Ak Indigenes In USA Endorse Akpabio For 2011

Akwa Ibom State indigenes in the United States of America have endorsed the State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, for second term in 2011.
The endorsement, which was announced last weekend during the Stakeholders Forum 2010, was received with thunderous applause by participants and witnessed by a high-powered delegation of the Akwa Ibom state government.
Speaking at the International hall of the Sheraton Baltimore City Centre hotel, Baltimore, Maryland, the Co-ordinator of the Akwa Ibom Diaspora network, Mr. Clement Ikpatt, said the endorsement by the group, which is an umbrella body of other groups, became necessary after careful observation of the giant strides of the Governor in three years.
“We have been keen observers nay participants in the changing story of our dear state. From the massive infrastructural development to the investment in human capital growth through the free and compulsory education, the rural transformation of our 31 local government areas and intervention in the positioning of Akwa Ibom state as an economic hub within the Gulf of Guinea, we can boldly say here that the administration of Chief Godswill Akpabio is truly doing God’s will in the land of promise”, Mr. Ikpatt said.
The Co-ordinator, who described Governor Akpabio as an agent of change and the state as a model for Nigeria, said it would be unreasonable for the people of the state not to appreciate the unprecedented achievements recorded by the Akpabio-led administration and the visibility it has brought to the state.
According to the foreign based indigenes, “Akwa Ibom State is no more tucked into an unknown corner in the Nigerian map. We are today visible; we are fast becoming a model for Nigeria. Today, we can fly through our airport; we can drive through the beautiful roads constructed across the length and breadth of the state in the last three years. We can look around and truly pat ourselves on the back and say we are making progress. We can only do this by standing up to express our thanks and appreciation to the agent of change and the keeper of our collective mandate, Governor Godswill Akpabio”.
Mr. Ikpatt, however, condemned in strong terms the activities of a few disgruntled elements who have found free space in the internet to cast aspersions on the leadership of the state and some indigenes, saying the negative noise from the internet is not a reflection of the thinking of the generality of Akwa Ibom people.
He warned those who have taken the war to the internet to desist from such act and rather learn to criticize constructively in a language that is not offensive. “We have said severally that no citizen of Akwa Ibom state should use the internet to cast aspersions on the leadership of neither the state nor her citizens irrespective of their ranks or levels.
We must conduct ourselves in a very sane and mature manner and learn to communicate inoffensive language”, he said, adding “Whilst we welcome suggestions and contributions towards the development of our state, we totally condemn disparaging acts perpetrated by a few known names who have taken to the trade of insults and abuses on leaders. This is not tolerable in any clime including where we are. It is not permissible in our culture, neither is it an acceptable norm in any society. This is a call to order”.
While declaring the unwavering support of Akwa Ibom people in Diaspora for the administration of Godswill Akpabio, he urged all and sundry to support the re-election bid of Governor in 2011, noting that the pronouncement by President Goodluck Jonathan during his recent official visit to the state and the vote of confidence he passed on the Akpabio-led administration was based on its credibility and unprecedented track records.
In his response, the leader of the delegation, Sen. Anietie Okon, informed participants that the state has witnessed a great transformation that the people of the state had been yearning for many years, pointing out that it has metamorphosed from an obscure state to a model one with a lot of benefits for indigenes.
Sen. Okon who urged Akwa Ibom state indigenes to come home and contribute their quota to the development of their motherland, said “for the first time, we are quite gladly noticing that governments do deliver on their promises”.
He said the Akpabio-led government has opened up new vista of opportunities for the people of Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria, and foreign investors, explaining that the “people of the state ask for more, expected more and are being giving more than they asked for”.
Sen. Okon who advised indigenes not to be distracted by mischief makers said what has helped the state to transform itself from the civil service-oriented state to a more vibrant one was the people-oriented policies of the state government, adding that Akwa Ibom state was no longer the land of promise, but a land of fulfillment.
Addressing the question on security situation in the state raised by participants, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, said security issue was not a problem peculiar to only Akwa Ibom state, but a national problem that should be addressed holistically by all stakeholders, including the Federal Government of Nigeria. But, he, however, said that the state government was doing everything possible to tackle the issue by taking it upon itself to equip the police as well as provide logistics for its effective operations.
Mr. Umana who said the security situation in the state was not as bad as it has been portrayed by detractors, revealed that Akwa Ibom state based on the recent crime statistic in the south east and south-south regions showed the Akwa Ibom was trailing behind.
The SSG who also stated reasons for the upsurge of kidnapping activities in the state, attributed it to its location, saying “we are a transit state with borders to so many other states, therefore, it is very easy for criminals to have access to the state via other states because there are so many routes linking us to other states of the federation”, adding “but I want to assure you that there is absolute peace in the state and we would not rest until perpetrators of the crimes are brought to book”.