2015: Race to succeed Akpabio hazy, but I’m qualified, says SSG
The Sun Publishing
Wednesday May 02 , 2012
Umana
Umana Okon Umana is the Secretary to the State Government of Akwa Ibom State. He speaks to journalists on 2015 governorship election, Governor Godswill Akpabio’s administration and other issues. CHINELO OBOGO brings the excerpts.
My experience as SSG so far
I think my experience can only be discussed in the context of the programmes and policies of the Administration of Governor Godswill Akpabio. As a member of that team, my experience has been rewarding and very fruitful, because anybody who comes to Akwa Ibom is amazed at the pace of development in the State. So far, the comments people make with regards to this are very encouraging. I feel fulfilled when I listen to outsiders commend the Governor for being a pace-setter in terms of governance in Nigeria. We always talk about his vision for Akwa Ibom State; the vision of coming out with a State that becomes a pace-setter in terms of quality of infrastructure, in terms of information technology and the unity and harmony among our people.
The governor envisions an Akwa Ibom that will become a model State within the Nigerian Federation. In the first four years, he said he will make Akwa Ibom a destination and he tackled the issue of infrastructure. For instance, in the area of road network, he completed over 250 roads spanning over 950 kilometres. These covered both State and Federal roads. He also completed the airport project which he inherited from the last administration, at the level of 10 percent completion. Plus the power plant, which he also completed.
Then he started his own projects. Of course, the one I must mention is Tropicana Entertainment Centre: a one-stop entertainment facility which would accommodate another five star hotel, a modern shopping mall, Convention Centre with a seating capacity of 5,000 people; a games park and so on. Tropicana is a facility you cannot find anywhere else in Nigeria. It will attract tourists to the State. That project is still on course. When you relate his achievements in the area of completion of mega projects against what he has done in rural areas, then you will agree with me that the achievements of Governor Akpabio are a total package and cover all sectors. In the education sector, he has done excellently well; ditto under transportation. He has completed the airport, built a state-of- the-art e-library and is working to complete the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul – MRO – facility at the airport and so on.
Unemployment and corruption
Of all the infrastructures being constructed in Akwa Ibom State, people supply the gravel, the sand, the asphalt and people drive the trucks. Then you have all kinds of technical workers; people are engaged because these jobs are going on. This also provides employment at all levels. You may say that it is not like the real formal sector; yes, but it provides employment all the same. Most people who come to this state also experience shock at the pace of development, the quality of progress and the pace of transformation. Yes, that is the right word, transformation. What is going on in Akwa Ibom is uncommon transformation. It is not something you find anywhere else.
Government has invested massively in infrastructure and you must also be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities. Those who have been taking advantage of the opportunities have been empowered. We also have what we call inter-ministerial direct labour jobs. These are small contracts of about ten, fifteen, twenty million naira which cover such projects as renovation and rehabilitation of schools, health centres, provision of electricity, especially in rural areas, provision of potable water, and so on. These contracts are awarded to thousands of people throughout the state and they are packaged in such a way that the impact is felt everywhere.
We have 329 wards in Akwa Ibom State and we have at least fifty of such projects going on in each ward and these projects are executed by the locals, most of whom are youths. You see, this is also a way of building capacity and a way of enhancing their economic status. We have other programmes like the Integrated Farmers Scheme where young school leavers are exposed to training in farming and after three months they are given loans to start up farming business. We have several batches who have graduated and quite a number of them have done well for themselves after the training to set up poultry farms and so on. Again, there has been some impact in that direction.
We also have the micro-credit schemes where direct loans are given to those who apply to set up all kinds of business. One of the methods used by government is to use churches as a vehicle for the disbursement of the loans of these micro- credit schemes. Money was made available to the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Muslim community; women and youths from different churches and mosques were given loans to start business or expand their existing ventures and it has worked quite well. Only recently the sum of two billion naira was released to 8,000 women under the Women Agro- Entrepreneurship Development Programme (WAEDEP) at 250,000 naira each. Moving forward, we also have some of our flagship projects which when completed will generate massive employment. The Tropicana Project is one of such.
It is a one-stop entertainment centre where you have a five-star hotel, a shopping mall, a cinema, a gallery and a games park. There have been insinuations that the Akwa Ibom State Government is cloning the Tinapa resort in Cross River State. But Tropicana is unique and different. If you bring your family there, certainly you will stay at the five star hotel; your wife can go into the shopping mall while the children go to the cinema or recreation centres or games park. This means that for the first time, Nigerians have a place to go and relax. This is in addition to Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo which again is one of the best in Africa.
We started the project called Ibom Industrial City, and this is going to be a business resort which will house refineries, petrochemical plant, dockyard, housing estates; another full package; something you can only find in highly-industrialized nations. We started by engaging world-class consultants; they designed the concept; the master-plan which was presented to the President when he visited Akwa Ibom in August, 2010. The President was impressed because one of the components of the industrial hub is a deep sea port. Ibaka is a natural site for deep sea port because without dredging you have up to 12 to 15 metre depth of water. It is the only location in Nigeria where you have that kind of depth without dredging.
Succeeding my boss
It is not out of the question but I think it is still too early in the day to be distracted because I still have my job as SSG. Right now, I’d rather concentrate on the discharge of my responsibilities as SSG. But contesting the governorship of the State in 2015 is not out of the question, because I believe I have requisite experience, the capacity and the good fortune of being part of Governor Akpabio’s team that has been successful. So in terms of positioning, I think I have what it takes to run for the office of governor. In the days ahead, the picture will become clearer.
For me, it is a rare privilege being Secretary to the Government. We are focused on delivery of dividends of democracy because that is the primary reason the people of the state overwhelmingly voted the Governor in 2007, and again in 2011. So, my approach is to concentrate on my job as Secretary to the State Government, and not to be distracted by rumours, propaganda and falsehood. I haven’t been distracted. I have focused on the job.
I was humbled when the Governor said that out of the impressive CV’s he received, I was the best man for the job. If my boss says I am doing well, then what else can I say? When I was in management school, we had a lecturer who always joked that hard work is what your boss calls hard work. So, I am humbled that my little contribution is being appreciated by my boss.
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You chaired the business session during the Governor’s Town Hall Meeting with the state’s citizens in the Diaspora. Were there indications they will respond to your appeal for investment in the state?
We gave them the report card of the government in the first four years. We had key persons from government who spoke on various aspects of the programme. For instance, they were briefed that in the 2011 budget, the House of Assembly approved the sum of N15b as seed money to drive the industrialization process. Also, in the 2012 budget, the sum of N20b has been approved for the same purpose. The governor has made it clear that in the next four years, he will focus on industrialization, wealth creation and employment generation; the three will go together. We are now going to have industries dotting the 31 LGA’s. The industrialization agenda is a total package and we will ensure that the establishment of cottage industries and small and medium industries goes hand in hand with the development of Ibom Industrial City.
My dream for Akwa Ibom in the next 10 years
My dream is to see an Akwa Ibom that can become a model state in Nigeria; a state where roads are excellent, where education is taken seriously just as Governor Akpabio is doing and where his efforts would be consolidated. I want a state which would be recognized as a hub in the Gulf of Guinea for oil and gas and manufacturing. I would like to see a state where, even our airport would be state-of-the-art, the kind of airport you find in Dubai and South Africa. My dream is to see an Akwa Ibom where all the sectors, like agriculture where we have comparative advantage, would be fully developed.
What kind of man will you describe the governor as?
I think his leadership skill is exemplary because one, he is passionate about making a difference. His determination to make a difference has put him out as an exceptional leader. I also believe that he was adequately prepared for the job and that is why it is important that people angling for leadership positions should be prepared for such positions; they should have the experience, they should have the capacity. Gov. Akpabio was a Commissioner in three different ministries in the last administration. He knew the terrain, and so after his election in 2007, he was able to hit the ground running.
