A onetime Clerk of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon Esbea Attah, passed away recently. He was also a former commissioner in the Governor Godswill Akpabio -led Akwa ibom State Executive Council. He has since been buried in Akwa Ibom.
Tag: Governor Godswill Akpabio
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2015: ‘Fear, tension pervade Akwa Ibom’
AS the political space becomes tensed in Akwa Ibom State ahead of the 2015 polls, Nduese Essien, a two- term member of the House of Representative and former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, has said he will not seek election into the office of governor, insisting the present political environment in the state is not very safe.
Essien, who spoke at a reception organised for him by the Eket Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom State and the South-South People’s Assembly, said the elections he won twice in 1999 and 2003 when Obong Victor Attah was the governor was because the political space was very safe at the time.
The former minister while lauding the role played by former Governor Attah and current Governor Godswill Akpabio in his life, recalled that he did not only win elections into the National Assembly during Attah’s tenure, the governor also gave his support during the struggle for the 13 percent oil derivation in the National Assembly which the state and other oil-producing states in the country are enjoying today. While appraising the current situation faced by local governments in the country, Essien said the local councils have been incapacitated because of lack of direct access to their federally allocated revenues. This, he said, has greatly hampered the discharge of their responsibilities towards the grassroots, thus defeating the aim of establishing them as a tier of government.
He, therefore, called on the National and State Houses of Assemblies to urgently pass a legislation that will ensure the autonomy of the third tier of government. On the numerous aspirants angling to succeed Akpabio, he urged caution.
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Akpabio, Akpabio
Why should the governor’s stupendous retirement package for himself be an issue?
Many people must have been wondering why tongues have been wagging in Akwa Ibom State since Monday when the state house of assembly passed into law a bill presented to it by Governor Godswill Akpabio. The bill, as passed, sought a pension for life at a rate equivalent to the salary of the incumbent governor, to former governors and ex-deputy governors. It also provided for the former governor a provision for funds to employ a cook, drivers and security guards at a sum not exceeding N5million per month and N2.5million for the deputy. The (former) governor would also be entitled to free medical services for his person and spouse at a sum not exceeding N100million per annum and N50million for former deputy governor.
Moreover, the former governor is entitled to a befitting accommodation not below a five-bed room maisonette in either Abuja or Akwa Ibom and a yearly accommodation allowance of 300 per cent of annual basic salary for the deputy governor of the state. I can hear you ask: what is a maisonette? You cannot know and should not bother, after all, you are not a retired governor. Other allowances include a severance gratuity of 300 per cent of annual basic salary as of the time the governor leaves office, among other things.
I guess the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that had earlier threatened to embark on a protest to halt the passing of the bill eventually saw reason; hence, its failure to embark on the protest. A newspaper report said the union merely “turned numb as the House, after moving a motion for the bill to be read the third time, passed it into law”. That is what contemporary labour unionism demands – labour leaders don’t have to be unrealistically rigid; they also reserve the right to use their discretion and soft-pedal when confronted with superior argument. The proviso in this case is that the labour leaders have to be convinced that the people explaining the situation to them must at some point be making sense. So, the labour leaders can then ‘try their best’, to quote a prominent traditional ruler in the June 12 debacle. ‘Trying their best’ in this context means aborting the protest they had earlier threatened to embark upon.
I know mischief makers with dirty minds would be saying all kinds of things now that the labour leaders have seen the light. For instance, they would start thinking that the governor must have silenced them with wads of naira or even dollar or pound sterling notes, or that their banks must have sent alerts to them about some strange but welcome deposits in their accounts.
But beyond all that speculation, what the new law confirms is that our governors are not only going to have the good life here; they are also going to have it more abundantly hereafter. In other words, they will not only live well, they will also die well. Shakespeare agrees with that: “When beggars die there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes”? And, I think our governors deserve it all for the meritorious services they are rendering. You reserve the right to argue that not all of them deserve to be pampered, but no one can say that Governor Akpabio has not worked well enough. Apparently, it is in recognition of his hard work that the legislators quickly passed the bill into law before some people will throw spanner in the works in the name of protest.
It is such people who do not see anything good in political leaders who have described as ‘indecent haste’ the hurry with which the house of assembly passed the bill. What they did not understand is that the lawmakers must have been guided by the governor’s achievements. The legislators should simply ignore people who might be thinking that they were induced to pass the law. Another thing that must have worked in the governor’s interest is the fact that Governor Akpabio is also a ‘friend of the president’. If the governor does not have complimentary cards to that effect, the presidency should ensure, as a matter of urgency, that he gets some. Such cards served as meal ticket for one influential Nigerian in the Obasanjo era. To be fair to Akpabio, he has been of tremendous assistance to President Goodluck Jonathan, whether in the formation of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Governors Forum which he is its chairman, to whittle down the power of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) that the presidency polarised; or even in the NGF election that the presidency celebrated Governor Jonah Jang who had 16 votes as winner, against Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s 19 votes.
Indeed, you must be of the world to be wondering why Governor Akpabio and President Jonathan are soul mates. The rest of us understand that this is quite natural. While the former has good luck always answering unto him, especially after his initial shoeless years, the latter always believes that whatever he does has the imprimatur of God. And there is a limit to how far we can query someone who bears God as part of his name if that person says his actions are based on God’s will, when even people who have no such semblance with God use God’s name in vain for all kinds of things, including waiting on Him to tell them if they should contest third term or not!
Apart from these two incidents, and, lest I forget, a third, which was the governor’s manipulation of the result of a 2007 PDP senatorial primary election in the state by single-handedly replacing the winner with the name of his preferred candidate, we should be able to canonise Governor Akpabio, more than seven years after assuming office, with the angels rejoicing in heaven. After all, he is human and, to err is human, and to forgive, divine. At any rate, none of these acts is corrupt practice. By President Jonathan’s (thank God he is not our grundnorm) definition, they could only amount to mere em… em.
As a matter of fact, these misdemeanours pale into insignificance when we consider the governor’s numerous achievements. But one that interests me is the way he has caused a scarcity of housemaids in the country. Before his coming to power on May 29, 2007, Akwa Ibom State was, in a writer’s view, “a foraging ground for persons seeking housemaids and house-help”. Governor Akpabio reversed that with his enactment of a Child Rights and Protection Law which makes it mandatory for every Akwa Ibom girl-child to be in school instead of wasting away in the homes of some rich people in Lagos and its environs. These Lagos big people, they are now like the tortoise that cannot be missing in any ignoble conduct. Remember it was their children that the president accused in 2012 of enjoying the entire subsidy that government pays on petrol!
Akwa Ibom girls played immeasurable roles in the lives of their masters in those days before Akpabio made us understand that they did not have a monopoly of comparative advantage when it comes to tending the homes, or even preparing irresistible delicacies. No wonder many Akwa Ibom women (and men) have won elite cooking competitions in the country over and over again. But I know the Lagos masters preferred the ‘she-mails’ (as opposed to the ‘e-mails’) because Akwa Ibom girls and ladies are also said to be masters of a third ‘chore’ which I dare not mention because today is Sabbath Day which the Holy Bible tells us to keep holy. As a matter of fact, something tells me it is the big people who have now been denied the services of such ‘she-mails’ by Akpabio and are compelled to look for maids from neighbouring countries at very high costs (but who cannot deliver value in any material particular like the Akwa Ibom girls), that see as extraordinary the retirement package that Akpabio has arranged for himself and other governors and their deputies in the state. I can’t see anyone of substance objecting to the generous package in an oil-rich state like Akwa Ibom where money is not the problem but how to spend it. Are governors of less-endowed states not enjoying similar benefits, at least relatively?
Honestly, it is difficult to blame the governor for doing it himself. In these days when erstwhile political aides become masters to their former masters once they have power in their hands, that is the commonsensical thing to do. You never can trust anyone to do such a thing for you; so, it is better to do it yourself. The governor seems aware of some sayings that even if we give a hoe to a mad man, he would cultivate towards himself. If a mad man can do this, do we expect less from someone like Governor Akpabio who is alright, not only up but down as well? Moreover, a governor that works well also deserves to retire well. Above all, if Governor Akpabio is said to be generous to a fault; why then should he be stingy to himself? Akpabio, Akpabio! I don’t know why the new law should be an issue considering that the governor has even helped the state by putting a ceiling to how much former governors could spend, say, on medical treatment. HItherto, it was open-ended.
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Akpabio initiates 28km road
A 28-kilometre Road to link Ikot Ikara-Ikot Ibritam has beenkicked off by Governor Godswill Akpabio in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The governor, who started the road construction during his visit to the Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency, expressed disappointment with the state of roads in the two local government areas, attributing it to neglects by successive governments.
He harped on the importance of the road, announcing that the Utu Nsehe part of the road was to be awarded to Setraco Construction Company.
The governor, who inaugurated the Abak-Obio Akpa-Nsehe Road with three bridges, and later opened the Nsehe-Ikot Akpa Nkuk axis of the Road. He promised to do more to open up the area and boost more economic activities.
Reacting to the development, the stakeholders from the area expressed deep appreciation to Akpabio for reconnecting them with the other part of the state. The member representing Oruk Anam State Constituency and Deputy Speaker of the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Udo Kierian Akpan thanked the governor for making Ukanafun a priority in his administration. He said the people where happy that apart from completing the major road with four bridges to link Ukanafun/Oruk Anam with Abak, the Governor has embarked on the Ikot Ikara – Ikot Ibritam Road that will link the new road with the East Way Road and make movement to Port Harcourt and Aba easier for the people.
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N1.44b oil money causes protest in Akwa Ibom
Souths at Esit Eket in Akwa Ibom State have protested over the N1.44 billion oil spill development funds given by the Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN).
They urged Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio to disband the oil spill compensation committee set up by the government.
The placard-carrying youths accused the paramount ruler of Esit Eket, Ubong Assam, of converting the funds into personal use, an allegation one of his aides, who preferred anonymity, denied.
The youths marched on Ntak-Inyang road to Assang road and stopped at Esit Eket Local Government.
During the protest, business activities were paralysed. There was traffic gridlock and motorists sought alternative routes.
Some of the placards read: “Mobil keep our money for proper sharing”; “Youths demand five per cent of the N1.44 billion oil spill development funds”; “We say no to N120 million storey building for paramount ruler”; “Tell us who will manage the hotel complex and the mega filling station”; “Is N120 million storey building a life touching projects?”; No bullet proof car for paramount ruler”; “Marginalisation of the youths by the elders is horrible”;
“We the youths want the state government to disband the committee on oil spill compensation and set up a new committee to foster peace and unity in the core oil communities”.
The youths leader, Patrick Owodo, said they were protesting following the injustice done to them by the elders of Esit Eket.
According to him, based on the sharing formula of the oil spill compensation development funds, N1.44 billion would be allocated to Esit Eket for the developmental projects.
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My grouse with aggrieved PDP governors, by Akpabio
Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio yesterday said the disrespect for the Office of the President is central to the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Seven aggrieved PDP governors, popularly called the G-7, during the last mini-convention of the party in Abuja stormed out of the venue and later formed the “New PDP”.
They protested alleged lack of internal democracy in the party and called for the sack of the PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, among other demands.
Addressing State House correspondents yesterday in Abuja, Akpabio noted that governors could only get respect from the people and institutions under them when they respect the people and institutions above them, including the Office of the President.
Asked when the problem and demands of the aggrieved governors would be finally addressed, he said: “Well, I’ve seen newspaper clips where they said the rebellious governors, the G-7, and so on and so forth. We can resolve any rebellion through dialogue. I think that that’s what the President is doing. That’s what the PDP leadership is out to do: to see how it can dialogue and bring the situation to a close.
“But you see, it all depends… But for me, I believe you cannot be a good leader unless you’re a good follower. I believe also strongly that leadership comes from God. So, the question of rebelling against leadership does not occur because if I rebel against the leadership at the federal level, I should expect somebody also to rebel against my leadership at the state level, may be from my local government or thereabouts.
“It is expected that as a governor, I should be expected to respect the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, it is not important who occupies the position. I think what is important is to give respect to the institution of the Presidency in Nigeria. That way, the international community can respect Nigeria.
“I don’t see a problem in the issues of certain politicians wanting to change party. It is a normal thing in politics that people move from one political party to the other. But what is important is that we move on and the country moves on. The PDP is very big and robust enough, with its branches in 774 local government areas in Nigeria. So, if you have five persons moving away from the PDP, you have 10-50 moving into the PDP.”
The governor disagreed with those urging President Goodluck Jonathan to back out from the dialogue with the aggrieved governors.
He said dialogue can never be too much.
On whether the dialogue should be discontinued, Akpabio said: “No, no! It depends on what they are talking about. Dialogue can never be too much. We just believe strongly here that we have a very humble President who is very patient. I hope we don’t take advantage of his patience to continue to waste his time and distract him.
“That’s why he urged not to be distracted. Even for those of us who are observers, certainly there should be an end to the dialogue so that he can face the business of the state. There is no price you cannot pay for peace. That’s why we’re all here. There is need for all to have peace and peace we shall have and dialogue we shall have until success is achieved…”
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Akpabio seeks relocation of Total Headquarters to Uyo
Governor Godswill Akpabio has expressed worry over the reluctance of TotalFina Elf, a French oil company to relocate its headquarters to Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. He called for a change of attitude.
Akpabio, speaking at a Gala Night the government organised for Consul-General of French Embassy in Nigeria, Mr Francois Sastourne, hinted that the company drilled 75 per cent of its crude oil in the country from the shores of the state.
He reasoned: “Already at the shoreline of the state, the French companies are here. TotalFina Elf has almost 75 per cent of their operation is in Akwa Ibom. I will start to report that they don’t have an office in Akwa Ibom. So, you may wish to discuss with them that to whom much is given, much is expected. We look forward to working with a lot of French companies.
“Consular-General, we require assistance to further promote education. We have declared free and compulsory education from basic education of our children but we have opened it up to all Nigerian children resident in Akwa Ibom. Because of that, we have over 1.7 million children in just primary and secondary schools alone in a population that is less than five million. The facilities are stretched, we have built thousands of classroom blocks but we don’t have enough teachers to go round all and we need assistance in any way you can help us,” the governor said.
Akpabio further said: “We have built the best e-library in Africa and we need to take the facility to the nook and cranny of the state. We must ensure that every school, every community is linked so that our children can become Information Communication Technology (ICT) compliant. That is the only way we can produce children who will be employed in the modern society.
According to him, “We want co-operation in the area of health. We are building a first-class international hospital at Itam. That hospital, I understand, is larger than the National Hospital, Abuja. But one could ask, ‘why should a state undertake such a venture?’ It is because we want to be the leading light towards Nigeria’s greatness. So, we are preparing for that day. Outside that, I have mentioned other areas of cooperation, talking about the deep seaport, the repair, maintenance and overhaul facility and the need for us to have a second operator coming in to run our second five-star hotel.
“There are areas of co-operation in agriculture. We are going to be designated as perishable goods airport by the Federal Government. Just few things for us to add, we are adding the taxi way which could also operate as a parallel runway. We are going to add a brand new international terminal which is being fabricated in Italy and then we add an underground fuel storage facility and we can go totally international.”
He added: “It is my belief that under my administration, we should have international flight from Uyo to Dubai and back to Uyo. It might interest the Consular-General to know that from Dubai to Uyo is six hours and from Dubai to Lagos is seven hours. So, if you fly from Uyo, you are cutting one hour and so many people will like to travel from Uyo instead of going to Lagos.
Responding, Sastourne expressed readiness of the French government to cooperate with Akwa Ibom in education, saying “As I said, education is the key to future, the key to development not only economic development but human development, total development. It is really the key that opens the door. So, we will try to improve the development of French language in the state.
“I saw the keenness to learn the French language. I saw students eager to learn the language of their neighbouring countries. We need to encourage them and help them. We will really do that. I am sure that any French company that comes here to invest will be able to do justice in the direction of financing education.
“We will also endeavour to have development exchanges between high-level education university from here and France, not only in the French language, but in other fields such as human science, Political Science, Engineering and whatever fields you can think of. We will like to train more Nigerians in France, have more students in terms of higher education, train the people who will nurture and make our future relationship alive.”
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Ibaka Seaport will enhance economy, says Akpabio
Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio has restated his commitment to the Ibaka Deep Seaport project. He expressed the hope that a substantial part of the project would be completed before he leaves office.
Akpabio spoke at the presentation of an architectural design of the project to him by the Managing Director of China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), Mr Shi Hong Bing and the management team in Abuja.
Akpabio said he was elated with the Chinese firm’s interest in the maritime industry because, according to him, the Ibaka Deep Seaport represented the future of the industry.
Akpabio said: “I see a future for Ibaka in the Gulf of Guinea. It will help to decongest existing ports in Nigeria and also make it the attractive destination for shippers. It will become a major trans-shipment destination because of the depth of the water.
“It will also be of advantage to countries bordering Nigeria along the coastline. Akwa Ibom State has the largest and longest coastline in the country and we are glad that your company is interested in making use of these numerous advantages.”
Akpabio noted the reception the Chinese government and CCECC gave to President Goodluck Jonathan during his visit to China, saying he was delighted by the cooperation between both countries.
Bing thanked Akpabio for his confidence in the company and pledged his commitment to maintaining standards in projects in the state.
He said the Speaker of the Chinese parliament would visit Nigeria from September 18 to 20, adding that he looked forward to using the visit as a platform for the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the project to facilitate the sourcing of funds from financial institutions.
Bing said: “The first phase of the project is estimated to cost about $3 billion so we need more investors to partner CCECC and Akwa Ibom State government to make the project a reality.”
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Akwa Ibom didn’t get N20b refund from govt, says official
The Akwa Ibom State Government has not been refunded N20billion for mending federal roads, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Aniekan Umanah, has said.
In a statement, Umanah said contrary to reports credited to the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Works, Hon. Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, the state was yet to be paid for the job done.
He quoted Ozomgbachi as saying during his visit to Governor Godswill Akpabio that “the sum of N20billion inserted in the 2013 budget was meant to be refunded to states of the federation on repairs of federal roads based on the approval of the President. He further said that the sum of N23billion will be earmarked in the 2014 appropriation for the same purpose.”
Umanah added: “The only time Akwa Ibom State received any refund from the Federal Government for the rehabilitation of federal roads was during the late Yar’Adua administration when it got N2billion despite spending over N120billion on the rehabilitation of federal roads.”
The state, he said, would be glad to receive refunds on all its expenses on the rehabilitation of federal roads, noting that the Akpabio administration has constructed and dualised over 200 kilometres of federal roads. The Uyo-Ikot Ekpene-Aba Federal Highway, he said, is being dualised as part of the over 320 new roads covering over 1,200 kilometres in the State.
The state, Umanah said, was happy with the relationship between the states and Federal Government on critical areas of development, promising to continue to work for the sustenance of the partnership.
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‘Leadership is about moving society forward’
Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio was called to the Bar in 1988. He was practising law before his election in 2007. Akpabio was a participant and Chairman at the closing ceremony of the 18th Commonwealth Lawyers Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. In this interview with Legal Editor JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU, he speaks on the challenges of leadership, how anger propelled him into the transformation agenda, and other national issues.
What is your impression of this conference?
Well, the conference is very well organised and, for me, it is good to bring together the English speaking Commonwealth countries. Of course, you saw that it was like a reunion, 54 countries coming together to discuss and espouse the rule of law and other democratic norms and values, of course it will deepen the process of the rule of law and the ability to treat everybody equal before the law, especially in the developing countries of the world, it was indeed very good.
What lessons are we taking home from here, especially in the organisation of conferences?
Well, the only lesson we shall take home is about the infrastructure. We should go home and make sure that everything works. I just noticed that they did not take light throughout the conference. So we should have 24 hours power stability in Nigeria. And the other lesson is that we don’t only provide the infrastructures, we maintain them, you can see that the place is very neat and very well maintained. As a leader, what We must institute a very good maintenance culture and build enduring infrastructure so that generations unborn will be proud of what the current Nigerian leaders bequeath to them.
What is the secret behind your achievements in governance?
Anger is the secret
What do you mean by that?
I was angry with the situation I met in my state. I was angry with the situation I found my country as a young man and I felt that with the enormous resources accruing to the country as a young man, we ought to be better than where we are today. It was anger that propelled me, but the anger is subsiding when I look back few years after and I realised that, yes I have done what I felt that leadership should do.
What do you think that leadership should do?
The work of leadership is that of moving the society forward and enhancing the living standards of the people, whether you look at it from the educational angle, the free and compulsory education policy of my government has taken my children off the streets. I have stopped them from going to Lagos and Abuja as house boys and house girls.
You mentioned the provision of infrastructure as one of the things that a visionary leadership should provide for the people, what have you been able to do in this direction?
Well, in terms of infrastructure, I have changed the scenery. I have been able to ensure that over 300 urban roads have been done, over 1,200 kilometres of roads, over 28 brand new bridges have been done, I have done over four brand new flyovers. I have built an international stadium for the state. I have built an airport and given access to Akwa Ibom people to come in from any part of the world.
In which other areas have you impacted the lives of the people of Akwa Ibom?
In health care, I have stopped Poliomyelitis. For five years, I have not had a single child that has suffered any disability and for me, that is significant. Anger, that is the secret of my success. The anger is subsiding now because when I look back, I will say yes, I am leaving the society better than I met it which is what I have always said, that government has to leave any society you meet better than you met it. And if you are not angry, you cannot change the situation of your family. If you come in and you find out that you are living below what is good for you, you should be angry that others are living better than you and what that means is that you work harder to change the situation, if you come in and you find out that you have no roads to your village, you should be angry that others have roads and you have no roads, if you come in and you don’t have electricity, you should be angry that others have electricity and you don’t have, with the enormous resources accruing to the nation, we were not seeing reciprocal development as far as Nigeria is concerned. So as a youth, I was angry. What kind of legacy will I bequeathe to my child when the time comes and I answer the call of nature? That is why I said anger propelled me, but now, it is subsiding.
How do we spread this anger so that other parts of Nigeria can benefit from it like the Akwa Ibom people?
Well, I am doing that through sensitisation, through speeches and even through the awards and recognitions that I have received from all over the country. It shows clearly that others will also see the need to embark on programmes that impact positively on the lives of the people. At the same time, we are doing peer review, we are looking at the best practices in all the states of the Federation. When I started what I call operation zero potholes and I was able to remove potholes from the major streets of my state capital and the environs, others have also emulated that and that way, we will ensure that we pursue potholes out of Nigeria. You can drive in my State now for up to 50 kilometres without seeing a pothole and this is being emulated by other governors. I started a free and compulsory education policy and enshrined a provision that makes it a crime for a parent or a guardian not to allow a child of school age to be in school, others are now keying in and some states are declaring free education and I started with massive infrastructure in roads rehabilitation and reconstruction of brand new roads, others are keying in, I have built about four brand new flyovers, I know that others are keying in.
What have you done in the health sector to improve the lives of your people?
I built five brand new General Hospitals. I declared free medical treatment for pregnant women and I stopped infant mortality, I am giving free medical treatment to children up to the age of five, now I have reduced to the barest minimum incidences of maternal mortality, others are keying in. I am providing free drugs and also a lot of incentives to medical personnel, every medical doctor employed in my state has a brand new car others are keying in, I built five brand new general hospitals, I built a state-of-the-art international hospital in Uyo, which, of course, will check capital flight to India this also is being emulated by other governors, I think that this is how to spread the message that good governance pays and when others see it, they will see the need to also key into it and improve the society.