Period of Politically-motivated Violence Over, Says Akwa Ibom Gov

Okon Bassey in Uyo

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has expressed satisfaction that those dark and harrowing years of politically-motivated violence had long gone in the state since his coming on board.

The state, he said, was  now nationally considered as one of the safest states to live, work and invest in the nation saying, “it was not always like this.”

He noted that today, one can traverse the length and crannies of the state at any hour, in peace and safety.

The governor spoke  at the 2022 edition of State Christmas Carol held weekend in Uyo, stressing that the citizens of the state have every reason to sing praises to the Lord and the support enjoy from security agencies.

The governor charged the citizens to eschew hatred, blackmail, unbridled antagonism and zero-sum game approach in their daily engagements.

“We must love our state, our culture, our leaders, our institutions and come to the understanding that, politics will come and politics will go, but the Akwa Ibom spirit and blood that flows in us, will endure and bind us forever.

“We must not as I have always said, destroy the cords of our unity in the name of politics. Politics should be practiced without bitterness and acrimony and our stakeholders must not engage in acts that seek to divide and balkanise us.

“We all have a shared destiny in this noble project of making a new Akwa Ibom State, of planting the seeds of prosperity in our land, where opportunities shall beckon, and our men and women will earn a living instead of begging for a living. This is the noble cause for which we are emotionally, spiritually and psychologically  investing and nothing, I repeat nothing will deter us. 

“Let us continue to work and grow together as a people, knowing fully well that the future is bright and quite promising.

“Let us show love to the less-privileged, a hand to lift up those who may have fallen on hard times, and kindred spirit to all that we may come in contact with.

“Let us reject in its totality, all forms of ethnicity and tribal sentiments. Let us all turn away from those people who preach violence as a springboard to leadership.

“Let us rather embrace peace and progress as we continually ARISE to the faith of our greatness.  We are going forward and never backward,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the governor has said that the annual Akwa Ibom Christmas Carols Festival holding on the month of December  is now to be called  “The Akwa  Ibom  Christmas Carols  and Gospel Festival.”

“Given the positive impact that this event has engendered in the last seven years and conscious of the fact that it has become inseparable with the active participation of contemporary gospel music ministers, we have decided to rename the Carols to effectively capture their great participation,” the governor explained. 

He posited that with the change in name, will also come the change in perspective.

“While putting our Christmas celebrations on a global stage, as we have been doing in the last seven years, we will also be providing a global stage for our upcoming and budding local gospel artistes to share the stage with these accomplished global gospel icons and ignite the process of becoming world-class gospel stars in their own right.

“In demonstrating our resolve to  create a global brand that will be reckoned with, across the gospel music community in Nigeria, and further encourage and reward these creative ministers to do even more in winning souls for the Kingdom of God, through music ministration, we wish to announce the institution of  “the Emmanuel Award for Excellence in Gospel Music Ministry”.

“Emmanuel means ‘God with us’ and nothing reveals the essence of God with us than gospel music which in the first instance is made possible by gospel music ministers.

“The Emmanuel Award for Excellence in Gospel Ministry will be given every December during this event, to the Nigerian Gospel Music Artiste who, in the last twelve months of the preceding year, has demonstrated extraordinary expressive talents and deep humanism, and has been able to awaken new audiences to the Transcendental Power of The Gospel through music ministration, teaching and performance,” the governor stated.