Ahead of Elections, Jonathan Warns Politicians against Bitterness, Verbal Attacks
•Inaugurates bridge constructed by Akwa Ibom govt
Okon Bassey in Uyo
A former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday cautioned politicians against generating negative energies and creating bitterness towards the forthcoming general election as it would not bring development to the country.
Jonathan gave the warning while inaugurating a 1.15km Afi-Uko Ntighe bridge in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The bridge whose construction works started about 74 years ago and now completed and inaugurated, was said to be the forth longest in the country and the longest in the South-south and South-east regions.
Inaugurating the bridge, Jonathan noted that there were some level of bitterness exhibited by politicians ahead of the general elections in the country.
According to him, politics of bitterness hinders development as he called on politicians to market their politics with ideas, rather than fight, insult and abuse their opponents.
“I am a bit worried by the negative energy generated ahead of the 2023 elections. We have noticed a level of bitterness in our politics that does not bring development and I plead with politicians that marketing is about marketing your ideas. Politics is not about fighting, is not insulting, is not about abusing.
“We have been reading in the newspapers and social media of how billboards of presidential candidates, governorship candidates are pulled down and I believe by hoodlums, but sometimes, they say some governments even support those kind of things.
“If you are part of the team doing that, then know that you are among the unfortunate miscreants, virus or pathogen that is really decomposing our democracy. Please stop doing that; but in all these, I believe the security services have a lot to do.
“I believe anybody who commits a crime should not be covered under politics. Arson is arson and is never status bound, so somebody who commits a crime, burn houses, kill people, the record must be kept, and whatever the investigation is completed, such people should be prosecuted; that is the only way people would stop doing this.
“But if people commit criminal offences and walk away, then, of course, other people would be encouraged to do same. So security services in Nigeria have a lot to do, they must not spare any criminal,” he asserted.
The Etebi-Enwang bridge project, said to have been awarded to a British construction company headed by Mr. Fidelis Cobbs in 1949, had enjoyed massive publicity by the last administration in the state, but was however left uncompleted.
Jonathan who was in the state in the company of his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, said it takes someone with total commitment to improving the lives of the people to embark on a project of such magnitude.
The former president lauded Governor Udom Emmanuel for consistently delivering well-structured growth promoting projects in the state, saying the assurance that he would complete his projects before the end of his tenure, was proof of his commitment to improve the life of the people.
“A bridge is very useful to riverine dwellers. That is visionary leadership that gives substantial evidence of well-structured growth promoting leadership.
“Your strategic development plans have continued to deliver great dividends to the development of this great state. You have delivered several projects, built many bridges, but this is a flagship project.
“It takes someone with total commitment to improving the lives of the people to embark on this. Your projects have direct impacts on the lives of the people in remarkable ways. Your award as Governor with best economic blueprint was befitting.
“This is the third time I am coming to Akwa Ibom to commission a project. This must be one of the longest bridges in West Africa. Let me also commend the people of this community for cooperating with the construction team.
“You build both economic, human and social bridges. People like you are the stars and heroes of our democracy. You work hard to ensure that democracy produces good fruits for the people, we need more people like you,” he said
The former President of Nigeria tasked whoever would emerge next governor of the state to effectively follow the footprints of Emmanuel.
Addressing the gathering, Emmanuel said the completion of the bridge was in fulfillment of his electioneering promise to open up riverine communities in state.
The governor returned all glory to God for the enablement to impact on the lives of people and communities across the 31 local government areas of the state.
He thanked members of the community for the support shown throughout the duration of the construction and assured Akwa Ibom people that no amount of blackmail would distract him from his avowed commitment to continue to drive the state in a path of rapid industrial growth.
Explaining components of the bridge, the Commissioner, Ministry of Works and Fire Service, Akwa Ibom State, Prof. Eno Ibanga said the bridge is 1.15km, longest in South-south, longest ever commissioned by any state government in the country and sits on 212 piles with a minimum depth of 30meters, segmented into 52 spans of 22.5m each and the spans sit on 408 precast beams, with an impressive lifespan.
On his part, the Managing Director of AMITEC Construction Company, Aiman Saimua, said the company was awarded the project four years ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused a delay in the project which was completed two weeks behind schedule.
Saimua commended Emmanuel for providing the funds required for the project and the community for their support, saying without it, they would not have been able to complete the project.
The Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, in his welcome remarks, said the bridge has created a major gateway for industrial revolution in the state.
“The bridge will enable Ibom industrial city to be approached, Ibom solution hub, Forward Operation Base, Dakada Global Oil. This is a part of the rapid industrialisation agenda of the governor,” he said.
