Tag: Umana Okon Umana

Akwa Ibom State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Umana Okon Umana, has urged the electorate not to sell their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) or give them to people to photocopy.

Umana said his administration, if elected in the February 28 election, would support the establishment of 10,000 new businesses in his first year in office, through various incentives.

The APC candidate addressed thousands of party faithful at Oko Ita, the headquarter of Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area, at his campaign rally.

He said: “Anybody who asks you to sell your PVC or submit it for photocopying is a criminal who wants to perpetrate electoral fraud.

“Whatever business idea you have, whether it is distributive trade, agriculture and agribusiness, manufacturing or service, my administration will provide the financial support and other incentives so that in my first year in office, our people can generate up to 10,000 start-up enterprises. These ventures will help us to tackle unemployment, create wealth and reduce poverty.”

Umana’s promised was endorsed by a popular Akwa Ibom businessman, Dr Ime Umana.

The businessman recalled that it was the military government of U. J. Esuene that gave him a grant of N6,000 to start his business several years back in the early 1970s to start my business.

After months of speculation, a leading governorship aspirant and former Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government (SSG), Umana Okon Umana, will defect from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A statement yesterday by the Akwa Ibom State APC Chairman, Dr. Amadu Attai, said Umana’s defection from the PDP to APC would be followed by a mass movement of other political leaders and their supporters.

Attai explained that a cross-over rally to receive Umana into the APC and formalise his membership of the party will hold at Asan

Ibibio Grounds in Uyo, the state capital, on November 27.

Dignitaries expected at the rally, the APC chairman said, include APC governors, House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and the party’s presidential aspirants.

The statement reads: “Mr. Umana, a former Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government and leading governorship aspirant is to join the APC. Umana’s switch from the PDP to APC will be followed by a mass movement of other political leaders and their supporters across the state.

“Umana, who started the campaign to actualise his aspiration to lead the state as governor on the platform of the PDP, said he is dumping PDP following his illegal and unconstitutional exclusion from the party’s governorship primary on the ground that he is from Uyo Senatorial District, a clear breach of the Constitution of the Federal Republic, which forbids discrimination against a Nigerian citizen on the basis of his place of birth.”

Umana and Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio had been at each others’ throat over the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Umana after showing interest to succeed his former boss Akpabio, he was sacked from office in a commando-style manner.

He was replaced by former SSG Udom Emmanuel who is from Onna in Eket Senatorial District. Akpabio prefers Udom to take over the mantle of leadership from him.

To also scheme Umana out of the governorship primary in PDP, the national leadership of the party backed the decision of Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio to zone the governorship ticket to Eket Senatorial District.

This was announced by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh.

The statement had said: “The National Working Committee (NWC) has accepted and fully endorsed the decision to zone the Akwa Ibom State governorship position to Eket Senatorial District.

“Accordingly, the NWC expects that only aspirants from Eket senatorial zone will present themselves for the governorship primary election in the state.

“In the spirit of internal democracy, the NWC promises that there will be free, fair and transparent congresses. Aspirants from Eket senatorial zone are, therefore, encouraged to fully participate in the process.”

As Umana Okon Umana, former secretary to Akwa Ibom State government and leading PDP governorship aspirant for the 2015 race in the state, turns 55 on 20 August 2014, one of his disciples, Iboro Otongaran looks at the Umana phenomenon and his leadership potential for Akwa Ibom State.

A number of clichés have been used to describe great men. One of them is the well-worn wit, “A legend ahead of his time.” But today we thank God for giving us a leader for his time, Umana Okon Umana, immediate past secretary to Akwa Ibom State, born 55 years ago on 20 August 1959 to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Okon Umana, hardworking civil servants from Nsit Ubium in present day Akwa Abasi Ibom State, who did their best to imbue their son with all the wholesome values that would stand him out as a man of destiny.

Fifty-five years on, that young son from a working class home has become an icon, an extraordinary leader for his time. That is the reason for joy in the camp of his disciples and followers alike, that Umana Okon Umana, a leader for his time, is their own. Others are leaders ahead of their time, which is a sad mismatch. But we are lucky to have an extraordinary leader to look up to for direction in this extraordinary time, a man of tremendous self-control and intellect to lead us around the landmines of these perilous days. That is why we are celebrating. We are celebrating because we have the best leader we could ever wish for, a leader seasoned to deal with the peculiarity of his time.

For me a chance encounter in 2003 along the verandah of Government House, Uyo led to a treasured discovery that would become an inspiration, a challenge, an opportunity all at once in the last one decade and a year. That chance encounter was with Umana Okon Umana, a man I was to find out is a paragon of quiet efficiency. At that time he was the commissioner for finance in the administration of Governor Victor Attah. Over the years, a work relationship I had with him grew in warm and affection into a personal friendship. Today I feel extremely privileged to say that Umana Okon Umana is my boss and friend.

Working with him has proved to be an experience I will not trade for anything else. Umana daily illustrates the saying widely attributed to the great architect, Le Corbusier that “God is in the details.” Umana is a man of details. That is why he achieves near perfection in whatever he does. In my work with him, he never glosses over anything. He goes over every piece of paperwork with a fine tooth comb and will never sign off on the job until every detail is right, no matter how long it takes to get to that point. But make no mistake about it, he is not leisurely in his work pace. He demands quality with alacrity.

Umana has legendary zest for work. It is amazing the energy and stamina he brings to the workplace. He sleeps precious little. A call from the boss by 2 am or such other interesting hour for one assignment or the other is not infrequent. He regularly sets very tight schedules. Working with him demands thinking on your feet and being ready at all time for late breaking assignments.

But he soothes such pressure as work brings with amazing heart of appreciation, and never passes up an opportunity to commend a job well done.

This interesting work ethics is what Umana is offering his people in his quest to lead them come 2015. But he is offering much more. He would also bring to the table uncommon experience and exceptional competence born of preparation—extraordinary preparation—for the high calling of leadership. In the large field of people with aspirations to run for the office of governor next year, no one comes close to Umana in terms of direct experience with public administration and statecraft.

His profile boasts a rounded experience in the public service. He was principal budget officer, deputy director of budget, and director of budget before he was elevated to the very peak of his civil service career as permanent secretary in charge of budget in the governor’s office in Akwa Ibom State. He earned the position of permanent secretary by sheer superior performance when some of his contemporaries were still at the directorate levels.The testimony to his distinguished career in the civil service was not limited to his rapid climb to the top. In 1991 he was honoured with the Akwa Ibom State Public Service Award for Outstanding Performance. Umana earned most of these accolades for his distinguished service while in the budget office.

We need to stress that the budget office has significance that belies its simple title. The budget process is at the very heart of governance. It is not an overstatement to compare it to the flow of oxygen that keeps all body functions working to guarantee good health. Umana mastered the budget process before moving up to superintend over public finance in Akwa Ibom State when he was appointed commissioner for finance under the administration of His Excellency, Obong Victor Attah in 2003. He held the finance portfolio in the Attah administration until that government came to an end on May 2007.

The succeeding government led by His Excellency, Obong Godswill Akpabio named Umana to the position of secretary to the state government on 1 June 2007. He executed the office of secretary to the state government with his trademark finesse and effectiveness and left indelible marks on the execution of public policies and programmes. At the end of the call to duty as secretary to the state government, the state governor, HE Governor Godswill Akpabio paid him a glowing tribute, describing him as a man of “exceptional competence” and noted that his “commitment and dedication to duties as a Member of the State Executive Council contributed immensely to the achievements recorded by my Administration.” He headed some of the most pivotal committees during his time in government, including the finance and general purposes committee of the state executive council for six years.

The huge weight of official responsibilities that his bosses placed upon his shoulders surely reflects their belief in his exceptional competence as a public officer.

But Umana is not just a man of exceptional competence, he is also a man who is prepared and ready to lead. He is prepared and ready for service at the highest level of leadership to his people not just by way of experience, but also by formal training. He studied Economics at the University of Calabar and earned an MBA from University of Port Harcourt before taking advantage of executive training opportunities to hone up his leadership skills at London Business School and Columbia Graduate School of Business, New York.

Umana is an embodiment of all the qualities found in a transformational leader. He has strength of character, is consistent, highly focused, possessed of tremendous self-control; he is humble, stable and mature. He is a man of great conviction who combines greatness with common touch. He is friends alike with everyday people and the high and mighty.

He offers the three P combination that defines effective leadership success: Preparation, Passion and Plan.  Umana is prepared to lead, he is passionate about it and has a plan for his people. His passion is fired by the vision “to build a state that is distinguished by rapid, inclusive growth and development, where all citizens have equal right to the duties and privileges of their common heritage.”  He believes in inclusion. He is not clannish. His personal friends come from all the ethnic nationalities in Akwa Ibom State. That is why the UOU campaign is such a moving pan-Akwa Ibom force. That is why Umana champions are out in their strength in Essien Udim as much as they are in Oro nation, Ukanafun, Abak, Ikot Ekpene, Uyo, Eket, Eastern Obolo, Etim Ekpo, Ikono, Ini, Itu, Ibiono, Nsit Ubium, Etinan, and everywhere. Even outside Akwa Ibom, Umana collects friends and people are generally attracted to him. He is a likable man.

He cares deeply for people, which is why he attracts such a large and diverse following, a true rainbow coalition. A man of great compassion, Umana is a quiet but big-budget philanthropist. He has a large number of Nigerian students under his scholarship. Routinely he helps out people with needs for medical expenses, and other issues.

Umana’s personal obsession with the welfare of people around him has found expression in his political platform. In a recent chat with media men, Umana said he is seeking political power to bring an end to provocative inequality and inexcusable mass poverty in Akwa Ibom State. Those of us who know him up close take the promise to end mass poverty seriously because we are dealing with a leader whose words are his bond. He does what he says he will do. Throw into the mix the good fortune that Akwa Ibom is a resource-rich state, then you have a very strong prospect of transformation that excludes no one nor any section of the state, under a leader who believes in inclusion and treats the formulation and execution of policies and programmes that guarantee inclusive growth and development as the only justifiable reason for aspiration to leadership.

As Akwa Ibom stands at a crossroads, the state badly needs a leader who believes in inclusion; not a politician who will continue with the programme of exclusion. At this juncture, where a wrong step would further exacerbate ethnic tension and magnify division in the state, we need a leader who is prepared and ready, and not an accidental politician and a draft.

Umana is ready and has a plan to refocus development at the people. His passion is the people, their welfare, their long-term empowerment. His unparalleled knowledge of the state, its development needs and the yearnings of the people will be his guiding light in the intervention programmes to lift the people out of poverty.

His unparalleled knowledge will guide him to where there is need to correct lopsidedness in infrastructure development, where there is ground to address deprivation in representation, wherever there is need to instill a sense of belonging. Umana promises a balanced scorecard, given his experience, competence and sense of fair play.

On this occasion of celebration for my boss and friend and a good family man, I want to say 55 happy cheers to this extraordinary leader of our time.