The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nsima Ekere

  • NDDC rice mill will end rice importation – Minister

    NDDC rice mill will end rice importation – Minister

    The Federal Government has commended the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over the completion of rice mill in Elele-Alimini, Emuoha Local Government Area of Rivers.

    The Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr Heineken Lokpobiri, made the commendation during a meeting with NDDC and the Elephant Group in Port Harcourt on Monday.

    He expressed optimism that the mill would ensure food sufficiency in the country in addition to creating thousands of jobs for youths in the Niger Delta region.

    According to him, the rice mill project is part of the Federal Government’s  drive to ensure food security and end rice importation within the shortest possible time.

    “Before the Buhari-led administration took office; the Federal Government spent five million dollars daily on rice importation to the country.

    “NDDC has over the years started building a rice mill which has not been put to use,’’ he said.’

    He explained that the government embarked on the project  is because the region had potential to grow rice in commercial quantity even without fertiliser.

    “The Federal Government believes that the time has come for the country to use the rice mill NDDC has built to create employment and guarantee food security for the masses.

    “The Federal Government wants to make the nation to be self- sufficient in rice production at least by the year 2018,” he said.

    Lokpobiri said that Elephant Group, an indigenous company, would manage the rice mill and employ thousands of workers at the facility.

    He called on state governments and stakeholders to key into the Federal Government’s drive to ensure rice sufficiency in the country.

    The Managing Director of NDDC, Mr Nsima Ekere, said that the commission spent N1.5 billion on the rice mills in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.

    He said that facilities, completed 10 years ago, were left to rot by previous governing boards and management of the commission.

    “When we came on board; we couldn’t come to terms that despite spending huge sums of money building large mills in Akwa Ibom, Lagos and Rivers the projects were not put to use.

    “In-line with the present administration’s zero tolerance to wastages, inefficiency and corruption we decided to work with the Minister of State for Agriculture to revive the facilities.

    “The rice mill would benefit the people of Niger Delta and country at large and add to the new Niger Delta initiative without oil,” he said.

    Ekere said the facility which would soon commence operation would make rice cheap and available to the masses.

    Also, Mr Olatunji Owoeya, the Managing Director of Elephant Group, promised that the facility would be put to judicious use for the benefit of the people of Niger Delta.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the facility has capacity to process 180 tonnes of rice daily; an equivalent of 3,600 bags of 50g.

  • NDDC pledges support for Ozoro Polytechnic in Niger Delta region

    NDDC pledges support for Ozoro Polytechnic in Niger Delta region

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has restated its resolve to  assist the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, with the provision of basic infrastructure, such as roads and hostel accommodation.

    The Managing Director, Mr Nsima Ekere, said this in a statement issued by Mr Ibitoye Abosede, the Director Corporate Affairs of  the Commission on Wednesday.

    Ekere, represented by the Executive Director Projects, Mr Samuel Adjogbe, said this when he received members of the Governing Council, led by the Chairman, Funkekeme Solomon at the NDDC Headquarters in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

    According to Ebere,  the Commission is  making efforts to complete all on-gong projects in the institution.

    He said that the Commission would also embark on new projects such as the construction of hostel accommodation and other infrastructure to enable students learn under a conducive atmosphere.

    ”We will no longer allow people to hide NDDC money in their powers without delivering on projects. We are doing this to reposition the Commission.”

    Speaking earlier, the Chairman,  Delta State Polytechnic Governing Council, Solomon called on NDDC to prevail on the contractors handling the three major projects in the school, such as the 2-storey ICT Building, twin lecture theatre and on-going road at various stages of completion to return to site.

    In another development, representatives of major oil bearing communities of Owevwe, Opherin, Gana, Otokutu, Saniko, Agbaide and Ughere in Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North Local Government Area, led by Mr Ikpere Clement also visited the NDDC Headquarters.

    Clement said their visit was to protest the deplorable condition of road projects  abandoned in their communities.

    Ekere commended them for not taking the law into their hands by shutting down the oil flow station.

    He also assured the group that the Commission would prevail on the contractor to return to site as quickly as possible to ameliorate the suffering of the people and boost the economic   potential of the various communities.

  • Nsima Ekere turns the tide

    Nsima Ekere turns the tide

    It is no news that many people see their appointment or election into a high profile office as their chance to amass illicit wealth while paying lip service to their mandate. For the boss of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Nsima Ekere, the story appears totally different. Since his appointment as NDDC boss late last year, the Akwa-Ibom big boy has set about his task with gusto.

    With his appointment in November last year, the wind of change of the Buhari administration has finally reached the NDDC blowing away, bit by bit, the corruption that had engulfed the commission from top to bottom. Under Ekere’s watch, NDDC now follows due process in the procurement and award of projects, while embracing the culture of transparency in line with international best practices.

    The lethargy that once pervaded the commission like a dark cloud has been dispersed in favour of a new, boundless energy to carry out the commission’s mandate and bring smiles to the faces of the people of the oil-rich Niger Delta.

  • NDDC seeks investors to develop modular refineries

    Mr Nsima Ekere, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), says the commission would partner investors to build modular refineries in the Niger Delta.

    Ekere, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by the commission’s Head of  Corporate Affairs, Mr Chijioke Amu-Nnadi, also said he would lead a delegation to the forthcoming Oil Technology Conference in Houston, United States, to explore  opportunities for development of modular refineries.

    He said that the conference slated to hold from May 1 to May 4 would be attended by leading professionals and players in the global oil and gas industry.

    According to him, the focus of the conference is to exchange knowledge in drilling, exploration, production, environmental protection, innovation and technology.

    “NDDC is attending the conference as it prepares to implement the Federal Government’s proposal to replace thousands of illegal refining facilities scattered across the region with modular refineries.

    “The conference would fully prepare the region for a new era of downstream operations with small and new players’ in-line with plans to convert illegal refineries into modular ones.

    “We have scheduled meetings and engagements that will enrich our knowledge and open up new partnership opportunities for the benefit of the Niger Delta,” he said.

    Ekere said the NDDC would also use the conference to showcase young innovators from the region who recorded successes under its Young Innovators Scheme.

    He expressed optimism that the strategy would attract new businesses, boost employment, strengthen indigenous capacity and stimulate economic activities in the region.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls the Federal Government recently announced plans to replace illegal refineries with modular refineries to end decades of oil theft in the Niger Delta.

    The plan is part of   a wider arrangement to fast track the development of the region and expands the nation’s oil and gas industry.

     

  • NDDC disburses N30bn to contractors – Ekere

    Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Nsima Ekere, on Tuesday said the commission had disbursed about N30 billion to its contractors.

    Ekere, who disclosed this at a meeting with members of NDDC Contractors’ Association in Port Harcourt, said the payment was made by the new Board since it took office in November.

    He said the board met over 8,000 projects scattered across the region with many abandoned with liability of about N1.3 trillion.

    According to him, the board has also directed that all interim payment certificates bearing below N20 million be processed for immediate payment.

    “We believe that process of documentation should be done right.

    “There was need for the commission to get its full funding as provided in the NDDC Act which would enable it carry out its mandate,” he said.

    Ekere said the board had already met with the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta with a view to ascertain the exact fund owed the commission.

    The NDDC boss said that challenges faced by the commission informed why the board used four months to work out its strategic road map for development, anchored on 4-R initiative.

    Ekere explained that the 4-R initiative aimed to restructure NDDC’s balance sheet; reform its governance protocols; restore the commission’s core mandate and reaffirm its commitment to doing what was right and proper.

    “Part of the reforms involves introduction of technology aimed to enhance service delivery system in the commission.

    “We are also reforming the governance systems in NDDC with focus to enshrining best international standard that would be difficult to reverse by successive boards after we leave.

    “Also, the board approached oil companies to involve them in our budgeting process to enable them make input; since they are working in host communities who have needs,” he said.

    Ekere said the commission had also set up a committee tasked with the responsibility to conduct investigative hearing on allegations of corruption on some of its staffers.

    He said the hearing which sought to promote transparency and probity in the commission was however delayed following security breaches at the hearing.

    The Managing Director said the committee had received several petitions and memorandum and assured that the committee was currently working tirelessly to resolve the matter.

    “I believe in constructive engagement, and as such, we are engaging with various stakeholders to confront challenges facing the Niger Delta,” he said.

    Mr Joe Adia, President of NDDC Contractors’ Association, said the association would continue to work with the board for the release of outstanding funds owed the commission.

    He urged the board to recognize the association as partner in progress and pointed out that the commission had a lot to learn if it worked closely with contractors.

  • NDDC redeploys 11 directors in major shake-up

    NDDC redeploys 11 directors in major shake-up

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has redeployed 11 directors to different offices and directorates to boost its performance in the development of the Niger Delta.

    The Managing Director of NDDC, Mr Nsima Ekere, said on Thursday in Port Harcourt that the decision to shake-up the NDDC was taken after the commission’s retreat in Port Harcourt.

    He said the affected directors were drawn from the commission’s offices in Abuja, Bayelsa, Imo, Ondo, Delta and Rivers states.

    The NDDC chief gave the names of the affected officers redeployed as: Dr Princewill Ekanim, who was redeployed to the office of the Managing Director as Director of Special Duties.

    Mr Effiong Ephraim moves from Special Duties to head Abuja Liaison office, while Mrs Rachael Odiri, formerly Head of Bayelsa State office now heads Abuja office.

    Also, Mr Wanoro Weli, a former Director in charge of Utility Infrastructure Development and Waterways would head Ondo State office, replacing Mr Emma Audu who becomes Director of Project Monitoring and Supervision.

    In similar vein, Mr Nosa Agbongiasede takes charge of Imo State office, while Godwin Jaja, formerly Director of Imo office would take charge of Human Resources Directorate.

    Mr Etim Eyoette was elevated to the position of Acting Director, Utility Infrastructure Development and Waterways (UIDW), while Mr Ndubuisi Ahiakwo was moved from UIDW in Delta to Project Monitoring and Supervision (Western Zone).

    Mr Uno Uno now heads Project Monitoring and Supervision (Eastern Zone) while Mr Felix Aomreore becomes Head, Project Monitoring and Supervision (Central Zone).

    Ekere said the redeployment would enable the commission to actualise reforms designed to restore the commission’s core mandate and improve the living conditions of residents in the Niger Delta.

    `We are taking actions to reform our operations for optimum performance; and part of the first step was to deploy officers to where they would offer better service.

    “It is important to offer the region and our people better service; improve the quality of our projects; and ensure that we pay for projects and programmes that we implement,” he said. (NAN)

  • 12 aspirants jostle for PDP governorship ticket in Akwa Ibom

    Not fewer than 12 aspirants are jostling for the governorship ticket of Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State.

    The aspirants are in last minutes preparations ahead of the primary election slated for December 8.

    Aside from Udom Emmanuel, a former Secretary to the State Government, who is banking on Governor Godswill Akpabio’s support to pick the party’s ticket, other aspirants are expecting a level playing field during the primary election.

    Other contenders in the race are – Benjamin Okoko, Nsima Ekere, Prof. Richard King, Ekpenyong Ntekim, Okpolupm Etteh, Senator Helen Esuene, Patrick Ekpout, Envoy Assam Assam (SAN), Effiong Abia, Bishop Sam Akpan, and Engr. Larry Esin.

    Already tension is brewing among the aspirants over Governor Akpabio’s tight grip on the party machinery in his desperate bid to install Emmanuel as his successor.

    The development has led to the defection of a former Secretary to the State Government, Umana Okon Umana, along with some local government chairmen, councilors and other political friends to the All Progressives Congress.

  • Akwa Ibom: Ex-deputy governor, Oro leaders plan alliance

    Akwa Ibom: Ex-deputy governor, Oro leaders plan alliance

    FOrmer Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor Nsima Ekere and Oro leaders have agreed to work together to accommodate the interests of Ikot Abasi and Oron Federal constituencies in the 2015 governorship race.

    Ekere offered to work with Oro in March at Ikot Abasi during a town hall meeting for Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency.

    The aspirant said the governorship seat should be zoned to Ikot Abasi and Oron Federal constituencies since they are in Eket Senatorial District but had not produced a governor.

    He also visited Oron two months later with a delegation of leaders of Ikot Abasi Federal Constituency to meet Oro leaders.

    During a visit yesterday to the Oro Union and Council of Traditional Rulers, Ekere restated the need for further dialogue to achieve a common ground on the matter.

    The aspirant said both federal constituencies shared the same political and infrastructural challenges.

    He described the Oro agitation as genuine, adding that it deserved to be commended for its well organised socio-political structures.

    Ekere said his priority as a governorship aspirant was the industrialisation of Akwa Ibom State.

    The former deputy governor promised to place the development and completion of the Ibaka Seaport and the accompanying Ibom Industrial City on his priority list to grow the private sector.

    He said both projects would be located in Oro with direct benefits to the host community.

     

    The Chairman of Oro Think Tank, Chief Okon Osung, argued that the rotation of the governorship seat on the basis of senatorial districts was not workable because it had the capacity to deny the minority the opportunity to govern the state.

    He said the position of Oro Think Tank was that the state should be divided into two zones for the governorship rotation with the rotation shared between the majority (Ibibio) with 14 local government areas and minority (a conglomeration of various minority ethnic groups) with 17 local government areas, irrespective of their senatorial district.

    Osung said there was need for both federal constituencies to work together.

    The chairman hailed Ekere for his sincerity of purpose.

    He said the former deputy governor had attracted seasoned politicians from all parts of the state into his campaign organisation and for accommodating 35 per cent affirmative action for women in the organisation.

    “You are organised for power,” Osun told Ekere.

    A former Commissioner for Education, Dr. Effiong Edunam, described the visit as a gathering of friends.

    He said Ekere deserved to be properly acknowledged as one of the agitators for the actualisation of the zoning of the governorship seat to Eket.

     

     

     

  • Ekere: I’ll take Akwa Ibom to greater heights

    Ekere: I’ll take Akwa Ibom to greater heights

    Nsima Ekere is a former deputy governor and governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State. In this interview with Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, he talks about his agenda and other issues.

    There is a long list of aspirants  queuing up to take over from Governor Akpabio. Why should the PDP go for Nsima Ekere?

    What Akwa Ibom needs right now is a governor with the right temperament, the right focus and the experience to build on what we have on the ground today. I have a private sector background. I came into government as a professional, and when I came in, I had a privilege of being chairman of the Akwa Ibom Investment and Industrial Promotion Council. That is the private sector arm of Akwa Ibom State Government. It deals with the private sector interest of the government. I was also chairman of the Ibom Power Company, the independent power project that we were developing at a time, but which has been completed and commissioned. Then, I sat on the board of several companies that government has interest in. I was also the one that designed the framework for the industrialization programme of government. Now, from that perspective, I was able to experience, firsthand, how bureaucracy hinders the translation of private sector objectives into reality in a government setting. Now, from there, I now got into core governance as deputy governor. From the experience that I’ve had, both from the private sector and running the government, nobody else from the whole pack that has this kind of experience and exposure. What Akwa Ibom State needs today, is a government that would now begin to build a sustainable economic life for the people of the state. A government that would deliberately build the private sector of a state would succeed in creating jobs, because it is the private sector that would build industries and create jobs. What we need to do is to create the enabling environment, make deliberate policies to encourage the private sector to thrive. I‘ll move Akwa Ibom to the next stage in development, which is industrial development. I want to build an economic base for the state to reduce the tendency to depend on allocations from the Federation Account.

    Could you give us a highlight of your blueprint to take Akwa Ibom to the next level?

    My focus is to build an economic capacity for Akwa Ibom State and for Akwa Ibom people. The state is endowed with enough resources and with the right imagination and resourcefulness, we can tackle poverty, fight hunger and help Akwa Ibom people find productive roles within the local and national economy. My priority will be to create an environment rich in opportunities and an economic structure that gives every Akwa Ibom citizen the chance to succeed. Creating economic prosperity means a return to agriculture, building industries and simulating the local environment with the right incentives.

    We would also provide 21st Century education to our children. Education is central to development. Today’s world is changing. Some of the biggest businesses running today are not involved in properties and hydrocarbons. They are knowledge-based. So, one of the ways to equip the people to compete in today’s world is to give them the right kind of education. The kind of education that would make them competitive in today’s world and make them respected wherever they go in the world. It would involve a lot of training and re-training of even the staff. Apart from the provision of infrastructure, it would involve changing the curriculum; enriching it.

    I will aggressively pursue improvements in the health sector to expand health services. A lot of our revenue is spent abroad on medical tourism. Curiously, when you go to some of the best hospitals in Europe and America, and you enter the consulting room and guess what? The specialist that is treating you is a Nigerian. So, we have the human capacity; all we need to do is to equip our hospitals and build new hospitals with modern equipment and attract the best personnel and pay them good wages. We aim to turn Akwa Ibom into the medical tourism destination in Nigeria, by developing a medical park in the state. It is just like you have an industrial park or a technological park. The medical park is going to be a conglomerate of hospitals with different specialists. It has to be a self-sufficient facility, fully-developed, fully-equipped and fully-staffed, to deliver hi-tech medical services.

    I’m also going to embark on rural development. A greater part of our populace lives in the rural areas. This makes it incumbent on us to come up deliberate policies and programmes to reach out and gradually begin to touch the rural areas. We intend to use agriculture as a massive tool to drive rural development. If we are able to get into mechanized agriculture, we would look at the value chain. From the raw products you get, right up to processing and storage, we would create some agro-based industries and this would all be in the rural areas. It would grow the rural economy; it would help to reduce the rural-urban drift. We would provide them with the necessary infrastructure to make their lives comfortable. One of the things I didn’t mention in healthcare is primary health facilities, because before you get to the medical park that I talked about, we must also provide primary healthcare facilities for the rural areas, to take care of them at that level before they access secondary healthcare facilities.

    How do you see the idea of zoning in Akwa Ibom?

    I’m from Ikot Abasi, which is in Eket Senatorial District. I understand the geo-politics of the place and the agitation of the people that the governorship should go to Eket zone. But, I would like to caution that even as we get swayed by geo-political considerations, we should also pay attention to quality of the candidates; look at what programmes they are offering; their capacity to deliver; their antecedents; and their ability to positively add values to the system. It is not sufficient to say because the governorship has been zoned to the area, every Tom, Dick and Harry should jump to the fray.

    Governor Akpabio is believed to have an anointed candidate. Are you not intimidated by the so-called anointed candidate?

    At the end of the day, it is the people of Akwa Ibom State that would decide who their next governor would be. It is the people of Akwa Ibom that would vote at the primaries and the general election, so I believe that it’s about democracy. I’m not aware that he has a preference at the moment. The Governor is my friend, I worked with him and I speak with him regularly. He hasn’t told me that he has a preferred candidate. You see, there is a lot of talk in politics. But, it’s not everything that you hear that is true. I’m not saying that there might not be a preferred candidate. What I’m saying is that I believe that Akwa Ibom people are educated and republican enough to decide for themselves who they think in their opinion is best for the state. This election is a referendum on the future of Akwa Ibom State and the people know that who they elect as their next governor to a very large extent would determine the direction the state would go in the next four years. We need to put in place a government and a system that would help to consolidate on the gains that have been made.

    How is the rivalry between Akpabio and PDP stakeholders  likely to affect the November 29 primaries?

    The PDP is a very big family and just like every family, people have different views on issues. They also have different interests. Sometimes, this causes schisms in families. Basically, the issue in Akwa Ibom is that people want to have a say; they want to be free to express themselves and to choose who becomes the governor. At the end of the day, we would come to some form of understanding. That’s the beauty of democracy.

    Do you see the aspirants resorting to the kind of political rascality just witnessed in Abuja over Nyesom Wike’s ambition?

    People would only resort to political rascality and violence, if the nomination process is flawed, manipulated. It is a simple matter. The party has released its guidelines for the primaries. The PDP has a constitution and every member of the party is obliged to abide by that constitution and approach the primaries in line with the guidelines issued. If those guidelines are adhered to and the process of nomination is transparent, there would be absolutely no reason why there should be any kind of political rascality. Akwa Ibom people are peace-loving people and would abide by the rules. In 2007, there were over forty-something aspirants for the governorship and there was no incidence of violence. I don’t think 2015 would be any different.

     

     

     

  • Ekere: I’ll take Akwa Ibom to greater heights

    Ekere: I’ll take Akwa Ibom to greater heights

    Nsima Ekere is a former deputy governor and governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State. In this interview with Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, he talks about his agenda and other issues.

    There is a long list of aspirants queuing up to take over from Governor Akpabio. Why should the PDP go for Nsima Ekere?

    What Akwa Ibom needs right now is a governor with the right temperament, the right focus and the experience to build on what we have on the ground today. I have a private sector background. I came into government as a professional, and when I came in, I had a privilege of being chairman of the Akwa Ibom Investment and Industrial Promotion Council. That is the private sector arm of Akwa Ibom State Government. It deals with the private sector interest of the government. I was also chairman of the Ibom Power Company, the independent power project that we were developing at a time, but which has been completed and commissioned. Then, I sat on the board of several companies that government has interest in. I was also the one that designed the framework for the industrialization programme of government. Now, from that perspective, I was able to experience, firsthand, how bureaucracy hinders the translation of private sector objectives into reality in a government setting. Now, from there, I now got into core governance as deputy governor. From the experience that I’ve had, both from the private sector and running the government, nobody else from the whole pack that has this kind of experience and exposure. What Akwa Ibom State needs today, is a government that would now begin to build a sustainable economic life for the people of the state. A government that would deliberately build the private sector of a state would succeed in creating jobs, because it is the private sector that would build industries and create jobs. What we need to do is to create the enabling environment, make deliberate policies to encourage the private sector to thrive. I‘ll move Akwa Ibom to the next stage in development, which is industrial development. I want to build an economic base for the state to reduce the tendency to depend on allocations from the Federation Account.

    Could you give us a highlight of your blueprint to take Akwa Ibom to the next level?

    My focus is to build an economic capacity for Akwa Ibom State and for Akwa Ibom people. The state is endowed with enough resources and with the right imagination and resourcefulness, we can tackle poverty, fight hunger and help Akwa Ibom people find productive roles within the local and national economy. My priority will be to create an environment rich in opportunities and an economic structure that gives every Akwa Ibom citizen the chance to succeed. Creating economic prosperity means a return to agriculture, building industries and simulating the local environment with the right incentives.

    We would also provide 21st Century education to our children. Education is central to development. Today’s world is changing. Some of the biggest businesses running today are not involved in properties and hydrocarbons. They are knowledge-based. So, one of the ways to equip the people to compete in today’s world is to give them the right kind of education. The kind of education that would make them competitive in today’s world and make them respected wherever they go in the world. It would involve a lot of training and re-training of even the staff. Apart from the provision of infrastructure, it would involve changing the curriculum; enriching it.

    I will aggressively pursue improvements in the health sector to expand health services. A lot of our revenue is spent abroad on medical tourism. Curiously, when you go to some of the best hospitals in Europe and America, and you enter the consulting room and guess what? The specialist that is treating you is a Nigerian. So, we have the human capacity; all we need to do is to equip our hospitals and build new hospitals with modern equipment and attract the best personnel and pay them good wages. We aim to turn Akwa Ibom into the medical tourism destination in Nigeria, by developing a medical park in the state. It is just like you have an industrial park or a technological park. The medical park is going to be a conglomerate of hospitals with different specialists. It has to be a self-sufficient facility, fully-developed, fully-equipped and fully-staffed, to deliver hi-tech medical services.

    I’m also going to embark on rural development. A greater part of our populace lives in the rural areas. This makes it incumbent on us to come up deliberate policies and programmes to reach out and gradually begin to touch the rural areas. We intend to use agriculture as a massive tool to drive rural development. If we are able to get into mechanized agriculture, we would look at the value chain. From the raw products you get, right up to processing and storage, we would create some agro-based industries and this would all be in the rural areas. It would grow the rural economy; it would help to reduce the rural-urban drift. We would provide them with the necessary infrastructure to make their lives comfortable. One of the things I didn’t mention in healthcare is primary health facilities, because before you get to the medical park that I talked about, we must also provide primary healthcare facilities for the rural areas, to take care of them at that level before they access secondary healthcare facilities.

    How do you see the idea of zoning in Akwa Ibom?

    I’m from Ikot Abasi, which is in Eket Senatorial District. I understand the geo-politics of the place and the agitation of the people that the governorship should go to Eket zone. But, I would like to caution that even as we get swayed by geo-political considerations, we should also pay attention to quality of the candidates; look at what programmes they are offering; their capacity to deliver; their antecedents; and their ability to positively add values to the system. It is not sufficient to say because the governorship has been zoned to the area, every Tom, Dick and Harry should jump to the fray.

    Governor Akpabio is believed to have an anointed candidate. Are you not intimidated by the so-called anointed candidate?

    At the end of the day, it is the people of Akwa Ibom State that would decide who their next governor would be. It is the people of Akwa Ibom that would vote at the primaries and the general election, so I believe that it’s about democracy. I’m not aware that he has a preference at the moment. The Governor is my friend, I worked with him and I speak with him regularly. He hasn’t told me that he has a preferred candidate. You see, there is a lot of talk in politics. But, it’s not everything that you hear that is true. I’m not saying that there might not be a preferred candidate. What I’m saying is that I believe that Akwa Ibom people are educated and republican enough to decide for themselves who they think in their opinion is best for the state. This election is a referendum on the future of Akwa Ibom State and the people know that who they elect as their next governor to a very large extent would determine the direction the state would go in the next four years. We need to put in place a government and a system that would help to consolidate on the gains that have been made.

    How is the rivalry between Akpabio and PDP stakeholders  likely to affect the November 29 primaries?

    The PDP is a very big family and just like every family, people have different views on issues. They also have different interests. Sometimes, this causes schisms in families. Basically, the issue in Akwa Ibom is that people want to have a say; they want to be free to express themselves and to choose who becomes the governor. At the end of the day, we would come to some form of understanding. That’s the beauty of democracy.

    Do you see the aspirants resorting to the kind of political rascality just witnessed in Abuja over Nyesom Wike’s ambition?

    People would only resort to political rascality and violence, if the nomination process is flawed, manipulated. It is a simple matter. The party has released its guidelines for the primaries. The PDP has a constitution and every member of the party is obliged to abide by that constitution and approach the primaries in line with the guidelines issued. If those guidelines are adhered to and the process of nomination is transparent, there would be absolutely no reason why there should be any kind of political rascality. Akwa Ibom people are peace-loving people and would abide by the rules. In 2007, there were over forty-something aspirants for the governorship and there was no incidence of violence. I don’t think 2015 would be any different.