Peter Adobamen
He was born into the family of Mr. Gabriel Emmanuel Nkenang, a native of Awa Iman in Onna Local Government, on Monday, July 11, 1966. Mr. Gabriel Emmanuel Udom, the 4th democratically elected Governor of Akwa Ibom State had his secondary school education in Secondary Commercial School, Ikot Akpan Ishiet, Onna LGA of Akwa Ibom State, from where he obtained his West African Examination Council’s Certificate (WAEC). From there, he went on to attend the School of Arts and Science, Uyo, where he received his Advanced Certificate of Basic Studies (CBS) and a Higher School Certificate (HSC). He thereafter proceeded to University of Lagos, Nigeria, for his tertiary education, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, in 1988, with a Second Class Upper Honours. Going forward, he obtained his advanced management program from Institut Europeen d’Administration Des Affaires (INSEAD) in Fontainebleau, France, and a Master’s Degree in Corporate Governance from Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.
In the 1990s’, Mr Udom worked in Price Water House Coopers, a multinational professional services network of firms, where he served as an audit manager, before proceeding to work with the then Diamond Bank Plc, now Access Bank Plc. At the age of 30, from Diamond Bank, he moved Zenith Bank in 1996, being the pioneer manager of its Lagos Central Branch. In the 17 years Governor Udom worked in the Bank, he occupied the post of Non-Executive Director in Zenith Bank Sierra Leone, The Gambia and United Kingdom. He held the same post in other sister companies of the bank such as Zenith Pension & Custodian, Zenith Trustees, Zenith Insurance, Zenith Registrars and Zenith Securities.
Governor Udom was thereafter elevated to the post of Executive Director. His job description entailed direct supervision of Foreign Subsidiaries of Zenith Bank, overseeing Infrastructure and Power Sector, Corporate Financial Advisory Services and Control. It also included Business Development, International Investors’ Relations, Oil & Gas Sector, Corporate Strategy and Planning, Multilaterals, Conglomerates and Private Banking (MCP) as well as the Telecommunications sector.
In 2013, he journeyed into the world of politics, when he was appointed Secretary to the State Government, by former Governor and former Senate Minority Leader, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, who is the current Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. Following the gubernatorial primaries held in December 2014 where he defeated 22 other governorship aspirants, Governor Udom was elected overwhelmingly into office on April 11, 2015, with a total of 999,071 votes, defeating APC’s candidate Umana Okon Umana who scored 89,865 votes. He repeated the same victorious feat in 2019 when he was elected for a second term.
His first tenure was anchored on a 5 point agenda. His areas of focus were Wealth Creation, Economic and Political Inclusion, Poverty Alleviation, Infrastructural Consolidation and Expansion, as well as Job Creation. In his interview with Business Day News Editor, Osa Victor Obayagbona, His Excellency rated himself highly in the implementation of his 5 point agenda. He said” I think given the dire economic circumstance that welcomed us in our first term, given the depression we had experienced, the fluctuating rate of the naira against other foreign currencies, the dip in oil prices which affected our allocations, that we were able to achieve as much as we did… I think without sounding boastful, I will score us 85%”.
In the agricultural sector alone, some notable achievements of the Udom Emmanuel led administration, include Establishment of large hybrid rubber nursery at Ebighi Anwa, Okobo L.G.A in partnership with Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria, for distribution to rubber farmers at highly subsidized rates; the refurbishing of Cassava Processing Factories at Ikot Okudom, Eket L.G.A; Nung Udoe, Ibesikpo/Asutan LGA and Ikot Ekang in Abak L.G.A and leasing to private operators for the production of high quality garri, odourless fufu and cassava flour; Procurement and distribution of 30,000 Hybrid Plantain Suckers to 700 farmers as well as Installation of Maize Preservation/Shelling Machine at Nung Udoe. Establishment of demonstration plots on various agricultural technologies for transfer of improved technologies to farmers through Akwa Ibom Agricultural Development Programme (AKADEP); Planting of 500 citrus seedlings, 600 hybrid plantain suckers and 1,000 pineapple suckers at the Horticulture Garden in Uyo LGA amongst others.
In furtherance of entrepreneurship development, the Udom led administration undertook the construction of Akwa Ibom Traders ultra-modern market, Mbak Ikot Oku, with 25,000 shops, a Bank, Clinic, Fire and Police Stations, and trained 200 Akwa Ibom youths trained on solar panel installation/maintenance. It also provided over N2,000,000,000 interest free loan for small scale entrepreneurs and traders.
As regards infrastructural consolidation and expansion, the Emmanuel Udom administration has delivered on its promises. Some of the completed projects include the dualization of the 19.5km Eket – Ibeno Road, 12.742 km Awa Iman – Asong – Ikot Edim – Ikot Emem road with 2No Bridges in Onna and Mkpat Enin Local Government Areas, Emergency Rehabilitation of Okopedi Road By Community Health Centre through Oti – Oron in Okobo Local Government Area, Construction Of Gully Erosion Control Facilities at Oron/Isangedighi Road. Other completed projects include the 6.1km Atan Offot Road in Uyo Local Government Area, the 5.1km Internal Roads in Akwa Ibom State University, Obio Akpa, as well as the 4.6km School of Arts and Science Road, Nung Ukim, Ikono Local Government Area.
In his second term, the agenda of Governor Udom was anchored on 8 points: Industrialization, Aviation Development, Rural and Riverine Area Development, Agriculture, Human Capacity Development, Security, Infrastructure, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. In terms of industrialization, the drive of Governor Udom is fueled by his desire to transform the state from a civil service state to a fully industrialized state. While presenting the 2021 budget tagged the ‘Budget of Economic Reconstruction’, His Excellency stated that “It is our earnest belief that at the end of the budget year, the state will have moved very close to actualizing the dreams and aspirations of this administration, which is to transform this state from a ‘civil service’ state to an industrialized one”.
Two projects that stand out are Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing Company and Metering Solutions Manufacturing Services Limited. With a production capacity of 350 million, the Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing Company is the largest syringe company in the entire Africa. The company which is located in Awa, Onna Local Government Area, was established in 2017, for the purpose of producing disposable syringes of different sizes, 2mL, 5mL, 10mL. It should be noted that the syringes are made from the best quality raw materials. Little wonder that the company, just recently, bagged the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) certification for quality, having conformed with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016, International Standards. Located also in Awa, Onna Local Government Area, is the wholly-owned indigenous company, Metering Solutions Manufacturing Services Limited, whose goal is to meet the metering needs of Nigeria. Working one shift, the company currently has the capacity to produce 1,200,000 electricity metres annually. Its capacity will increase to 3,600,000 electricity metres annually if the production shift is increased to two shifts. As a result of its high quality, there is so much demand for its electricity metres, which it supplies to Eko, Kano and Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Companies. Furthermore, the company exports its metres to The Gambia and Liberia. The company is exploring exports to Niger Republic and Zambia. The establishment of these companies will inevitably lead to the creation of more jobs, and positively impact the health and power sector.
In terms of aviation, Akwa Ibom is the only state in Nigeria with an airline company, Ibom Air. Commencing operations in 2019, Ibom Air currently has a fleet of seven bombardiers CRJ 900 aircraft, and currently covers 6 destinations (Uyo, Lagos, Abuja, Calabar, Port Harcourt and Enugu). The airline which has an unmatched record of schedule reliability and on-time departure has employed Akwa Ibomites not just in low and entry level to senior positions, but in the very highly skilled aviation professions of Piloting, Cabin Crew and Aircraft Maintenance Engineering, numbering over 200. According to Aniekan Essienette, Group Manager, Marketing and Communications of the Airline, Ibom Air’s direct and indirect impact on Akwa Ibom’s livelihood and businesses amounted to over one billion naira, just in its first year of operation. No doubt, Ibom Air has come to stay, and its contribution to the industrialization of the state cannot be overlooked. His Excellency has also made great in the health sector, education sector, sports sector, among others, too numerous to be listed in this article.
Governor Udom is a Christian and serving Deacon the United Evangelical Church (QIC) (formerly known as Qua Iboe Church). He is happily married to his beautiful wife, Her Excellency, Mrs. Martha Udom Emmanuel, whose pet Project is Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Programme (FEYReP). Some of the objectives of the initiative include empowering women to provide economic and emotional support to their families, advocacy for the prevention of teenage pregnancies, education for the girl child, promotion of moral values and economic excellence, as well as providing support to government efforts towards sustainable development. Their union is blessed with four children.
