2023: A’Ibom Governor Urges Stakeholders to Eschew Hatred, Violence
Okon Bassey in Uyo
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel has called on the stakeholders across the political divide in the state to eschew hatred, anger and violence as the nation prepares for the 2023 general elections.
The governor made the call yesterday in a broadcast to mark this year Easter Celebrations in the state.
“I urge them to understand that politics will come and politics will go, but the spirit of the Akwa Ibom Enterprise will endure and continue to flourish.
“There is no political office that should compel us to shed the blood of our brothers or sisters. There is no ambition that is so deep and sacred that we would be willing to turn our State into a cauldron of violence, in order to satisfy our craving for power,” he warned.
The governor, who said all powers belong to God and He alone, grants such to whom He has favoured, noted that in the past seven years, the state has remained an oasis of peace and tranquility.
“We will never go back to the years of violence and the years where we couldn’t sleep with our eyes closed. We will not return to the years where kidnapping and politically motivated killings numbed our sensibilities and made us question the central purpose of governance, which is the security of lives and property.
“Akwa Ibom people have collectively and unanimously said goodbye to those years, and have welcomed the era of peace and security. Anyone who markets violence should and must be rejected,” he said.
As the state reflects on the significant of Easter, Emmanuel tasked the citizens to eschew hatred, ethnicity, anger and all forms of divisive tendencies from body-politic.
“Let us continue to join hands to build the Akwa Ibom State of our dream and secure a future of prosperity, peace and growth for our children and generations yet unborn.
“That same God that has stood by us all along on this journey of growth and development, I trust will see us through the coming years. For us all in Akwa Ibom State, it is “Forward Ever, Backward Never,” So help us God,” he said.
The Governor posited that since he assumes power in the last seven years, his administration has laid a foundation of growth and development that would, like Dubai, was in 1985, blossom in the next few years into a fast industrializing and glittering State where, the people’s aspirations would be met.
“From land, air and sea, our state would be the cynosure of all eyes, where the economy would be private-sector driven, where our youths would be engaged, where the brightest and the best among us would enjoy incredible opportunities for growth and fulfilment.
“The signs are there for even our critics to see. Is it in aviation development? I am sure, my dear people have seen the glittering, international terminal at the Victor Attah International Airport, which upon completion, would be the best of such in our nation and indeed Africa.
“I am sure you have also seen our Maintain, Repair and Overhaul (MRO,) which can take four Boeing 737 and four Airbuses A320 aircrafts, and indeed all the aircrafts in our fleet, a gigantic project which is almost 85 percent ready, and is expected to be commissioned soon.
“Is it the world-class Taxiway, which can land a Boeing 747 which is also to be commissioned soon? Is it Ibom Air, which has become a reference point for excellence in the Nigerian aviation industry?
“We are laying a solid foundation for an emerging industrial Tiger that Akwa Ibom is poised to becoming,” he stressed.
Emmanuel said the Easter message was not for reeling off of his scorecard, maintaining that, the Akwa Ibom story is a national story, a story of achievements where others thought such couldn’t be done.
“A story of a subnational without the control of policies but has been able to attract huge investments in critical areas of healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, industrialization,” he said.
