My dear great and wonderful Akwa ibomites, Exactly thirty years
ago today, we were caught in a frenzy of joy. On that day, the dreams of our
founding fathers finally became a reality. For years, dating back to 1953 our
founding fathers, under the platform of COR state, Calabar, Ogoja, and Rivers
movement and led by the late Justice Sir Udo Udoma, dreamed, strategized,
presented strong and persuasive arguments on why they needed a state that was
culturally and linguistically homogenous but their dreams remained elusive.
2 In 1967, Rivers and South Eastern States were created
respectively, but the dreams of the mainland part of the newly created South
Eastern state to have a state of their own still remained a desirable
proposition but unfortunately unattainable. But we kept hope alive.
3 In 1976, another round of state creation exercise was performed
and again our pleads were ignored, but we were undeterred. Finally, on
September 23, 1987, the dreams that dated back 34 years was realized. Akwa Abasi
Ibom , was created with Uyo as its capital and our hopes and joy knew no
bounds. Let me use this opportunity to thank our former military President,
general Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida for hearkening to our pleas and ensuring
that our collective desire was finally met. Mr. President, on behalf of the
great and wonderful people of Akwa Abasi Ibom state, we shall remain eternally
grateful to you. God Bless you.
4. Let me also seize this moment to thank all our past governors,
military and civilian, from our pioneer military governor then Lt Col. Tunde
Ogbeha now a retired Brigadier General and a distinguish Senator of the federal
Republic of Nigeria, to General Godwin Abbe to the director general of our
Divine Mandate campaign Organization, air Commodore (rtd) Otuekong Idongesit
Nkanga, late Obong Akpan Isemin, Col. Yakuba Bako, late Navy Captain Joseph
Adewusi, group Captain John Ebiye, Arc. Obong Victor Attah, and Chief Godswill
Obot Akpabio (CON), the distinguish Senator and the senate Minority Leader of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria for the great and inspiring leadership they gave to
our state and our people.
5 Thirty years ago, Uyo was all but a glorified village, bereft of
any infrastructural amenities that the newly created state could rely on, but the
spirit was high and the enthusiasm was infectious. The government and the
people were united in their desire and determination to use whatever was
available to put the structures of government in place. And they did.
6 Today, thirty years later, Iam happy to announce that through
the efforts of God inspired leaders that we have been blessed with, Akwa Ibom
State has become a destination of choice for Nigerians and even international
organizations. The physical landscape that was once dotted with mud houses is
replaced with world class road network. This great stride has been applauded by
most dispassionate Nigerians and even international figures like the Country
Director of World bank Rachid Benmessaoud who recently said that given the
world class infrastructural amenities he has seen in our state that our Akwa
Ibom State is the best place to do business.
7 The people who were once seen as only fit ti be houseboys and
house girls have all Dakkada or risen to the faith of their greatness. No
longer do they see themselves as sidekicks in the Nigerian project, they are
now major players in the Nigerian enterprise; no longer are our aspirations
kept in the basement of our hearts, they now bubble with enthusiasm; no longer
are our people looking forlorn and not able to compete with the best in the
world, today our children are putting our names on the map of achievements all
over the world - from Ufot Ekong who cracked a mathematical problem that had
eluded the best in the world for over 50 years, to Imeime Umana, the first
African – American female President with the Harvard Law Review, to Ime
Archibong, the Director of Strategic Partnerships at facebook, among other
great achievers, our children are living their dreams and making us all proud.
8 Our youths have internalized the values enunciated in our
Dakkada creed and are rising to the faith of their greatness. Through the
numerous training and empowerment programmes we have instituted, our youths are
applying the gifts that God endowed them with, to create wealth and growth for
themselves.I want to use this opportunity to salute our youths and assure them
that we will continue to invest in areas that will assist them further as they
are rising to the faith of their greatness. From every index of growth and development,
we have made huge gains but a good job means more work to be done. That is why
Iam using this moment to call on our people to close ranks and let us work
together to deepen our growth, unity and love. Let us come together as proud
heirs of our common patrimony, eschew divisive tendencies and build a future we
all would be proud of.
9. Politics is all but a fleeting game but the Akwa Ibom spirit
and blood that flows in us remain sacrosanct and alive. Let us not allow the
raw passion of politics come between the bonds of brotherhood we have shared
for generations. I have said this many times and Iam going to say it
again : political foes of today may become allies tomorrow, let us therefore
not destroy that which connects us as proud Akwa Ibomites for the fleeting
passion of politics.
10 let me use this opportunity to call on our brothers and sisters
in the punditry and the media world to always remember that we have no other
state to call our own except Akwa Abasi Ibom state. If we destroy the fabric of
our society in order to break the news; if we destroy the best that we have
simply because we share different political opinion and thus treat our brothers
and sisters on the other side of the political divide as enemies that must be
destroyed, we are not doing service to the dreams of our founding fathers who
were united in their pursuit of our common good and hopes.
11. Constructive criticism is a welcome ingredient in a democratic
culture. It helps leaders keep their eys on the ball and their feet on ground.
Criticism that is done out of malice, hatred and animosity because you belong
to a different political camp is destructive and I urge our media practitioners
to exercise the most ethical restraint in their rush to write or comment on
issues.The Bible enjoins us to show respect to constituted authorities so we
too can be exalted. This rush to demonize and insult our leaders, calling them
all manner of names is only done here in our state. Nowhere else is this
negativity practised. My dear brothers and sisters in the media, let us
celebrate our state and project the best that is in us. That way visitors and
investors would feel more at home in this place of God’s own real estate. We
owe this to ourselves and our children.
12. I came to this Sttae with one mission and one mission only: to
consolidate and take the state to another level of development from the great
and spectacular works my predecessors have done in the past 30 years and I
remain dedicated to the pursuit of that mission. I campaigned on a five point
Agenda of : wealth creation, economic and political inclusion, poverty
alleviation, infrastructural consolidation ansd expansion, job creation. At the
risk of sounding immodest, I think we have done very well given the challenging
economic times we are facing.
13. The key campaign issue that I ran on was on the need to
rapidly industrialize this state and I think on this score, we are on course.
Later this morning , Our Special Guest of Honour, the vice President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Professor yemi Osinbajo will
commission two key industries that have deep and emotional attachment and
importance to the welfare of our people and Nigerians in general: the syringe
manufacturing company and the Metering Solutions Company and would later also
commission our newly refurbished Etinan General Hospital.
14 Nigeria imports over ten billion syringes every year and this
industry to be commissioned has the capacity to produce one billion syringes
annually with an expected capacity of up to ten billion syringes. This is a
great investment in our state which should be applauded by all dispassionate
people. Not only are we building a great manufacturing base for our state, we
are also creating job opportunities for thousands of our people and other
beneficiaries of the ancillary economic activities that will be a part of this
industry.
15. The metering Solutions Company will ensure accurate reading of
electricity consumed by our people thus avoiding the estimated pricing that has
seen Nigerians paying exorbitant price for electricity. This is a specially
targeted investment that affects our quality of life positively and also
creates job opportunities for our teeming youths.
16. last may, during the celebrations marking our second
anniversary, I had commissioned the tooth pick and pencil making factories and
these two factories are in full operations today, employing our youths and the
trickle – down effects is being felt by thousands of people. The Peacock paint
company, long moribund is now fully operational. More industries such as the
flour mill, the coconut refinery among others are in the offing. We are
determined to create a strong industrial base for our state and my
administration is passionate about this, and would spare no efforts to ensure
that we have a thriving industrial base by the time our mandate is finished by
the grace of God in 2023.
17. No nation or state can attract the right investment or have an
expanded industrial base without steady electricity. We have invested heavily
in this critical sector. As you can attest to in some parts of the state, now
enjoy an average of 18 – 22 hours of electricity supply daily , if I may beat
my chest a little here, this is the national best. Providing steady electricity
is not rocket science, it takes creative application of resources and the right
people to implement the vision. We have deployed both and the result is there
for everyone to see. Last May, I commissioned a sub station in Uyo, and others
in Mkpat Enin and Ikot Ekpene would soon follow. By The time we are done with
these, we hope to enjoy uninterrupted electricity 24/7.
18. I have heard testimonies from people including those
from other political parties who have not bought fuel or diesel for their
generators for weeks and are using the money saved to take care of other
pressing needs. I have equally heard of our small business owners – the
restaurant owners, hair salons, the bars among others spending less on diesel
and fuel and deploying the money saved to expand their business. This is just
the beginning my dear people and I want to assure you that as long as I remain
your dear Governor, epileptic power supply will be a thing of the past
19. Our investment in education remains a top priority. Our
belief is that we must equip our children today with the right skills-set to
compete for the jobs of the 21st Century. Our free and
compulsory education up to secondary level and the generous bursary grants to
students in tertiary institutions remain on course. We have remodeled and
equipped hundred s of secondary schools with modern amenities and created a
learning environment that wi9ll bring out the best in them.
20. We remain dedicated to ensuring that the highest
standard possible is attained by teachers whom we send to teach our children.
Recently, we interviewed and have deployed new sets of teachers to different
secondary schools. The former Salvation Army Secondary School, Efa will soon be
converted into a Command Secondary School, and we want to thank the Chief of
Army Staff for this noble gesture. So far, we have paid over 600 million as
WAEC fees for our students especially those whose parents couldn’t afford to
pay fees and will continue to do so, because we believe that no child should be
left behind in their pursuit of knowledge based on their economic circumstance.
21. Health they say is wealth and we are equally investing
heavily in this critical sector. Later today, our Special Guest of Honour, His
Excellency, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria will declare open our newly remodeled and fully equipped General
Hospital, Etinan. This hospital was in a serious state of despair and in our
determined efforts to provide quality healthcare services at the primary level,
we embarked on the massive renovation of the facility and today the hospital
can compete with the rest anywhere in the nation. Remodeling work is ongoing at
the Modern General Hospital, Ituk Mbang and the Immanuel Hospital, Eket as well
as the General Hospital at Ibiaku Ntok Okpo in Ikono Local Government Area. We
remain committed to the improvement of services and facilities at our Teaching
Hospital, Uyo and the Ibom Specialist Hospital, Uyo. We had earlier renovated
the gynecological wing (Dr. Ann Ward) among others at the St. Luke’s Hospital,
Anua. We have also commended the training of medical personnel on emergency
health care management.
22. Let me use this opportunity to thank the Family Empowerment
and Youth Reorientation Programme (FEYReP) the signature pet project of my dear
wife, Her Excellency, Mrs. Martha Udom Emmanuel for the work she has done in
providing succor and hope to the hopeless, homes to the widows and other great
interventions she had done. Last year, FEYReP conducted free eye care and
treatment programme in conjunction with MTN Foundation at Ibom Hall. At that
event, fifteen thousand three hundred and thirty five people were screened for
various eye diseases, 1,150 eye surgeries were performed, 2,000 eye glasses
distributed free of charge.
In the past two years, we have worked hard and tackled poverty by
deploying resources to those areas that have the most impact and effect on our
people. We have given interest free loans to farmers across the State and have
diversified our economy away over-dependence on oil to agriculture. Through
Akwa Ibom Enterprise and Employment Scheme (AKEES), our people have embraced
farming and today, we are producing tomatoes and onions in commercial quantity.
Our Technical Committee on Agriculture and Food Sufficiency remains committed
to ensuring that we produce enough food to feed our people and that the prices
of food stuff remains affordable. We have commenced operation at Cassava
processing plants in the three Senatorial Districts. The one in Eket has
started producing the recently launched Dakkada Garri. The rice farm in Ini
Local Government Area will ensure that we have enough rice to feed our people
and at a price that is affordable.
23. We have re-introduced the second planting season for
enhanced food production as well as the cultivation of 400 hectares of cassava
multiplication farms across the three Senatorial Districts. We have also
cultivated 800 hectares of land for the planting of cassava under the FADAMA 3+
financial scheme. We have equally distributed special fertilizers to Cocoa
farmers to achieve optimal yield. The Hatchery in Uruan is fulfilling its
purpose of producing day old chicks, and thousands of people have benefited
from this programme. I want to commend our people especially the youths for
seeing the enormous benefit in agriculture.
24. We campaigned under the bold promise to expand infrastructural
development and I want to say boldly here that we have delivered for our people
in this area. In spite of the scarcity of resources, we have turned our State
into one big construction site. To date there are over 700 km of roads
and 17 bridges completed or at various levels of completion.
25 .To tackle flooding which has been a major menace on Nsikak
Eduok avenue in Uyo for decades, we have spent billions of naira to construct
and commission an underground drainage and erosion control systems.
26. It may interest you to know my dear people that the Bureau of
Statistics in its recent report, stated that Akwa Ibom State attracted the
second largest inflow of Foreign Direct investments in Nigeria. We have been
able to achieve this because of the creative approach we have adopted in
managing and selling our state to foreign investors.
27. We are investing in sports development with the building of
modern sports arenas in the 10 Federal constituencies. Our hope is to catch the
talents that abound in our state young and develop them to their best
potentials.
28 As we mark our 3oth anniversary, let us dedicate ourselves to
showing love to another, let us embrace one another in spite of the political
views we may hold, let us not see politics as blood sport, but rather as a plat
form for development and which must be practiced with civility and concerns for
each other’s sensibilities.
29. At 30, we have grown, but our best is yet to come. Thirty is a
magical and spiritual number, as great things have been associated with the
number 30: our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ started His Ministry at the age of
thirty, Joseph became the ruler of Egypt at thirty, David became King of Israel
at the age of thirty, Ezekiel received his divine prophetic mission at the age
of thirty.
30. At thirty,
our state stands at the spiritual junction of growth and development. the
invisible Hand of the Almighty is ever present, directing, charting and paving
the way for our greatness. Come my brothers and sisters, let us build our
future together, and let us cast aside the spirit of divisiveness and disunity.
This is God’s own state and that special and spirit filled hand that had
touched Europe, then moved to America bringing untold wealth, common purpose
and prosperity, which later moved to Asia and caused another round of
prosperity is now moving to Africa, Nigeria in particular and we in Akwa Ibom
state are in the vanguard of that huge new spiritual movement. We are ready to
receive it and together in one accord, in one voice, we will get to the
Promised Land because this is the land of Promise. It is well with our state,
it is well with our people, it is well with Nigeria. happy 30th anniversary!.
God bless you all !! Ami medakkada
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