Any one who knew Uyo, the capital of Akwa-Ibom State and how it looked like before the current democratic dispensation was ushered in, in 1999 and how the place has now been significantly transformed some 24 years later, will testify to one thing, namely, that the state has been singularly blessed with exceptionally competed and devoted governors that have governed it since 1999. If we have a system or development rating agency that takes stock of what our presidents, governors, local government chairmen and other executive officers of our various ministries, departments and agencies are doing, it would have rated Akwa-Ibom state as the fastest developing state in the country since the inauguration of the Fourth Republic.
The story of Uyo and Akwa-Ibom cannot be truthfully told without mentioning that Obong Victor Attah, an architect who laid the foundation for the solid take-off of the state and its subsequent steady maintenance; Obong Godswill Akpabio, who called himself the ‘’uncommon governor’’ because of the massive roads infrastructure and important state buildings that he built in the state; Obong Emmanuel Udom Emmanuel who, to me, was the most disciplined, focused and visionary among the governors of the ‘’Class of 2015’’. and the current man on the saddle, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, who, from what I have personally seen of him in the past seven months of his tenure, may emerge the most visionary and committed among the ‘’Class of 2023’’, have simply been exceptional in building the state capital and other parts of the state. I forgot to mention that it was during the 8-year tenure in office of Udom Emmanuel that what has now become a flying phenomenon in Africa known as ‘’Ibom Air’’ and other economic initiatives that will help to sustain Akwa-Ibom economically, came into existence.
Each one of these men has his faults but when compared to their peers, they certainly stand head and shoulders among them in rendering service to their people. I hear you say that Akwa- Ibom has enormous oil revenue. That is true but money without the capacity and commitment or willingness to use it regeneratively will amount to nothing as we have seen in some states which even earn more from oil than Akwa-Ibom.
Uyo and other parts of the state have been transformed by these men of vision and commitment to their goals. Each and every one of them, as we have seen briefly in the area(s) of their great strength mentioned above, left a mark and the current man on the seat will certainly leave his own legacy given the ideas he has started working on barely seven months since he was sworn-in in May 29.
During the 19th All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) which took place from November 14-18 in Uyo, the editors had opportunity to inspect some of the projects. Three of what Umo has started pursuing draw attention. The first of them is the idea of a model primary school.
As can be clearly seen on the ground, to show that he was not a governor by accident but a man who had idea of what he will do when he is elected, he came up with the idea of totally transforming education in the state, beginning with the primary one. To this end, he is now pursuing in Uyo a model primary school which will be replicated in all the 31 LGAs of the state. When it was fully explained to us, I was convinced that this idea is not the ‘’uncopyable’’ model we have seen of most of our political operators. It will be an easily replicable model for any one who is willing to do something.
First, he got an existing primary school demolished to make way for the new model primary school. That was both symbolic and practical. Second, a competition was launched among architects in the state to come up with their creative version. Eventually, one version was selected and is now been translated on ground to become prototype of similar ones to come up in each of the 31 local government council of the entire state. Third, with a single minded devotion to do something to be remembered for, he began the execution of the idea and as I am writing this, I guess everything about the school has been completed and children admitted to start their learning.
If you say Akwa-Ibom is one of the few oil-rich Niger Delta states and can throw money around on any fanciful project, one can say from what is on ground that good money has been thrown into a good project.
My gamble is that very soon many will troop to Akwa-Ibom to copy a model that will cause many to withdraw their children from private schools and enroll them in a public one.
A look at this model will take your breath away. Although the contractor handling the project refused to disclose the contract sum of the project, the vision of returning our schools especially the primary one to what they were in the past good old days, is very impressive. And the stately state of the buildings and the general facilities provided for the use of the children and the teachers who will stay inside the school premises will convinced the most skeptical of scenics that Pastor Umo Eno really wants to change things in Akwa- Ibom and that he is in a hurry to do his things. For instance, it is difficult to believe that what is on ground in this dreamland model primary school was started less than four months ago.
The second and by no means the lesser compared to the first one highlighted, of Eno’s impressive project conception and speedy execution is the adaptation of an existing idea the E-Library project executed by former governor Godswill Akpabio to accommodate a new but equally great idea. Since he came in some six months ago, Eno has decided to use the facility of this electronic library to provide a space for Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development Centre (LED)
During the inspection tour, a fellow female colleague editor said that for her, this LED is at her heart. She said that anything that will empower and engage young people, especially in Nigeria, is her number one project. Here, on the day of visit we met young men and women in a session of their training to become successful entrepreneurs. Here, also, we met young men and women who, were told, were brought in to hone their skills to become great shoe makers. Already they have produced desert boots for a para-military organisation, a pair of which costs a princely sum of N24, 000.
The number three eye-catching and brain engaging of Eno’s projects is the model public primary health Centre located in Ibesikpo in Asutan LGA. As is the case with all Eno’s project, this one was started some eleven weeks ago as at the date of the visit on Friday, November 17th. You need to see it to believe it.
These projects shows that Eno came in armed with a vision of exactly what he wants to do to take Akwa-Ibom a notch higher and that he is in a deadly hurry to make a mark. And from what is on ground he shows himself as a man who is ready and willing to work.
The summary of these three Eno projects is that Pastor Umo Eno is a man who has the will to do something. And unless something extraordinary happens to him along the line to derail him (and what can bring that about when he is a man of God?), Eno seems set to emerge as one of the best governors Akwa-Ibom has ever produced.
Seeing and hearing Governor Eno in the course of the conference, I classified him as a sanguine man with the common touch. My observation was soon confirmed during the dinner party in honour of the editors. I sat near where one of us, Catherine Agbo, a nursing mother who brought a ‘’journalism child’’ with her to the conference and watched a small drama that happened. While entering the hall, Eno headed straight for where Agbo sat with her baby and snatched the adorable daughter away from her mum and took her to the high table. It took a while before the baby was returned to her mother.
Any high official of state such as Eno who has the idea about what to do and combines it with a bit of PR practice will go a long way in pleasing the people and becoming their hero.
