Governor Godswill Akpabio And His Messianic Mission

Governor Akpabio has taken the bull by the horn, reminiscence of the fit recorded by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the western part of the Country, who, between 1951-1956, introduced the Free Educational system, which had greatly catapulted the Yoruba race in all spheres of human endeavour. In the same vein, his Excellency has introduced a free and compulsory education, a policy that has stood Akwa Ibom out among other states. Aside of the free books given, government also pays subvention on behalf of the pupils/students. This is in addition to the massive revamping of public schools. The effects would be that the house-boy, house-girl syndrome, often associated with our people is a thing of the past.

Another area where his Excellency, Governor Godswill Akpabio, has recorded monumental achievement, is in his deliberate attempt of turning boys into men, through various appointments, thereby preparing them for future leadership responsibility. For instance, one of such appointees, Hon. Onofiok A. Luke, has metamorphosed into the Speaker of the Nigerian Youth Parliament at Abuja. This credit goes to his Excellency for laying the foundation.

His Excellency, Governor Godswill Akpabio, is not relenting into turning the State into a robust and vibrant industrial and technology hub in Nigeria, and making the State an irresistible destination in West Africa, with the coming on board of the Ibaka processing free zone, industrial parks etc, which will definitely transform the State into an economic heaven, and in effect, would help to check youths restiveness in Akwa Ibom and Niger Delta, through massive and gainful employment of the youths.

Security is yet another area where his Excellency has invested so much, with a view to securing the lives and properties of its citizens. Security out-fit, like Aduma, is on ground, and well funded. The police had also benefited through the provision of vehicles fitted with the state-of-the-art equipment, all in the bid to guarantee continuous investment and prosperity of its citizens.

No wonder the issue of kidnapping, militancy and other forms of criminality are on the decrease in the State, and are politically motivated.

The transport sector has not been left out by the administration of his Excellency, as the government has provided buses, and taxi cabs to cushion the effects of the near-disappearance of the motor bike (Aka Uke) from the roads from 6:30pm. Your Excellency Sir, I hope in the nearest future more buses/taxis will be provided to cover more areas. For instance, I had to walk from Ewet Housing Estate where I visited a friend to my place at Aka Road by 8:15pm. Even where his Excellency may be contemplating outright banning of the motor bikes in the near future as it is done in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Umuhia and Owerri, I passionately beg his Excellency to empower the Okada men effectively with some of the tax cabs and buses, so that they can still be responsible to themselves, families and the State at large.

Other areas where his Excellency, Governor Godswill Akpabio, is also investing the State funds are in the discovery of talents, through sponsoring of the yearly Akpabio's cup fiesta, which does not only draw participants from within the country, but also outside the country. Your Excellency Sir, we still need more of the Vincent Enyeama, Samuel Peters, Kingsley Udoh, among others. Akwa Ibom State needs an Olympic size stadium for which you had promised to build. Tourism has not been left out, as this has received a boost with the signing of the contract agreements between the State Government and the Silver Bird Groups, for the building of a World Class Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Center in Uyo, as well a digital library, under construction. All these will, no doubt, add to the ecstatic value and beauty of the city.

His Excellency the Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio has saved the generation of the Akwa Ibom children from extinction by rescuing them from the witchcraft accusation and setting up a rehabilitation centre at Eket, and by going further to award scholarship to these children to the tune of 10 Million Naira. The Child Rights Act has been passed to consolidate on these gains, this centre has attracted some British journalists to the State of late, with promises to assist the children in the centre. These children need more love now than ever before.

And for these wicked criminals who called themselves pastors of whatever with their devilish organization church/prayer houses. Please, if the only thing they have to offer and bequeath to the Akwa Ibom children is by branding them as witches and by going extra miles in killing those innocent children, they had better take a cue from what churches, like the RCCG, living Faith, Mountain of Fire and Synagogue Church of all Nations and others are doing in the South-West of the Country, where Schools, Hospitals and other life enhancing programmes have been set-up to better the lives of their people and children, instead of involving in criminal activities in the name of removing with crafting and unnecessarily putting the name of the State in bad light.

This must stop henceforth please, or they look for something else to do than subjecting these innocent children to pains and miseries. I suggest that severe punishment should be meted out to these fake pastors to serve as a deterrent to others.

I was almost tempted to think that with these monumental successes and superlative performances by his Excellency, Governor Godswill Akpabio, that he had finished his first term. Little did I know that I have only succeeded in x-raying his Excellency's mid term score card. The question now is what will happen by the time the Governor would have finally extinguished the remaining years of his first in the development of the State. Then Akwa Ibom people should expect nothing short of an Eldora do.

I was discussing with a friend in the Church the other day, I told him I know why his Excellency, Governor Godswill Akpabio, is performing. That, apart from courage, boldness and determination to serve his people, his first name “Godswill” also has a religious inclination, mbok or how else would I describe the name Godswill, which is the man, doing God's will for God's people in God's own state.

The National President of Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Olu Akeredolu, and the prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Makinde, specifically said recently that Governor Akpabio has justified the Mandate given to him by the masses in the April 2007, hence merit a second term.

The issues that is agitating my mind now is, and without mincing words, his Excellency, Governor Godswill Akpabio, would like to render his selfless services to the people of Akwa Ibom again in 2011 for a second term. He needs all Akwa Ibomites' support as usual to be returned to the government house with or without neck-breaking campaigns. I think that his myriad of achievements should do the magic.

He would have ably justified the mandate given to him in his first term and honesty deserved an unchallenged second term in 2011 (Akwa Ibomites isn't it so?). I can bet anybody without sentiment that by the time the second term of his Excellency, Governor Godswill Akpabio, is exhausted, the State would have been turned into an enviable state in the comity of states in the nation, thus placing Akwa Ibom on the next level of development.
And to his Excellency, my prayers for him, his family, and the Akwa Ibom people is as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy 23:5

“Nevertheless the lord thy God would not hearken unto Ba'laam; but the lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee”.

And may the good Lord continue to bless Akwa Ibom State, as the angels chorused, Amen.
My vacation is Akwa Ibom State has been a fulfilling and most rewarding one, as I took time off to visit twenty (20) local government areas, hoping to cover the remaining eleven (11) local government areas, sometime this year during another vacation, God willing.