A LAND OF PROMISE      

Akwa Ibom celebrates 35 years of remarkable progress, writes  Musa Yakubu

At the age of 35, a man or woman is still a young person, eyeing the middle age. For a political entity or a community, a 35-year-old is more like a child. Nigeria as a 62-year-old country is still like a child, especially when you consider nations that are centuries old and still bustling with the brio of adolescents.

Hence, we can appreciate a state like Akwa Ibom when it turned 35 years old, and its understated governor, Udom Emmanuel, has showcased a dazzle of accomplishments that he has brought to bear on the community within a space of just over seven years.

It was instructive that we can say one of the highlights was the focus on the young, with the installation of the essay competition and quiz. It was flagged off with the sobriety of an academic atmosphere. But when it was time to earn their plaudits, the winners puffed with flourish. The essay topic was, A land of limitless promise. Which is quite a proper way to approach a state that has adopted dream over decay.

And the evidence of possibilities was on hand in the activities that marked the event. It showed that the governor has worked on land and in the air. The world is now familiar with how he has disrupted air travel with a blazing new airline, with a blazing raft of new aircraft, and blazing new set of services. From nothing, he conjured into the nation’s air travel something of a miracle. From zero, it jetted to become Nigeria’s first choice. Ibom Air is here to stay, here to fly.

But it was not front and centre in the activities of the 35th anniversary, the state being content to serve as its angels in the sky while they walked the earth with activities that included church services that started and ended proceedings that lasted over a week. There were categories of actions. Other than the spiritual, there was technology, healthcare, a flurry of road infrastructure, attention to the females in gender sensitivity, arts and culture, project sites, the environment, photography contests and, of course, sports.

One significant day was Monday 19th. The governor with his long entourage of supporters, elected officials and appointees undertook a long walk and long drives and visited a roll call of project sites. They included the Coconut factory, the first of its kind in this part of the world; the Jubilee Syringe factory, a delicately woven idea to bring medical care to the people by taking care of a rare area of need and provision; the Kings Flour Mill, for its economic value and food on the table; for sports, he took on the stadium at Eket, with its picturesque appeal and impressive architecture,  and making it into a duel of national unity with a match between its local team  and the one from katsina; Nto Edino Road/ Bridge; Ituk Mbang Isolation; to support Ibom Air, he visited the MRO/ International Terminal noted for its high-tech facility and smartest in the country. He confronted the environment with the IBB Flood Control. The Dakkada Smart Building has a sort of showy quality to it, the tallest in the region, its facility for business and its appeal to the Lagos-centric oil elite. Of course for God, not far away from Dakkada is the Worship Centre, and to God be all the glory. Other offering, too: Ring Road III; Etinan-Ndon Eyo Road and Efaini PKO Factory Phase 2. All on one day, an arduous day, a fulfilling feast for the eyes.

But we cannot miss the road infrastructure, an array of them across Akwa Ibom State. For instance, no one could miss the commissioning of the internal roads like the Rev. Akwatang Road, Mbiabong Ikot Essien Road, Rev. Amaowo Avenue, Obong Okon and Professor Stella Idiong Arts gallery Street, also internal roads in Atan Offot in phases one and two. The dualized 29 kilometre-Ndon Eyo Road has two bridges and a spur from Mbioto-Ekpene Nten to Ikot Akpan. Also the 2.59 kilometre Atiamkpat – Ikot Ese Ishiet Road has a spur in Onna. This is accompanied with the Emergency Gully Erosion rehabilitation works at Nung Ikono Ufok- Ishiet Road. The nine-kilometre Ulliong-Edikor-Uduetta Road also has a spur in Udung Uko local government area. The 13.1km Anua-Ifa-Mbak Etoi-Adadia Road has two roundabouts. He also commissioned the 14km Abak Nsekhe Akpa Nkuk-Ikot Etim-Ikot Ikara road phase III, the 4.94 km Ibesit Okpkoro/Ikot Ibritam Road as well as the Nung Ukim Ikono Akpa Etok Ekpang Road with spur to Ibiaku Ntok Okpo Road.

The naming of some of those roads highlights the governor’s nod to the value of the spiritual as well as the stellar individuals in other fields as statesmen and men of war. We can understand why he commissioned and unveiled a statue in honour of a state hero in the person of Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga at the Indongesit Nkanga Secretariat.

For healthcare, he also commissioned the Ikot Abasi General hospital and a theatre building donated by the engineer Uwem Okoko, CEO, HENSEK Integrated Services Ltd. Apart from commissioning a centre for gender-based violence, the event was festooned by a distinguished array of first ladies from across the 36 states and it brought colour and a sense of inclusivity to the anniversary.

They came. They chatted. They celebrated. Gov. Emmanuel was on hand to support his wife and first lady Martha as they enjoyed the visit and the festive air.

Of course, the event did not end without some special recognitions at a banquet where a few distinguished citizens came up for mention. But standing out were the winners of the essay and competitions. Unmistakable though were the awards to Master Inyang Valour Mbre and Master Uwakmfom Unwana Jacob. Iyang scored parallel A1 in WAEC and 341 in JAMB. Uwakmfon won the African gold medal and other awards in mathematics.

The series of events did not make the governor a loner as personages from across the country attended, including two ex-presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan. Aminu Tambuwal, the acting chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Delta State Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa, former Senate president Bukola Saraki, former katsina State governor Shema were some of the high-profile attendees. Thirty five years may be a child in community years, but the doings of Gov. Emmanuel makes Akwa Ibom State soar like an adult.