UDOM: IN HIS OWN WORDS

Udom Emmanuel is a Presidential material, writes Abulu Gabriel 

It is a season for appraisal for many presidential hopefuls. In an unprecedented manner in the political history of Nigeria, the staggering number of politicians who have indicated interest in succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari is astonishing not only to Nigerians but the international community.

From those without any proven track record of human and materials management to those who have never run any venture in the past are all coveting the plum job of Nigerian president. However, from those who have thrown their hats into the ring, the Akwa-Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel appears to tower above all in the race. He was a guest on the popular programme of Channels Television, Politics Today on Friday. 

Emmanuel, who was a top, accomplished banker before he ventured into politics displayed his competence, clear and well-thought-out plans for the people of Nigeria if his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hands over the party’s ticket to him for the 2023 presidential elections.

He is not a rookie in government. He reeled out outstanding achievements he has to his name since 2015 when he was elected as the Executive governor. of the oil rich state. As a professional in politics, he highlighted the importance of discipline in relation to the collective position of the party on the 2023 presidential ticket.

He said although he anticipated and hoped for a southern presidential candidate to fly the PDP flag, the party’s decision is indeed ultimate. According to him, aligning with the ultimate party’s decision is the hallmark of discipline as a true party stalwart.

“I love the introductory part where you referred to me as a professional in politics. In our profession, one word that always comes to play is discipline. So, I believe that the party is supreme, so whatsoever decision taken by the party, we are bound by the decision. No individual can come out to contest the decision of the party whether you are pleased or not. It does not matter; you must fall in line.

“We the Southern governors made our opinion known on zoning the presidential ticket to our region but if our party said no, we will abide by the decision of the open contest. It is all discipline’’, he said. 

When the interviewer attempted to pooh pooh his achievements as the governor by banding an unfounded unemployment figure of 51 percent, he fired back and exposed the inaccuracies in the data. He said a state that has become a booming construction site cannot be in the league of  states with highest unemployment rates.

He talked about the numbers of teachers that were recruited to schools across the state. And the rising number of industries that are moving to the state as a result of a conducive business environment. 

The Governor said: ‘’If you had not brought that up, I would have been surprised. I have answered this question in more than five live interviews. You see, how do they collate the sample size compared to population size? 

‘’If you check that statistics, it includes some states that you yourself will doubt the figures. We are talking about a state (Akwa -Ibom) where every single local government is a construction site and every single construction site employs many people. As of today, the number of doctors, teachers hired is huge. Just last year, we employed over 3,000 teachers. I took an additional 1000 teachers into secondary schools. Right now, an additional 1,500 teachers are being recruited into primary schools. 

‘’You see all the infrastructural development in every single local government employing people. Look at the number of factories that have been established, these create direct and indirect jobs. So, it comes to question how they collate those data. 

‘’We have seriously doubted the integrity of those figures. We don’t know how they came about it. Mind you, this is the second state in Nigeria with highest Foreign Direct Investments. This is the state that has attracted 22 different industries. In terms of aviation development, we are there. In terms of all the gateways to industrialization, we are at the forefront. How can you say that the same state is at the forefront of unemployment? It is completely contradictory.

On security, Governor Udom promised to crack the menace using the Akwa-Ibom template that has been adjudged very successful. He said, “You might need to check the opinions of all the security agencies of the security situation in Akwa-Ibom today and let them compare it with the past. If you can run a state, you can run a nation. If you cannot run a small business, you can’t run a multinational. 

“The principles of management are the same. When we can do this much as a sub-national entity that does not control policies, security agencies, that means we can do much more if given the opportunity to govern at the centre.

‘’If you can run a state for eight years and you get the ratings from security agencies that means you can do more if you are the Commander of the Armed forces of Nigeria. All these things are not rocket science, how are others doing it? Nothing is impossible when the passion is right.

He delved into specifics and espoused the need to get the locals more involved in intelligence gathering and the inclusion of the people in the security architecture. 

Governor Udom Emmanuel’s thoughts on development were profound. He demonstrated that he was indeed a retired bank chief executive who is no stranger to data. He corrected the doom figures with accurate figures from the state relevant agency. The presidential hopeful also provided the reasons behind the spike in unemployment rate. According to him, the greatest public health crisis of the century, COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the growth among other factors.

The former director of a Africa’s rated Tier-A bank, Zenith Bank reeled out his outstanding achievements in office since 2015. He showed that he is not seeking the highest political office in the land as a power monger but for excellent service to Nigeria.

Unlike many presidential hopefuls, the Akwa-Ibom State Governor during the interview on Channels Television, exuded hope. Many who have lost hope in the country once again believed that Nigeria is not entirely a lost case. It was a renaissance of his Dakkada philosophy on a national stage which  underpins self-reliance, independence, resourcefulness and enterprise.   

Udom mainstreamed to the world the inherent potential of the state’s greatest asset, the people. He prioritized investments in Human Capital Development through education. He jolted little minds with his ambitious five-point agenda.  They are: Wealth Creation, Economic and Political Inclusion, Poverty Alleviation, Infrastructural Consolidation and Expansion, Job Creation. The achievements are massive.

He asked the interviewer to judge him by his track records in office as the governor of Akwa-Ibom state. 

On economic prosperity, the governor said:’’ Every single thing we need to prosper we have it in abundance in Nigeria. Solid minerals and weather are all favourable. And these are areas we have flourished in the past. So, Nigeria is not a country where you start looking for comparative advantage. 

‘’What Nigerians need Udom Emmanuel is already providing for his people. Today, we opened a Coconut Oil Refinery. This is a product of creativity and ideas and thinking outside the box.

‘’We are turning Coconut to a major foreign exchange earner where a litre of virgin Coconut oil is going for $6. Nigeria is lacking a creative thinker as president”.

The governor concluded by reaffirming his loyalty and commitment to the unity of Nigeria. He said the separatists’ campaign is a result of economic deprivation. ‘’Fix the economy and the agitation will go down’’, Emmanuel said.   

 Gabriel writes from Uyo