Goodnews Akpan writes that Udom Emmanuel’s performance at the Brekete Family Show is exemplary
Any encounter can turn out to be an epiphany. For me, I experienced it while watching the Brekete Family Show last Friday. The programme which started at 7:30am and would eventually last about four hours had as its guest, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel.
And throughout, in the mixed language of ‘broken English’ and light humour, Governor Emmanuel broke down his seven years as the number one citizen of Akwa Ibom State. With piercing questions, the host, Ahmed Isah, popularly called ‘Ordinary President’ put the governor on the hot seat. And I dare say, Emmanuel was sterling. His responses revealed him to me as a planner, doer and lover of his people. After the show, I saw a governor that loves to dream, plan and execute big projects.
While on his gubernatorial campaign, he noted the Akwa Ibom people needed infrastructure to promote industries to develop themselves, the state and by extension, Nigeria. That sentence encompassed a lot of things, right? That’s exactly how his conversations and approach to governance sounded. Construction and repairs was the order of the day. Interventions in roads, schools, hospitals, cottage industries, airline, tourism and other spheres all ran concurrently.
“We have 31 Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom State and there is nowhere you won’t see our signature on the roads,” said Emmanuel to the privileged audience at the Human Rights Radio Abuja Studio. He announced how his administration is building roads from Uyo to Eket to access the major site of Nigeria’s crude oil wealth. He also said roads have been dualised to connect the senatorial districts in the state. But it seems that it is not only Akwa Ibom residents that are grateful for the Emmanuel administration as also in studio was an Abia indigene resident in Arochukwu, Abia State, who commended Emmanuel for his strides in roads.
But beyond roads, Emmanuel also upgraded the runway at the Victor Attah International Airport to a Category two. His administration is also constructing a taxiway as well as a building capable of processing one million passengers in a year which would be delivered this year. And pre-empting these moves, according to the governor who also shares birthdate with Wole Soyinka, imagined that an airport needed planes. He shared how he contacted the plane manufacturers to buy two planes – and got approval. So, from just an idea, Ibom Air started on June 7, 2019 with two.Bombardier CRJ900 planes. Presently, it has seven planes – Five Bombardier CRJ900 and two Airbus A-220. Last November, the airline placed an order for 10 Airbus A-220. Even some countries do not have an airline.
And for the governor who sees opportunity and latches on to it as second nature, Emmanuel is planning to build a MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) of aeroplanes so as to commercially engage planes in West Africa and generate foreign exchange for the state. ‘There is a high hope that that place would be running by December,’ concluded Emmanuel on that project.
Akwa Ibom is small but it is the state with the longest shoreline at about 150km. And seeking to maximise the natural resource, Emmanuel revealed how a team travelled to Singapore to understudy them and now, Akwa Ibom is seeking to have a Deep Sea Port. Actualisation of this would further benefit Akwa Ibomites and indeed the whole of Nigeria to be more efficient in international trade and earn more foreign exchange. This is definitely good thinking.
He explained how despite the Akwa Ibom owning 36.1% of crude in the country, there was little or no presence of oil industry agencies like the NNPC, DPR, PPMC or even the oil companies. Upon learning the lack of offices was one their challenges, his administration proceeded to build the 21-storey Dakkada Towers, which he said has been adjudged the smartest government office and seventh tallest building in Nigeria. The governor also highlighted how his administration has encouraged cottage industries in the state to produce things like plastics, toothpicks, pencils, paints, tissue paper made from bamboo. He also spoke about the state’s involvement in fertilizer blending, planting swamp rice, and onions and vegetables.
He announced his administration set aside N2bn for interest-free loans to market women and reported that more than 70% have been paid back. But the governor is not neglecting the softer sides of life as it is becoming clearer that the opening up of Akwa Ibom has encouraged tourism. Speaking particularly on a tourism project, Emmanuel discussed a ‘tourism village’ where cultures of different ethnic peoples of Nigeria would be projected and promoted. This is in addition to hotels. Recently too, the government signed a management contract for the Ibom Icon Hotels and Golf Resort.
Governor Emmanuel acknowledged he cannot work alone. Ensuring continuity, in December, he flagged off the construction of Ibom Blue Sea Science and Technology Park, 12 years after former governor Obong Attah conceived the idea. To be built by China Blue Sea International Holdings, the park will have a university of technology, vocational centre, a five-star hotel, a hospital and also a power plant.
On the show, it was glaring how receptive the Akwa Ibom governor is towards fresh development ideas. He connected with a Nasarawa businessman involved in petrochemicals, welcomed an opportunity to meet a broadcaster, and opened up discussion channels for producers of vegetables to sync into the governor’s plan to start preserving vegetables. And with prompts from ‘Ordinary President’ to extend the preservation steps to fruits like ‘oranges and mangoes’ which he noted are wasted in Benue State due to lack of preservation, Emmanuel promised to ‘consider it.’
In the studio, the presenters joked about switching states to become Akwa Ibomites. Commenters on YouTube, where the show is usually streamed live, were also full of praises. On the comment thread, some openly condemned their state governors on hearing the governor talk and project the people and the state while others asked theirs to come learn from Emmanuel. It showed love. But it is interesting to learn what’s behind the transformations.
After about two hours, an obviously impressed ‘Ordinary President’ launched what might become the first campaign for Emmanuel as President of Nigeria. Of course, for the governor who refers to himself as the Chief Servant, he shied away from the projection. As the show progressed, fans of the governor had started milling outside the studio, cheering. It must have been a moment of pride for Emmanuel.
Fact is not many Nigerian state governors can face the scrutiny Brekete Family Show put him through. Not many would even be brave enough to come forward. Why? Because unlike many other Nigerian media houses which sadly patronise governors with interviews in exchange for lucre, Human Rights Radio is not known for that. It doesn’t hold back punches. That Governor Emmanuel went there and even came out being praised is another plus for him.
Compared to Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State is small and not as complex, but Governor Emmanuel is definitely leadership material even though he is humble. Akwa Ibomites are lucky to have him as governor. It would also be great if Nigeria as a whole can benefit from his experience and expertise too.
