By Kingsley Edoh
It is barely one year before the eight-year tenure of Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State comes to an end. Like his counterparts in other states and, indeed, the president of the country who assumed office on May 29, 2015, the governor will be expected to hand the mantle of leadership to a successor on May 29, 2023.
In the last seven years, the former banker has acquitted himself so creditably that he has left no one in doubt of the fact that he came fully equipped and prepared for the task of harnessing the enormous human and material resources Akwa Ibom is endowed with to build a state that can guarantee sustainable development for its people, including generations yet unborn. The thinking in many quarters is that having proven his mettle as a state governor with strings of landmark achievements to show, he has garnered the requisite experience and is equipped for whatever higher calling that may beckon him.
Udom assumed office not as one of those that are generally regarded as professional politicians, or as a public officer stuck with civil service mentality and is therefore comfortable with the status quo, but as sterling private sector player who understands that a thriving economy is the bedrock for development. A private sector player of several decades, who brought fresh air, a new way of thinking and a new mindset of a driven economy in governance. He came determined to change the narrative of Akwa Ibom from a backward, civil service state that existed only at the mercy of the federal government through the monthly allocation handouts by Abuja, despite its enviable position as the largest oil-bearing state and highest contributor to the national purse.
Udom outlined his vision for a state that would be an industrial hub not just in Nigeria, but the West African sub-region as well. In full recognition of the fact that investments cannot thrive in an insecure environment, the governor went about the task of restoring peace in Akwa Ibom through a stick and carrot approach. He outlawed all forms of criminality by getting the state house of assembly to enact laws that recommend stiff penalties for offenders, and granted amnesty to cultists and criminals who laid down their arms. The result was the level of peace the state had not witnessed in a long time.
The governor put in place attractive policies that combined with the newfound peace to create a conducive environment for investments to thrive. And to prove that the friendly investment climate his administration had created was not a fluke, he established more than 14 functional industries within the first three years of is administration – an unequalled record in the country.
“Governor Udom Emmanuel has achieved all there is to achieve as a state governor, even with about one year left in his tenure”, said Imoh Essien, a Lagos-based businessman and indigene of Akwa Ibom. “Eight years is a period long enough for a government to make an impact on the lives of the people. As an indigene of Akwa Ibom and someone that is never interested in politics or the party that is in power, I can say quite objectively that Udom has tried, especially in the area of industrialization”.
Essien recalled that before the advent of the Udom administration, there was no industry of significance in the state, adding that the only industry was the civil service. “We must not forget that before now, Akwa Ibom was just a civil service state”, said. “The industries that were set up by the late Governor Isong when we were in Cross River State had all died. The only surviving industry was the Peacock Paint Industry in Etinan, which was a shadow of its former self at the time Udom came in”. The industry has since been revived by the current administration and is functioning fully.
He said the governor has been able to attract investments into the state because the environment is conducive, in terms of the relative peace that currently obtains in the state and incentives for investors. “Investors now have more confidence in the state”, he said. “That is why people are coming from outside the state to invest there”.
There is a school of thought that believes Governor Emmanuel still has a lot to offer, especially at the national level, having served to the best of his ability at the state level where he is leaving his footprints in the sands of time. This apparently informed the governor’s decision to throw his hat into the ring to take an aim at the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party of which he is a member. Many believe his entry into the presidential race was based on conviction that he has what it takes to run the country.
His efforts at turning Akwa Ibom into an investment destination, which have yielded fruits in the number of industries that are currently operating in the state, have established him as an investment driver. That would probably be his area of priority if he had the opportunity to support in running the country. The governor said this much during his consultations before the primary election, during which he was able to showcase his achievements in Akwa Ibom. However, failing in the bid to become the country’s president has not foreclosed his chances of being fully involved in the country’s economic development process. Many believe he can be useful in that area if offered the opportunity to serve as the country’s vice president, a position that requires someone with a good grasp of the economy. This is because the occupier of that office is expected to perform oversight functions on the governments’ economic policies.
“Governor Udom has demonstrated his deep knowledge, understanding an preference for a private sector driven economy, which is the direction Nigeria should be moving now as we go forward, if we are to come out of the economic quagmire we have remained for a long time now”, said Jide Adesida, an economist and investment analyst. “The present government has failed in all indices, most especially on the issues that directly touch the lives of Nigerians, like job creation, high cost of living, a near situation of food crisis induced by the fact that farmlands have become unsafe for farmers because of high incidence of kidnappings and killings”.
He said at a time the country is going through economic crisis, the occupier of the office of vice president must be someone with understanding of the economy; someone with the background to make inputs into economic policies of the government, and not merely be an observer at meetings where such policies are formulated.
“I do not know the mind of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar when it comes to his choice of running mate”, Adesida said. “But I think his choice should be someone who will support him to run the economy. The interest of Nigerians is more about the economy. But that is after the problem of insecurity has been tackled, because the economy cannot thrive in an environment of insecurity, as we have today”.
Observers believe that the choice of a running mate to the PDP presidential candidates will help in determining the party’s chances in the 2023 presidential election.
.Edoh, civil servant lives in Uyo.
