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Tag: Akpabio

  • Akpabio: Honours without end

    Akpabio: Honours without end

    Let me crave the indulgence of my readers to adapt the above title from a piece I did on Babangida at the height of his power and glory 21 years ago (The Guardian, November 2, 1992). Babangida, after his palace coup bought over, some said ‘bribed’ the members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm by expunging Buhari’s obnoxious Decree 4, giving

    relief to journalists who had fallen foul of the decree and appointing their leading light along with intellectuals known for their independent views into his administration. His regime was immediately ‘legitimized’ by the press. He even got away with a comical title of president. And overnight, the lowly-born General was transformed into ‘The Prince of Lower Niger’ by hagiographers.

    What then followed was a deluge of honours. He became the ‘Opu Omatu Alabo’ (Chief warlord) of Rivers State, the Oka Ome (Man of his words) of Enugu, the Ukphoro Uwana of Cross River, the Comforter of the Igbos and so on. He and his wife were chased around with honorary doctorate degrees. There were fellowships from the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, the Association of Advertising Practitioners of Nigeria, the Nigerian Medical Association and that of West African College of Physicians, among many others. The most whimsical and specious but for its tragic consequences came from Nigerian Economic Society (NES), the most authoritative body of Nigerian scholars on Nigerian

    economy and social problems. Theirs was “fellowship” for “bold economic programme” and for distinguishing himself “as a visionary in the management of our economy.”

    I ended the satirical piece declaring: “Shame on to you all critics of “IBBnomics”, including the apostle of ‘SAP with human face’, the mischievous Keeling of Financial Times with his imaginary $5 billion Gulf War oil windfall that never was. The troika of IMF, World Bank and the Paris Club who view our government’s penchant for generous donations in aid of all kinds of causes, as fiscal indiscipline and recklessness can now be seen for what they are – saboteurs’.

    There has been no other Nigerian leader since Babangida years of glory that ended tragically that has received as many honours as Akpabio, the hard working governor of Akwa Ibom State. As usual, the newspapers started the deluge of awards. He was named an “Emerging Tiger” by Thisday, a few years back. To the Daily Times, whose new owners was accused of ‘asset stripping’, Akpabio is “the Uncommon Transformer,’ who ‘has transformed his state from an unknown rural area to one of the most beautiful cities in Africa.”

    Similar verdicts also came from Daily Independent, Tribune and National Daily. He was The Sun Newspapers’ “Man of the Year, 2011”. Last year in spite of the schism between the parasitic elite of the north and the vultures of Niger Delta (apology to Saro Wiwa) he still managed to clinch the Abuja based Leadership newspapers’ award as the ‘Leadership Governor of the Year 2012’ for “uncommon transformation of his state with quality infrastructure”.

    With no other media award left to be won, the leadership of NUJ went to felicitate with him in Uyo. It was on their way back they were attacked by armed robbers/militants who kidnapped their car containing an undisclosed amount of money the governor gave them as fare.

    After the newspapers deluge of awards, the next most important honour came from no less a person than Akpabio’s wife , Ekaette, an award winning first lady in her own right. She gave her husband an award for making Akwa Ibom “a state with limitless opportunities, and for delivering over 3000 projects’.

    For ease of reference, Akpabio’s media aide, Chief Usoro I. Usoro, has listed some of the awards starting with that of African Church that named Akpabio “Nehemiah of our time”, for “rebuilding Nigeria”. Then the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also named Akpabio “the Best Governor in Nigeria”, ‘in terms of micro credits and empowerment of

    the masses as well as the institutionalization of free and compulsory education”.

    This was soon followed by the award of a Doctorate degree in Public Administration and Strategy because of “mammoth, wonderful and historic contributions to the development and growth of our society in particular and humanity in general” by Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and Anambra State.

    The Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, slammed Akpabio with another honour for making his state the ‘best state in terms of infrastructural development.” NIPS even canvassed for more funds for him.

    The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) which is probably yet to produce a Ph.D candidate was not left out. It awarded the governor an honorary Doctor of Management Sciences for ‘unparalleled feats in management of resources’.

    The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has also awarded him a Special Presidential Merit Award for his “immense commitment to infrastructural development of (Akwa Ibom) state in particular and Nigeria in general”.

    He has also received recognition from far away Houston, Texas, where the United States Congress described him as ’exceptional’. Even the notorious Wikileaks, the nemesis of western governments, identified him as ‘one to watch in good governance’.

    Akpabio is loved by his party. His party, PDP, through intrigue recently appointed him chairman of PDP Governors Forum while the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) in Akwa Ibom recently applauded him “for the development initiative in the areas of infrastructural provision across the state as well as the institutionalization of free and compulsory education”. ACN Oshiomhole of Edo has equally praised him.

    Akpabio’s political opponents, perhaps out of envy are, in spite of this string of hours, accusing him of profligacy. First they claim he gave two Prado SUVs valued at N30m to Tuface, Idibia, and wife, Annie as wedding gift, donated N230 million on behalf of the newly-formed PDP Governors Forum to President Goodluck Jonathan’s hometown church and alleged to have made “multimillion donations to journalists and unscrupulous party and government officials”.

    They have also accused him of acquisition of an exotic multimillion dollar bullet-proof sprinter luxury vans from US-based Texas Armoring Corporation (TAC).They even criticized his donation of a measly N50 million to Nollywood, and of becoming “a near constant guest at child naming ceremonies, marriages, funerals and sundry events” where he made generous donations. They seem to have forgotten the man is a

    politician who must not lose touch with the grassroot.

    Akpabio has rightly ignored the diatribe of malcontents insisting all his donations were captured within the state budget duly approved by the state House of Assembly. His media aide has appropriately quoted Kaiser’s caution: “When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.”

    While pursuing with vigour his mega projects like the 15-floor 250-room 5-Star Hotel with Galleria with 10,000 sitter dome and multiple cinema halls, shopping malls; Akwa Ibom International airport with maintenance, ‘first of its kind in West and Central Africa’, Akpabio must realize there is no cure for envy. The envious and critics are

    the least of his problems. He should worry more about those praising him for doing his job including Oshiomhole of Edo who earns in 12 months what Akpabio earns in a month and yet has quietly changed the face of Edo state for the better, even without a single award yet.

    Akpabio should learn from Babangida tragedy. The same press he bribed to secure legitimacy after an illegal act at the end delegitimised his regime and forced him to step aside. His hurrah boys emerged as Abacha politicians while some of them are today calling the shots in the National Assembly.

    His economic wizards deserted him. Idika Kalu was on the streets the other day protesting on the side of the people. Olu Falae denied being the initiator of SAP which failure he attributed Babangida’s profligacy. Today Babangida is the only man held in contempt for setting in motion the gradual destruction our once buoyant and

    resilient economy through institutionalization of corruption. In 1983, the BTA for any one going to Britain for holiday was N500 which fetched about $480. Today N500 cannot buy two loaves of President Jonathan’s cassava homemade bread. Babangida must be very lonely.

     

  • Ikot-Ekpene 2015: Rumpus as Etok dares Akpabio

    Ikot-Ekpene 2015: Rumpus as Etok dares Akpabio

    At the Ikot-Ekpene constituency office of Senator Aloysius Etok, there is a banner with the screaming headline, “2015: There’s No Vacancy.” The banner, like many others like it that are daily springing up across the Ikot Ekpene senatorial district of Akwa-Ibom state, highlights the ongoing political tussle between Governor Godswill Akpabio of the state and Etok, the current senator representing the district at the National Assembly.

    Feelers from political circles within the senatorial district in the last few days indicate that the erstwhile political allies are poised for a showdown ahead of 2015 senatorial election in the area.

    Trouble started between the duo a couple of days back when Akpabio publicly declared his intention to represent the senatorial district at the National Assembly in 2015. The governor also allegedly named Etok as the campaign manager for his senatorial ambition.

    Sources say the development did not go down well with the senator who was present at the event where Akpabio made his now controversial declaration. This is perhaps because Etok is also nursing the ambition to return to the senate in 2015 for a third term as senator representing the area.

    “The senator is unhappy with the governor’s ambition and he is not hiding it. Besides, the senator considers the governor’s statement that he is the campaign manager as an insult to his person and office as a sitting senator.

    “He is ready to fight for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket to return to the senate in 2015. He will not be intimidated by the governor and his associates, who are bent on running him out of the race ahead of 2015 so as to provide an easy access for Akpabio.

    “That is why they are talking about recalling him. They are desperate but we have the support of the people. The people don’t want to be dictated to by godfathers. They want to be allowed to make their own choices, good or bad. That is our mainstay as Senator Etok prepares to take on the Governor,” an aide of the Senator told The Nation.

    But it appears it is not all those involved in the politics of the area are opposed to Akpabio’s insistence on snatching the senate seat from his long-time friend and ally. To some, Etok’s refusal to surrender the seat is tantamount to betrayal and should be discouraged.

    Within the senatorial district, Akpabio is believed to have played a prominent role in the election that saw Etok’s emergence as senator in 2007. In fact it is widely believed that his re-election was single handedly made possible by the governor, following an agreement between them that Etok will merely be holding the position in trust for Akpabio who will replace him in 2015.

    The popular “Akpabio factor” in his 2011 victory is something the senator had acknowledged in many fora in the state.

    The Akwa Ibom Diaspora Network (AIDN) is one organisation that is strongly opposed to Etok’s decision to fight Akpabio over the senatorial seat. The group said following its participation in the Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District stakeholders conference, held at Ikot Ekpene Council Hall, it is ready to commence a recall process against Senator Aloysius Etok if he fails to retract his statements (and allegations) made against leaders and elders of the Senatorial district and publicly apologise to Gov. Godswill Akpabio, on or before Wednesday, May 1, 2013.

    The group, in a press release sent to media houses, said the conference was called mainly to discuss developing issues between Senator Aloysius Etok and Governor Godswill Akpabio.

    “We are saddened by the unnecessary, embarrassing and distracting campaign of calumny currently engaged by Senator Aloysius Etok against Gov. Godswill Akpabio, CON. Even more virulent is Senator Etok’s recent allegation that a hit squad, organised by Gov. Godswill Akpabio, is planning for his assassination. We do not believe Senator Aloysius Etok, noting that his baseless and reckless allegations constitute an attempt to blackmail Gov. Godswill Akpabio and frustrate healthy competition for the Ikot Ekpene Senatorial seat.

    Chief (Dr.) Godswill Akpabio has a constitutional right to aspire and contest for the Akwa Ibom North (Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial seat,” the group said in the release which was signed by Clement Ikpatt and Uduak Ukpeh as President and Secretary General respectively.

    But Senator Etok appears undeterred by the positions of groups or individuals like AIDN and Ikpatt. Quoted severally as saying that the senatorial seat for Ikot Ekpene would not be vacant in 2015 as he intends to go for a third term, the senator accused Akpabio of disrespecting him.

    “Akpabio must as a matter of fact respect my office if he does not respect me like I respect his office of the governor which also covers me. So respect is reciprocal. As for the governor seeking to go to the senate, I have told him that there is no vacancy in the senate.

    “He can look elsewhere. If he needs a vacancy to be filled, let him look into the state execute council vacancy and fill; but in the senate no vacancy because the people I’m representing have not told me they have finished with me. They have not told me that I’m not going to the senate again.

    “However, if the governor wants to go to the senate, I should be the first person he should consult because I’m the one holding the mandate even if I was a cripple and he wants my office and my chair. If he doesn’t talk with me, I will hold the chair and the chair will be broken. The governor must know that,” Etok reportedly said, signaling his readiness to dare the governor and his allies.

    “While it is obvious that Etok’s recent activities are unsettling the governments, this is not enough for anybody to say he is an even match to the governor. It is left to be seen how he intend to make good his boasts,” Mark IniAbasi Essien, Secretary of the Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPN) in the state, said.

    Already, chairmen of the ten local government councils in the senatorial district and state legislators in the district, while describing themselves as the custodians of the mandate of Ikot-Ekpene senatorial district, have disowned Etok while announcing the withdrawal of their support for the senator in 2015.

    But Etok, who briefed newsmen recently in response to the council bosses, said he is not bothered by their open support for Akpabio in the struggle over the senatorial seat.

    The senator said he has been receiving text messages he believes are from agents of the governor threatening him to withdraw his statement of intention to contest in 2015 or face dire consequences after seven days.

    “I want the governor to tell Nigerians and the international community if there is anything wrong in any man aspiring to contest for an office. Is that enough for the governor to instruct the council chairmen to say that if I don’t withdraw from the contest, they will recall me?

    “He asked the state’s house of assembly to pass resolution that they will recall me, to the extent that members of the house of assembly came on television to insult and malign me. Not only that, the governor has now loosened his hit squad, including what I have on this phone, some text messages that if I don’t retract the statement that I will contest election, after seven days, I will see what they will do,” Etok lamented.

    No doubt, the battle line for the soul of Ikot-Ekpene senatorial district in 2015 is drawn between Senator Etok and Governor Akpabio. And it is only time and the voting public of the district that can tell who the victor will be.

     

  • Of Akpabio, Etok and a political faux pas

    It was like drama, no, it was real drama. Overnight, Senator Aloysius Etok woke up in Abuja, decided to grant an interview but not on a national issue; he decided to speak on a senatorial contest in 2015. People who listened to the radio interview where the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West spoke on how there was no vacancy in the Senate for ‘his seat’ in 2015, wondered why the senator chose to speak of 2015 when he has not fully delivered on the job at hand. But then, that is the way of some Nigerian politicians, they myopically think public service should be their exclusive preserve.

    More than anything, speaking of the senatorial contest in Akwa Ibom North-West hurts more than a few constituents, as they would rather their senator speak on how to bring development to the region by joining hand with the governor, who is also from that region. But how can Senator Etok collaborate with the state governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, the same way the Senate President, David Mark is collaborating with his governor, Gabriel Suswam, when he already has an axe to grind?

    According to Etok, it was an anathema for Akpabio to eye ‘his chair’ in the Senate and if he did, the governor must have consulted not with the people, who are the corner stone of democracy, but with Etok because he was ‘the owner of the chair’. The big surprise of the interview was when Senator pooh-poohed the structure he rode on to get to power by bad-mouthing Akpabio, saying he did not play any role in his (Etok) becoming a senator for a second term. Though the people still remember the roles played by Akpabio, including persuading other contenders to step down for Etok and even convincing the people, who were ready to ride roughshod on Etok during the polls, Etok would have us believe that he returned to the Red Chamber by his doing and through his popularity with the people.

    He even arrogantly said that the people have not told him he would not return to the Senate as if the people went to invite him to contest in the first place. He even said he would hold the chair and not let go till it is broken, pray when does the Senatorial seat of an entire constituency comprising  10 local governments become a chair for one person? Another way of the world and tragedy of Nigerian politics, staying in power for life is the be-all and end-all of their professed love for the people. Well, one need not remind Senator Etok and, in fact, other politicians who consider political positions as something they and their family alone should hold for life, that the people reserve the power to choose their leaders. More so, it is God who chooses leaders and He will do his beat in 2015 whether Governor Akpabio as well as anyone qualifies from the Senatorial District contests or not.

    The greatest surprise of the whole saga, however, came when the distinguished Senator Etok threw caution to the winds by holding a press conference where he stated that Governor Akpabio was after his life. It was a classic political howler, or so most people thought. But the senator had a different opinion. He had prepared a speech in which he said: “I have on this phone some text messages which says (sic) that if I don’t retract the statement that I will contest the election in 2015, after seven days, I will see what they will do. The governor has also instructed different groups that if I don’t retract the statement within seven days, I will either be dead to stop me or alive to retract the statement. Therefore, I want you all the media to ask the governor or those he had let loose to tell the world what is the insult; that if I still remember what happened during my second term struggle when, as soon as they knew I was going to contest, my wife was kidnapped.”

    Not a few people wondered how and when an issue about 2015 could suddenly degenerate into threats against the senator’s life, but many a people who know Akpabio and his politics of peace recognised that the threats could not have emanated on the governor’s instruction. Why would Akpabio or any of his supporters ask Etok to recant or face assassination when the people power belongs to them? This was an Akpabio that defeated an incumbent governor’s governorship aspirant, Bob Ekarika, in 2006 at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary; an Akpabio that won governorship election by landslide margins on two occasions.

    Why would Akpabio be so afraid of Etok that he would want to hurt him when he has never taken that path before? Of course, book makers thought of Etok’s allegation as a cock and bull story woven together to appeal to sympathy. Argumentum ad misericordiam is that fallacy whereby people resort to using emotional appeal to win an argument and Etok committed that much by alleging that Akpabio was after him and that he had suffered the same fate before. So, did Akpabio kidnap his wife and mother-in-law in the past and also went ahead to support him? Does the fact that he suffered such fate make the Senate seat his exclusive preserve and is it enough reason that other people cannot aspire?

    The governor’s reaction, through his Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniekan Umana, cleared the air about the allegation, as he described it as “paranoid, deceitful, baseless and mere hallucinations that serve no purpose whatsoever,” saying: “His Excellency, Governor Akpabio, is a God-fearing and peace-loving man, and has never contemplated and will never contemplate evil against anyone, let alone his brother and friend, Senator Aloysius Etok.” It actually turned out that Senator Etok’s allegation about the threat to his life was true, as evident in the arrest of one Adelola Tamunotonye Olaore, a 29-year-old graduate of Mechanical Engineering, who confessed to being behind the assassination threat against Senator Etok with a view to defrauding him. Though the State Security Service (SSS) has nipped the threat in the bud, Senator Etok had made a puerile move by ascribing the threat to the governor. It was a glaring case of trying to call a dog a bad name to hang it, it was a joke taken too far  and the world is waiting for the next move that will be made by the senator.

    Bob Woodward must have seen farther ahead in time to have said that “the legislator learns that when you talk a lot, you get into trouble. You have to listen a lot to make deals.” Now that the suspect has been arrested, can the Senator prove that there is a link between the suspect, who claimed to have seen Etok’s complementary card at the office of the Niger Delta Development Commission in Port-Harcourt and Akpabio? The burden of proof lies with the Senator, who deemed it worthy to announce to the world that ‘Akpabio has let loose his resurrected assassination squad’ and has sent same after him (Etok), without proper investigation. It is incontestable that the court of public opinion will find the senator guilty of failing as a legislator and being bereft of counsel to have made such a move of naming Akpabio in an attempt to kill him.

    The issue, it was further gathered, is generating ripples in the Senate and its leadership. Those who know Etok in the Senate are of the opinion that rather than concentrating his effort on how to extricate himself from the web of controversies he has found himself in the pension probe  and thank the leadership for stemming the tide that was loaded against him, he is now busy soiling the name of his benefactor.

    Indeed, the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District in Akwa Ibom North-West are awaiting the explanation of their senator on the political faux pas, same way he is awaiting their voices to tell him they were not through him with him, when he should have seen the hand writing on the wall.

     

    •Aina is a public affairs analyst

     

  • Akpabio: I ‘ve no interest in 2015 presidency

    Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio has denied any interest in the 2015 presidency.

    In a statement yesterday, the governor said whatever interest he has in 2015 is in the Senate.

    The statement reads: “My attention has been drawn to the sudden emergence of posters in some parts of Abuja, showing my picture and that of Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema for Presidency 2015.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, I dissociate myself from the printing and circulation of these posters, which is clearly the handiwork of mischief makers, who are bent on heating up the polity for no reason whatsoever.

    “I state emphatically that Godswill Akpabio is not interested in the Presidency in 2015 and has not mandated anybody to campaign for him.

    “My focus is on the completion of the Uncommon Transformation Agenda, which has changed the face of Akwa Ibom State for good.

    “Based on the pressure from the people of Akwa Ibom North West (Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial District, I wish to represent them at the Senate in 2015.

    “I urge the public to completely ignore this mischief engineered by political jobbers and will continue to support President Goodluck Jonathan in the arduous task of transforming this nation.”

  • SSS parades man who claimed Akpabio wanted to kill senator

    SSS parades man who claimed Akpabio wanted to kill senator

    A 29-YEAR-OLD graduate of Mechanical Engineering, Adelola Tamunotonye Olaore, has been paraded by the State Security Service (SSS) for alleged impersonation and attempt to obtain money by fraudulent means.

    SSS spokesperson Ms. Marilyn Ogar alleged the suspect approached Senator Aloysius Etok and told him that he had information about a plot by Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio to assassinate the senator.

    According to the SSS, Etok played along with the suspect and encouraged him to come to Abuja from his base in Port Harourt,Rivers State.

    Having informed the SSS about the plot, the Senator lodged the suspect in one of the high-brow hotels in Abuja where he was arrested by security operatives after his interaction with the senator.

    Ogar said: “The suspect introduced himself to the senator as General Africa, an ex-militant from Bayelsa State. He then told the senator that he had been contracted by three of governor Akpabio’s loyalists to assassinate him.

    “In order to convince the senator, he offered to furnish him with details of the governor’s purported bank account and energy company in South Africa. That he offered to broker peace between the senator and the governor, which the senator accepted.”

    Olaore, however, denied telling the senator about any assassination plot against him. He admitted that he had lied to the senator about having the right connections to broker peace between him and the governor.

    He said: “The truth is that I lied to the senator that I am highly connected enough to arrange for the governor and the senator to settle their differences.

    “I got the senator’s telephone number when I went to the Port Harcourt office of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) sometime in January.

    “I stumbled on his complimentary card in one of the NDDC offices when I went there to submit a mail. But when I learnt about the rift between him and the governor, I decided to approach the senator with the aim of obtaining some money from him.

    “All I needed was about N300, 000 to pursue my master’s degree programme and I thought I could get it from the senator by lying to him about myself and my mission.

    “I never told the senator that I had information on anyone trying to assassinate him. I only lied to obtain money from him by pretending to be what I am not and I regret my action”.

    Akpabio and Etok have been at each other’s throat over the Ikot Ekpene senatorial seat ahead of 2015. Etok currently occupies the office. Akpabio is eyeing the seat.

    The senator yesterday told reporters on the telephone that he was at a function and that it was not convenient for him to speak on the matter.

    The SSS said the suspect will soon be charged to court.

     

  • Akpabio, Leadership and ‘Rebuilding Nigeria’

    Akpabio, Leadership and ‘Rebuilding Nigeria’

    The theme: “Rebuilding Nigeria” presupposes that the nation is in ruins and needs to be restructured. The process, if we borrow from the French Philosopher, Rene Descartes, would involve demolishing certain ancient structures and preserving some for accommodation in the remoulding process. Above all, it involves the human factor who, first, must admit that there is work to be done and sets about doing it to fruition.

    It was, perhaps, the consideration of the last factor, the human input in rebuilding Nigeria that informed the gathering of the crème de la crème of the society by the Leadership newspaper, in Abuja. It was April 16. And, specifically, the event built around the theme of Rebuilding Nigeria, recognized those who have so far made significant efforts towards the refashioning movement. From the business to the religious; from the social to the political, recognition went round. But two categories stood out most – the religious and the political. While, very significantly, Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar and John Cardinal Onaiyekan won a joint award for exemplary, peaceful religious leadership; Governor Godswill Akpabio emerged the ‘Leadership Governor of the Year 2012’ for uncommon transformation of his state with quality infrastructure.

    In deed, love him or hate him, Akpabio’s achievement in the area of restructuring the landscape of the nation through infrastructure has so far been unequalled. Some argue that he receives a lot of money from the federation account but fail to explain why some other states who receive similar or more funds can’t develop at the speed of light seen in Akwa Ibom in recent years. Obviously, those convinced by detractive and hateful criticisms are few as it was evident in the International Conference Centre venue of the event. As Akpabio was called upon to receive the award, which as usual he dedicated to the people of Akwa Ibom State, the hall erupted in a deafening ovation. For minutes, the proceedings were on hold as almost everyone present acknowledged that the “wonder worker governor” deserved his day in the sun.

    It wasn’t his first “Governor of the Year” or “Man of the Year” award. He has had several in the past six years; so this one was just a confirmation of the numerous others. But as usual, Akpabio shone brighter than all the stars in the galaxy! Responding, on behalf of other awardees at the Leadership event, Akpabio said leadership needs sincerity of purpose; focus; dedication; commitment and common involvement of all.

    Principally, the plank Akpabio stood head above other governors at the event was in his development focus. Space may limit elaboration here but suffice it to say that apart from other evidences, Akpabio is now jocularly knows as “The Roadmaster”, on account of his unprecedented road network development. As he constructs even federal roads for all Nigerians to ply, he is “rebuilding Nigeria”. Some critics even say he’s the “Education-by-force Governor”. Yet, this is one area he proudly pointed out at the event as his effort at “rebuilding Nigeria”, as all Nigerian children resident in his state benefit from the scheme. In deed, the governor’s love for education, in particular, is based on his understanding of the great importance it holds for the people. He appreciates, like John Maurice Clarke, the English economist that, “knowledge is the only instrument of production that is not subject to diminishing returns”. He has invested in education more than any governor before him in Akwa Ibom State. Challenged by the ignorance and poverty that had once ravaged the land and affected the psyche of the people, Akpabio is changing the fortune of his people through education. Similarly, the e-Library; the gas plant; the Ibom International Airport; the prisons built and handed over to the federal government; the construction of over 10 buildings within the University of Uyo, a federal institution; the various contributions – structural and financial – to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), another federal body, all aid in “rebuilding Nigeria. Moreover, as the governor mentioned at the event, he doesn’t segregate on account of tribe. For instance, his principal aides are from the diverse tribes in the country; completely mixed and he is blind to religious sentiments, too! Hence, he was “rebuilding Nigeria” when he built a hostel at Hussaini Adamu Federal Polytechnic, Kazaure, Jigawa State, recently.

    For the above reasons and more, he has in the past won various recognitions. For instance, on February 25, 2012; the Sun newspapers, after a painstaking exercise, picked Akpabio for honour as its “Man of the Year, 2011”. Similar affirmation also came earlier from Daily Independent; Tribune; National Daily, etc. He was even named an “Emerging Tiger” by the Thisday a few years back. Usually, the Board of Editors of each paper say Akpabio was picked based on verifiable indices witnessed independently while on spot inspections to Akwa Ibom State.

    Even members of the opposition parties have admitted that Akpabio deserves a place in history as a “national builder”. ACN’s Comrade-Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State said that much at the Sun award, last year: “The Sun Man of the Year 2011 that you are being honoured today is not a fluke. It is based on what you have been able to put in place in your state as their leader since you took over the reigns of leadership. I have been to Akwa Ibom State and I know what I saw. This award is a confirmation of your achievements in office and I can say without any apology that you deserve this award”, he said.

    Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State (APGA) once described Akpabio in similar glowing terms when he visited Akwa Ibom. The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) in Akwa Ibom recently said: “We have noted with delight, the apparent and heartening pace of developments that have been recorded by Gov. Godswill Akpabio and particularly applaud the development initiative in the areas of infrastructural provision across the state as well as the institutionalization of free and compulsory education”.

    Akpabio’s media aide, Chief Usoro I. Usoro, said it was African Church which first recognized that the governor has been “rebuilding Nigeria”; hence they named him “Nehemiah of our time”. Usoro, Senior Special Assistant on Print Media and Research, recalled that even the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also named Akpabio “the Best Governor in Nigeria”, in terms of micro-credits and empowerment of the masses. It was noted the governor has been “rebuilding Nigeria” with his policy of providing 4500 women with direct training and capital for agricultural purposes.

    Interestingly, Akpabio talks less about his achievements, yet he delivers more; perhaps in line with Henry Kaiser’s cautions: “When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.” But a goldfish has not hiding place and in the words of Apostle, “a city set on a hill cannot be hidden…no one lights a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp-stand that gives light to all who are in the house (city)”. In other words, like marketers would say, a good product markets itself!

    For Akpabio, the awards actually spur him to do more. From far and near, the world appreciates his efforts and has risen in diverse locations with words of encouragements. Recently, in far away Houston, Texas, the United States Congress described him as exceptional…confirming a Wikileaks reports that he is one to watch in good governance.

    Ms Sheila Jackson Lee, a member of the 18th Congressional District of Texas, who conferred Akpabio with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition, on behalf of the Speaker, said the governor’s “shining example of leadership is truly worthy of respect, admiration and commendation of the United States Congress”. The governor’s wife, Ekaette, also got an award for her charity works centred on widows, women, poverty and the disabled.( She described Akwa Ibom under Akpabio as “a state with limitless opportunities,” saying “with so many projects delivered, over 3000 of them, and a lot still in the works, Akwa Ibom state now stands out as a foremost state in the Niger Delta, not embroiled in tribal wars, militancy or crime.”

    To many, the tide of honours flowing Akpabio’s way is not surprising. The consensus at the award ceremony was that leadership is not about lip-service and convoluted opinions. It is not about precepts and theories but much about exemplary living. When the common people are touched; when they pass a vote of confidence on a leader, it doesn’t matter what the selfish, politically motivated and hate-induced opinions are. A leader, by his fruit exhibited through “rebuilding Nigeria”, will always be noticed and recognized!

     

    • Edward, a journalist and teacher, wrote this piece from Lagos.

  • Akpabio seeks Nigeria-Ghana varsity in Akwa Ibom

    Akpabio seeks Nigeria-Ghana varsity in Akwa Ibom

    Governor Godswill Akpabio has called for the establishment of Nigeria-Ghana University in Akwa Ibom State.

    Akpabio made the call when the Ghanaian President, Dr. John Dramani Mahama, visited him in his office in Uyo, the state capital. He said the establishment of such university would strengthen ties between both countries, adding that many Nigerian children attend universities in Ghana.

    Akpabio praised the Ghanaian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution, saying his government is negotiating with a Ghanaian ICT expert to replicate same in his state.

    He enjoined Akwa Ibom businessmen to partner their Ghanaian counterparts, saying: “Let’s integrate the economies of both countries for growth.”

    Akpabio described Mahama as a man of humble disposition and simplicity, saying these are qualities that endeared him to the Ghanaian electorate.

    The governor thanked him for visiting Akwa Ibom, saying it was a good way of deepening the relationship between both countries. He added: ”We are brothers. Akwa Ibom people are praying for you. And we hope Ghana will attain greater heights because you represent that hope.”

    Mahama said when Akpabio visited him in Ghana, he came with a bag containing pictures of “Uncommon Transformation.”

    He said the governor’s development projects bore testimony to what leadership could do to Africans, adding: “I am impressed by what I have seen so far.”

     

  • ‘Akpabio never rigged senatorial poll’

    ‘Akpabio never rigged senatorial poll’

    Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio has said that he did not rig the last senatorial poll for Senator Alloysius Etok, who represents Ikot Ekpene. He also denied imposing him on the people of the district.

    The governor said that the senator emerged as the respresentative of the people without violating the due process.

    The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, said in a statement that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presented Senator Alloysius Etok as the best candidate for the 2007 election in the zone.

    He recalled that, since the Ini/Ikono, a minority part of the district, had never produced a senator, the party hierarchy, in the spirit of fairness and equity, supported Etok for the seat.

    Umanah said that the governor was being vilified by those misusing the social media network. He enjoined well-meaning individuals and groups to ignore the attempt of mischief makers to malign the person and office of the governor.

    The commissioner also urged the media to verify their information before publishing them as news.

    He added: “The governor said that he made Alloy to become the senator in 2007. This requires explanation so that people don’t think that he wrote his name and he became a senator, no. During the primaries of the PDP, the party zoned the senate to his federal constituency, and from his federal constituency, he emerged first in the primaries. That was what happened in the PDP. So, the leaders said that, since he was the first among the people who came from his federal constituency for the primaries, he must be the one to become the senator. And after that the leaders presented him to the public in the general election and he won. And in 2011, with the governor’s support, he had the highest vote in the entire country”.

     

  • Akpabio’s ‘profligacy’: Who’s money?

    In the second republic, between 1979 and 1983, the political opponents of Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, the Governor of old Anambra state, gave him a new baptismal name, Donatus; following his alleged penchant to donate recklessly at public functions. In the first eight years of the current republic, former Governor Peter Odili of Rivers state arguably had that honourary title, considering his unquenchable taste for showmanship with the overflowing oil-money of Rivers state. In the past few weeks, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom state has become such a Father Christmas, that he should be bestowed with the title of ‘Donatus of Akwa-Ibom state’.

    The Governor according to news reports recently donated 230 million on behalf of the PDP Governor’s forum, towards the building of a new church in President Jonathan’s village. Without securing the approval of his colleagues before making the donation, he will most likely pay form his state coffers. He also in the past week gave out two SUV cars to the popular musician, 2 Face Idibia, who got married to an indigene of the state. The Governor also doled out millions of state resources to his party stalwarts, at the so called peace parley for the PDP in the South-South. Yet again, he reportedly donated another 50 million to the cause of Nollywood. As many may have noticed, Governor Akpabio has increasingly become hyperactive since he was made the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party – Governor’s Forum. One of the side effects of this hyperactivity now seems to be his increased penchant to throw around the state money.

    Unfortunately the Governor, who is a lawyer, has failed to ask himself, whether he has the constitutional powers to recklessly spend the resources of the state. Considering the spontaneity of the donations, I bet that those donations are all extra-budgeted expenses, and as such unlawful. The Governor therefore must pause to examine the provisions of section 120 of the 1999 constitution. Section 120(2) provides: ‘no moneys shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the state except to meet expenditure that is charged upon the Fund by this constitution or where the issue of those moneys has been authorized by an Appropriation Law, Supplementary Appropriation Law or Law passed in pursuance of section 121 of this constitution.’

    Furthering the conditions upon which other monies belonging to a state can be expended, section 120(3) provides: ‘no moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund of the state, other than the consolidated revenue fund of the state, unless the issue of those moneys has been authorized by a Law of the House of Assembly of the State.’ Now if these are the conditions upon which Akpabio can expend the monies belonging to Akwa Ibom state, it is legitimate to ask the Governor on whose authority he is making all the spurious donations on behalf of the people of the state? Unfortunately the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly like most of their counterparts across the country is too timid to ask the Governor to give an account of these reckless donations in exercise of its powers in accordance with the constitution.

    As reported in the news, Governor Akpabio, while making the donation of the cars to Tu Face, also used the occasion to apologize to the people of Eket-Ibeno, over the poor state of the road leading to the community. At the ceremony he is reported to have promised to sponsor state representatives to the couple’s white weeding in Dubai, while noting that the road leading to the community will be repaired before the naming of the next child, of the new couple. If truly the Governor was able to mix such serious issues of governance and profligacy in his speech at the ceremony; then he must accept the title of the chief comedian in addition to ‘Donatus of Akwa Ibom state’. With all the derivations resources from the oil wells of the state, unfortunately at the disposal of Governor Akpabio as it pleases him, let me remind the Governor of his claim of suffering kwashiorkor during the Nigeria civil war; and that it will be a shame if he allows the same faith to befall modern children of Akwa Ibom state, while he wastes their common heritage.

    Who will save nigeria?

    The twin terrorist scourge, Boko Haram and Ansaru, both acronyms of religious extremists that have taken Northern Nigeria by the jugular, last week, raised the ante of terrorist acts in that part of the country. Targeting travelers in a motor park in Kano, three bombers in a golf car detonated a bomb to kill unknown number of their fellow Nigerians, whose only offence is that hopefully they do not belong to their faith or tribe. In one moment of madness, new orphans, widows and widowers have been added to the list of victims of these hard hearted men.

    It is clearly becoming evident that the group is determined to ignite a religious or inter-tribal war in Nigeria, unless the state is able to stop them. Many have correctly linked poverty in the North to the availability of expendable suicide bombers and other hell raisers among these groups. Unfortunately however, the terrorist acts are further aggravating the poverty in the country, particularly in the North. As one commentator on a radio program surmised, the Northern elite will soon be forced to relocate permanently to the southern part of the country, because of insecurity. What needs to be added is that the conflagration is running a ring around the entire country; and our leaders appear ill-equipped to save the country.

     

  • 2015: PDP raises panel to woo opposition governors, says Akpabio

    THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday moved to stop its dwindling fortune. It raised a committee to woo opposition governors to its fold ahead of the next general elections in 2015.

    Akwa Ibom Governor Godswill Akpabio, who doubles as the chair of the PDP Governors’ Forum, said this yesterday in a chat with State House correspondents.

    He spoke after meeting President Goodluck Jonathan.

    According to him, the move to reach out to the governors elected on the platform of opposition parties is aimed at having at least 30 governors under the PDP by next election.

    He, however, declined to name members of the committee, insisting that there was no crack in PDP.

    Akpabio said that the reported overtures by the opposition to some PDP governors would not work.

    Said he: “The only truly national party in Nigeria is the PDP. It is the PDP that can make overtures towards others and we PDP governors are poised to bring our colleagues from the other parties to join us. This is what we are trying to do now.

    “There is no overture that anybody will make, PDP is too large and organised. We have set up a tactical committee to also reach out to the opposition (in quote) because we want to be more than what we are.

    “We started with over 30 governors, now we have been reduced to 23 and there is the need for us to come together. We should be over 30 in the next election and this seems to have rattled the opposition.”

    “I can tell you that even now the opposition is rattled. You can see the barrage of attacks on the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. This is a sign that the opposition is rattled because there is really no need for the attack.