposeful and futuristic policies and programmes that have together propelled Akwa Ibom into a very high pedestal in the comity of states in Nigeria. Governor Akpabio’s achievements, I think, have been so monumental that the governor and the state have been widely honoured, and Nigerians, Akwa Ibom people, and global citizens have severally and roundly commended the governor for what he has been doing for this state. If you want to start with infrastructural development, which is what everybody wants to point at first, perhaps not knowing that there are so many underlying ones that you may not be able to hold and feel with your hands, but are working for the people – but let me start with the ones they will like to know first. In terms of infrastructural developments, you and I know that Akwa Ibom has never had it this good. In terms of road construction for a start, you are aware that this administration has constructed about 1200 kilometers of road in different parts of the state, that is about 320 roads with 28 bridges with five flyovers and four completed, the fifth one coming on. It has been tremendous. If you look at the underground drainage system, which is a major component of the infrastructure development programmes of this administration, the first one at Idoro-Itam area, 3.7kilometers underground drainage, 40 meters under the earth with five manholes at different location doing the water collections and releases it intermittently through hallowed pipes of over 3.8 diameter and then it de-floods the whole of the area. The same technology was deployed to save Abak – Ikot Ekpene road from collapse. That same technology was employed to the Tropicana area to take the flood water away seamlessly and the flood water that use to make Oron road by Uruan street impassable has also been taken away through the underground drainage. You are aware of the multifaceted Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Complex, the first part, that is the Cineplex has been commissioned and in use, the Mall will be ready this year, the government has already signed an MoU with Hilton Group for the running of the Hotel which is at the level of furnishing and internal works, the convention center is progressing very well which will be completed before the end of this era. You have enumerated so many achievements, should this be the reason your governor has been nicknamed ‘uncommon transformer’, ‘digital governor’ and things like that? Well, he has been called many names, but I think the catch phrase that has come to stay in the thinking of Akwa Ibom people is the uncommon transformer’, and that’s why people have been tempted to call him the uncommon transformer. Some people call him the digital governor, for many reasons, why wouldn’t he be when he initiated and built the first digital library in the whole of West Africa with about 350 computers, 70 million e-books and resources, the dual platform library, the paper library, about 35,000 books and, of course, the virtual library. It’s the first of its kind in the whole of West Africa and it is something really digital. Even if it is for that alone they will be right to call him digital governor. You have seen the new governor’s office, the exco chambers, the new governors lodge – everything there is automated and digital and ditto for the banquet hall, automated and digital so they are not wrong when they called him digital governor because he has done digital things. They are also not wrong when they call him uncommon transformer because he has performed in an uncommon manner. He has given to Akwa Ibom people uncommon projects and has brought forth and unleashed on the state an uncommon programme, which has changed the length and breadth of this state and is still changing and that is why we join the people in saying that the uncommon transformation continues. But are you aware that in spite of this uncommon transformation, that some sections of the state are still complaining of deplorable roads, especially in the Oron area where the people have actually been cut off from the rest of the State? But you know the main road in Oron is a federal high way and that is the responsibility of the federal government. Of course, I know that the officials of the Ministry of Environment and Works moved in immediately to see what remedial measures they could recommend to enable the people of Akwa Ibom State drive through, but that is a federal road. The government of Akwa Ibom State did not cut the road and neither did it caused the erosion, it came out as a result of natural situation. As you know, whatever will make Akwa Ibom people comfortable, if it is within what the governor can do, he will do it. It would appear that your governor has received more awards than many governors in Nigeria put together; how much, in monetary terms, do you think the governor has paid for these awards? Thank you very much, but you will be disappointed if you are expecting any answer in line with your thinking. The governor has never paid anybody for any award. He has never solicited for any award from anybody. As we are seated here, the Daily Independent honoured him as the Man of the Year, the question now is how much did Daily Independent charge for the Award? The Champion Newspaper is about to honour him as Icon of Democracy; so how much have we paid to Champion? To the best of my knowledge, there is no payment made to anybody, and I can say that, without any fear of contradiction. Okay, the United States Congress that honoured the governor with Certificate of Congressional recognition and commendation, are you now saying we paid for it? Governor Akpabio has never paid for any award and has never solicited any award from anybody, and will not do so. Recently the African Development Magazine honoured him as Best Governor in Africa in Accra, Ghana, and as I am talking to you, recently the Global Peace International presented three awards, jointly signed by 24 human rights organisations in five continents, and they had a selection team that came to this state and conducted their own investigations and came up with that and the governor was not even there in person; I had the privilege of being there to receive the Awards. I believe the people have come to the realization that something great is happening in Akwa Ibom State. Those who are honouring him have seen what they never saw and they are giving the governor this honour as a way of encouraging him and acknowledging the good work he is doing. When you do well and you are acknowledged, it will encourage you to even do better. I think what the awards have done is to spur the governor to do more for the people and, on every occasion in which he has had the opportunity of receiving an award, he had always dedicated it to the children of Akwa Ibom State whose future he must guarantee through the educational programme and the people of the state who gave him the mandate, and to God Almighty who even made it possible for him to be of this clime in a position to be honoured. I think he has been receiving well-deserved awards. During the 2011 election campaigns, the governor promised the total industrialization of the state with one industry per local government, would you say that the policy is still on course? In terms of industrialization programmes that the governor promised, he did say that he would work with the private sector towards the realisation of establishing one industry per local government area. He has put in place the framework for the realisation of this promise. Industrial development is not a fly by night thing. It is an initiative that requires due diligence and a process to realise. You don’t just get up and build an industry, you must look at the raw materials, transportation, you must look at the viability, community issues, right of way, depending on what you are pursuing. So, for the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, he has done what he needs to do, he has set up proper investment corporation and saddled them with the responsibility of going through the Memoranda of Understanding and bringing forth what is possible and recommending possible collaboration of the state government and the would-be investor. We have received so far good results, we have brought in the Bank of Industry and put in a counterpart funding of about N5billion for industrial development fund to enable those interested investing to access funds for development. On the whole, we have received more than eight expressions of interest for a company in Abak, Eket and other areas, but it is for Akwa Ibom people to key in to this vision, work with relevant corporation and financial institution, follow the guidelines and, of course, the industry will start. Despite the achievements of the governor as you have enumerated, how do you feel as a commissioner when you read negative reports about your governor? Well you feel bad when people tell outright lies. When it is from the stand point of ignorance, you will understand and attribute it to lack of education; but when it is clearly a mischief, you know that it is not for lack of knowledge, it is for the mischief of it and attempting to bring down somebody, and for such people we leave them to God and God has a way of rewarding wicked men, wicked people and people who tell lies, and they know. But if they do not know then we will ask God to forgive them and, of course, if they do not know, God will forgive them but if they know and they deliberately speak falsehood so that they can throw tar and mud at somebody, for me I think we will leave that to God and their consciences, to judge them. But I know the people know more than that; that the views of one person cannot supersede the views of the generality of the people. So it only helps us to isolate clearly the wheat from the chaff. It is believed that democracy allows freedom of opinion and speech within the ambience of the law, but it is said in some quarters that your governor is very intolerant of opposing views. How correct or otherwise is this? Totally incorrect, and I challenge whoever is saying that to produce evidence of such; there is no evidence and there is no shred of truth in that. It is just part of the blackmail that I talked to you about. Intolerant, how? It is not possible. You know that Governor Akpabio is the man of the people, he moves into the people, discusses with the people, and listens to the people and so on. Yes, you could feel low if people get out telling lies and if he is not happy with lies, and if that is being intolerant, I think I will encourage him to be intolerant there. If people give opinion and make constructive criticisms, or make suggestions not about the person but on issues on projects and about how certain things should be done, he welcome them. When he finds good ideas, he identifies them, encourages them and supports good idea irrespective of who is the carrier of the idea, but the most important thing is that it is a good idea. But I must tell you that the governor is a very tolerant person, he is a democrat to the core and I don’t think that there has ever been any governor that shows this level of togetherness and relationship with the people. In the next two years, Akpabio’s government will come to an end, but then the governor seems to be biting more than he can chew, awarding contracts for road construction; he is the Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, and he has been endorsed for Senate seat by the Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District. Does the governor have the capacity to handle all these? Thank you very much for that question. I think first you have, just like other Nigerians, confirmed that we have a great man in Akwa Ibom State in the person of Godswill Akpabio. You just confirmed what Nigerians also know that there is a man who can solve problems at the center, and you have confirmed as the PDP did that there is a man who can organise people. The governor has shown enough capacity that it is possible for government to work for the people. He created and made Akwa Ibom a model and a reference point to the development of Nigeria. So Nigeria has to seek him. The country sought after him and the PDP sought after him to organise the PDP Governors’ Forum. He has discharged that responsibility well; the government is not suffering in Akwa Ibom state. The people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District have done well to endorse him for the Senate seat, because with somebody like him in the Senate, he will use his experience and influence to attract development to the state. There is rumour making the rounds that you are eyeing the House of Representatives seat in 2015. Is this correct? I am serving as Commissioner for Information and Communications for the government of Akwa Ibom State, that is the job I have now
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:46:24 +0000