Etim EtimI am so pleased to note that Governor Udom Emmanuel is spending his last one month in office commissioning road projects across the state.
He has done well in terms of roads, and I commend him for a job well done in this area. The Third Ring Road and the one named after his wife’s grandfather that takes off from Aka Road to Abak Road (is that the Second Ring Road?) have added to the beauty of the city and halved drive time around it. The completion of Uyo-Ikot Ekpene Road and the construction of all other roads by the administration is quite commendable. Uyo is increasingly looking like Abuja, with such a fine network of roads. I commend all our past governors who have played a part in this.
Well, the expansion of the Airport Road was not that necessary. I really do not see the critical rationale behind the expansion of the road, but I am, however, pleased that it is coming up well. In this era of scarcity of funds, he should have deployed the money elsewhere. I will come to that shortly. The airport terminal building is one project that should have been completed two years ago. I hope the next governor will take it on, complete it in the next few months and put it to use. Even if the governor commissions it before he goes, the place would be fully ready on May 29. Kudos to Udom Emmanuel for starting the airport terminal building project. But what happened to the MRO the governor has been talking about? A leader’s word should be his bond. A leader should be trustworthy.
I am pleased that Ibom Air is doing well. But the opacity around its operations is worrisome. Is this business still relying on government subvention? Has it broken even? How many of our people are working there in the senior, middle and junior category. There should be a conscious effort to have at least 70 per cent of our people in the senior and middle category and at least 98 per cent in the junior cadre. Ibom Air is probably the flagship of Udom Emmanuel’s achievement and the number one brand equity for our state. I commend the governor on this one.
The governor started off in his first term in chaos and confusion. He probably was too eager to do well and impress us all. But in the process, he left a lot undone, or poorly done. In some instances, he was not even truthful. The toothpick factory; Mexican Cows; Pencil factory; Peacock Paints and all that are now up in the clouds. The governor was quick to blame his lackluster outing on virtually everything, including the rains, the death of a contractor and even Mbiam. But thank God, he devoted most of his second term to infrastructure and now, he has something to show for it. My constant reminders to him that he hadn’t done much helped to keep him on his toes. This is why alternative views are very important in a democracy. We all cannot be “All correct, Sir!’’. I don’t know how to sing the hallelujah choruses!
I am also pleased that Udom Emmanuel has also been a bit tolerant of critical stakeholders like me, unlike some of his colleagues in other states. Perhaps, because, on my part, I have also tried as much as possible to be fair in my assessment. I have been trenchant, but not abusive; critical, but not acerbic; pungent, but not defamatory. I did all that with the genuine intentions to guide him. I have always wanted to drive home the point that the resources of Akwa Ibom people should be spent in Akwa Ibom for the benefit of the generality of the people. I have been emphatic in my assertion that the governor is the servant of the people; but not a pop star. The governor’s entanglements with Senator Ita Enang in his first term were totally uncalled for. Like some of us, Ita Enang just want the best for the state.
Missteps
I acknowledge that every administration makes one or more mistakes. The following are a few things the governor should have done differently.
1. The Worship Center was not necessary at all. The governor should have built a Convention Center and two General Hospitals in Uyo with all that money. The city requires two well-equipped general hospitals to decongest the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH). By the way, I have only been to UUTH twice in my life to see admitted patients, but what I hear all the time is that the place is congested with patients; the staffs are overworked and so could be grumpy and difficult.
2. The 21-storey building is a complete waste. It was not necessary. The building has been standing empty in the last two years after completion. In banking, we call such a project NEA (non-earning asset). The shareholders will skin you alive if this were a quoted company. The official line that it was built for Mobil completely pissed me off. Mobil had nothing to do with it.
3. As I said earlier, the expansion of the Airport Road was not critically important. But well, this is one mistake we can recover from easily.
4. The delay in opening the Sheraton Hotel in Ikot Ekpene was totally unnecessary. It made the governor look bad and petty. Besides, it was a huge loss to the state.
5. The abandonment of the hotel at the Tropicana Complex is equally very wasteful. Another sign of pettiness!
6. The abandoned Science Park project is a total waste to the state. The governor should have continued and completed it.
7. The governor was also less than straightforward in his communications. The metering factory; the fertilizer blending plant; the vehicle assembly plant and the coconut factory came in controversy and disappeared in confusion!
Lessons for the next governor
What’s up for the next governor? What lessons can he learn from Udom Emmanuel?
I wish to acknowledge that our past leaders have laid the foundation for the industrial growth of the state. The main responsibility of the next governor is to skillfully manage the state’s transition from civil service to industrialized state. He has to be adept in PR, diplomacy and human relations.
The next governor must be ready to collaborate with the federal government and get stuffs done for Akwa Ibom State. The outgoing governor was too aloof for his own good. If Senator Akpabio emerges Senate President as it seems likely, the next governor will have no option than to collaborate with Akpabio and bring things home. Akwa Ibom people will not tolerate any act of Abuja Front versus Uyo Front.
1. The Calabar-Itu-Ikot Ekpene Highway; Aba-Ikot Ekpene Road; Aba-Umuahia Road and the Ibaka DeepSea Port must be completed in the next four years, and to achieve this, the next governor must work closely with Akpabio and the federal government. We all know that Akpabio loves to be praised, applauded and fawned over. The next governor must be ready to do anything and whatever it takes to achieve a lot for our people. I don’t want to hear, “Those APC people in Abuja hate me’’ kind of story! There is no place for arrogance and unnecessary pomposity in the next dispensation. I will be watching closely to report progress.
2. The next governor must work with the BUA Group and see to the construction and completion of the BUA Refinery in the State. I understand that this project is at the level of engineering procurement now. In fact, the departing governor and the new one should visit the BUA Group Chairman together before May 29. All that nonsense of land tussle between Ibeno and Esit Eket people over the parcel of land allocated for the refinery should stop. The next governor should work with the communities and bring peace to the area. Trouble makers should be silenced! The reason Dangote Petrochemicals was taken to Lagos is because of stupid trouble makers in our region. With all the Area Boys in Lagos, they have never disturbed projects of economic importance.
3. The next governor should make sure that Seplat resumes seamlessly at QIT to replace Mobil. Seplat must pay adequate attention to local content and community issues. The decision of AKSG to sue Seplat or Mobil over the piece of land in QIT should not thwart the commencement of operations by Seplat at QIT.
To be continued.
Etim Etim
ETIM ETIM is a journalist, banker and author. He has been a member of the Editorial Board of The Guardian, a Regional Manager in Access Bank and is currently a Columnist in Prime Business Africa, The Cable and Businessday newspapers.
He is also the Chief Executive of Stein Meyer Communications, a major media consultancy and the author of the best-selling book, "Akwa Ibom Heroes: Inside Story of the Fight for Abrogation of Onshore-Offshore Oil Dichotomy" and co-author of another book, "Osinbajo Strides: Defining Moments of an Innovative Leader".
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