Highpoints of the Akpabio Phenomenom in Akwa Ibom State

The 23 months old administration of Governor Godswill Akpabio in Akwa Ibom State has witnessed remarkable transformation in the State. This forms the basis of today’s commentary, in which Abdullahi Mohammed a public affairs commentator, analyses the highpoints of the Akpabio phenomenon in the State.

On assumption of office on May 29, 2007, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio declared his resolve to implement programmes that will massively and positively touch on the lives of the people of the state and in consonance with the manifesto of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

Nearly two years in the saddle, the Governor has fulfilled his promise to run an administration that would foster unity, and love as well as engender prosperity and harmonious coexistence among the people.

Very heartwarming to the people is the fact that GovernorAkpabio, popularly called the Digital Governor by the people of Akwa Ibom, is embarking on new people-oriented development projects to improve the quality of lives of people across the 31 local government areas of the state.

Little wonder therefore that Governor Akpabio has had to contain with an avalanche of honours and awards from diverse interest groups, organizations, institutions and communities across the country and beyond.

Governor Akpabio has performed his duties in a very efficient, effective and commendable manner and has changed the socio-economic landscape of Akwa Ibom State by implementing historic policies and programmes that touch the lives of all spectrum and strata of the people across the three Senatorial Zones of the State.

Mindful of the importance of good road network in the development and improvement of economy it is understandable why the state government is investing over N150 billion naira on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of no fewer than 160 federal and state roads in the three senatorial districts of the state.

Today, through the various road construction and rehabilitation carried out by Akpabio’s administration, the whole state has become closely linked.

Notable among the major road projects which hitherto suffered decades of neglect but undertaken by the Akpabio administration are the Ekit Itam-Ekom Iman road, Afaha Obong-Etim Ekpo-Iwukem Road, Etebi-Enwang Road, and Nnung Udoe Itak-Use Ikot Amama-Ibiaku-Ikot Esifa Road, Ikot Ekpene-Abak road; the Akpabio-administration is also constructing urban roads in the 3 senatorial districts of the state with Eket having 49, Ikot Ekpene 26, Oron 34, Ikot Abasi 18, while Uyo the state capital has 20 roads being undertaken.

Education is seen globally as the bedrock to the development of any society. This is why the United Nations’ Charter provides that member countries should allocate at the minimum 25% of its annual budget to this important sector.

Governor Godswill Akpabio has taken quantum leap in this direction with the introduction of free and compulsory education for all its indigenes up to Senior Secondary School level.

By estimation, the State Government will spend over N7 billion annually to fund the programme and another N1 billion as subvention to schools at the cost of 100 Naira per Primary School pupil and 300 Naira per Secondary School student to eliminate all forms of charges on parents under any guise.

To create a conducive learning environment for pupils and students in public school, the Government has also embarked on total and complete rehabilitation of all schools in the State, turning them to model learning centres, and has also re-introduce compulsory boarding system in the state.

Governor Akpabio also believes that through qualitative free education, the State could be made more virile and will also churn out qualified personnel to fit into national and global economy in addition to encouraging capacity building of its citizenry.

To give a legal backing to the free and compulsory education arrangement as a right of every Akwa Ibom child, the State Government has enacted the Child Rights Law. The law makes it an offence for any child to be seen hawking, trading or roaming the streets during school hours. It further prescribed punishment for any parent engaging a school age child as house help or any form of child labour.

Also the government is building a modern state of the art e- library which would also serve as an International Research Centre in the Niger Delta.

Apart from this, Akpabio’s Administration is also developing vigorously facilities at the State owned Akwa Ibom University of Technology (AKUTECH) which is billed to commence classes in September this year.

The Akpabio Administration has also made unprecedented strides in the area of rural transformation: In less than two years, the government has executed and delivered more than 800 life transforming projects ranging from water, electricity, rehabilitation of schools and hospitals, among others, in all the 31 local government areas of the State.

In line with his promise to make Akwa Ibom an industrial hub, the government is currently developing an Industrial City at Ibaka, Mbo Local Government Area that would host a deep seaport, refinery, Fertilizer Plant as well as housing and other complementary facilities.
The State Government is pursuing with vigour, the construction of what is expected to be the biggest entertainment complex in Sub-Saharan Africa – the Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre.

When completed, Ibom Tropicana Centre will host a 16-floor, 250 bedroom Five Star Hotel, a ten thousand seater events centre, a modern shopping mall with Cineplex and will provide over 5000 jobs for the people.

Furthermore, the governor’s commitment to continuity has also propelled his administration to complete all the major projects including the Independent Power Plant at Ikot Abasi, the State University of Technology, and the Akwa Ibom International Airport Projects started by the previous administration in the State.

In the Health sub sector, the government provides free treatment to children below the age of 5, the elderly from 70 years, as well as pregnant women and in addition, has renovated over 100 Primary Health Care facilities in Akwa Ibom State to provide adequate health care in all the rural communities. While work is in progress at the 20th anniversary Specialist Hospital .

It has also ensured the training and empowerment of 620 youths with Agricultural loans of N500,000 each under the state Integrated Farmers Scheme, while developments have been made in accelerated fisheries and livestock programme.

Governor Akpabio has a large heart that accommodates and respects all manner of persons irrespective of political persuasion or any other consideration and has attracted commendations for himself from both his supporters and critics.

Only recently the spectacular performance of Chief Akpabio earned him the Fellowship award of the Hussaini Adamu Polytechnic, Kazaure, Jigawa State , conferred on him in a colourful ceremony during the institution’s last convocation.

He had earlier been conferred with a distinguished award for Good Governance by the Government of Niger Republic and has also been honoured as Governor of the Year by several National Newspapers and magazines.

As Governor Godswill Akpabio continues in his unprecedented strides at building a sound and purpose-driven economy, it requires nothing short of support and solidarity to consolidate on the achievements so far recorded. As everyone can see, things are getting better in Akwa Ibom State.

Source: Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN)