The relay race that started on September 23, 1987 has seen the exchange of batons from one governor to the other, with Udom Emmanuel handling the baton at the mo- ment for a race that will last probably till the end of time.
I am of the opinion that the people of the state can afford the customary backslapping, pumping of hands and offering of congratulations for a journey that has taken the people through rough and bumpy roads.
The current state of the nation’s economy and the lean resources of the state, like other states, will not allow for elaborate celebrations. But I consider the milestone that the state has achieved in the last 28 years through its people worth celebrating, even if on a small scale. Perhaps a moment such as this is what the state needs to take attention from the bickering and acrimony that have threatened the peaceful existence of the historically ho- mogenous state, from the run-up to the 2015 general elections, and up till now. I say this on the assumption that the occasion of the anniversary of the state is important enough to bring the people together to celebrate their oneness that spans many centuries.
Akwa Ibom has, in the last 28 years, moved from the backwaters of underdevelopment, poverty and illiteracy to a state that holds a lot of promise to its people and attraction to investors and tourists alike. It is a state that to-
day has a new face; a state whose indigenes can proudly stand up and be counted among their compatriots from other parts of the country; a state whose indigenes no longer have inferiority complex in the midst of others, for the simple reason that they come from the wrong part of the country.
There is a conscious effort by today’s Akwa Ibom people not to dwell forever on the suc- cess stories of their past heroes like the late Udo Udoma, a justice of the Supreme Court; late E. O. Eyo, a political contemporary of the great Zik of Africa; late Central Bank governor, Clement Isong; late Senator Victor Akan and many oth- ers who have remained reference points when the story is about the achievements of the people of the state.
The people can look around today with pride and point to indigenes that represent the new face of Akwa Ibom; indigenes who have successfully waded through difficult terrains, scaled hurdles and surmounted challenges to demonstrated can-do spirit with which the people of the state are imbued. They are found in all facets of life; in every area of human endeavour – the military, sports, entertainment, media, law, hos- pitality, advertising, politics, etc. Akwa Ibom has people that are worth celebrating – people that can be appropriately described as ambassadors.
I am not sure the story of the National Assembly of the Fourth Republic can be written without the mention of the name of Senator Ita Enang, one of the longest serving lawmakers since 1999. Having served for three terms in the House of Representatives and one term in the Senate, holding important and sensitive positions in both chambers, it didn’t surprise many that President Muhammdu Buhari found him fit to be his senior special assistant on National Assembly matters for the upper chamber of the legislature. The choice of the former senator by Buhari, who is probably searching for angels and geniuses to be his appointees, is quite instructive and speaks volumes about his faith in the competence and ability of the Akwa Ibom person.
The appointments of Major General Isidore Edet as General Officer Commanding (GOC) , 81 Division of the Nigerian Army; Air Vice Marshals Frank Nyoyoko, Air Of- ficer Commanding Mobility Command and Uko Ebong, Director of Staff Training, Na- tional Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies as well as Air Commodore Enobong Usoh, Chief of Aircraft Engineering, all of the Ni- gerian Air Force and Rear Admiral Uduak Essien, Director of Operations, Naval Head- quarters, is proof that the country’s military authorities now reckon with the competence of soldiers of Akwa Ibom origin. Gone are the days when nobody from that part of the country was considered suitable for such positions. It cannot be recalled a time a military officer of Akwa Ibom extraction held a sensitive position in any of the nation’s armed forces, since the tenure of Air Marshall Nsi- kak Eduok as Chief of Air Staff during the tenure of the late General Sanni Abacha.
The hospitality industry in Nigeria in gen- eral and Abuja in particular gets significant contribution from Nanet Suites and Hotels, whose owner, IniAkpabio, anAkwa Ibomite, is also the National President of Hospitality and Tourism Management Association of Nigeria. Akpabio has been able to replicate the legendary hospitality of the Akwa Ibom peo- ple through their famous cuisines in his ho- tel chain; little wonder Nanet is a household name in the Federal Capital Territory and Kaduna where it started. In this industry also is Mark Essien, founder of Hotels.ng.com, an online portal that supplies information on more than 7000 hotels in Nigeria. Governor Udom Emmanuel proved the worth of the Akwa Ibom person when he rose to become executive director of one of Nigeria’s biggest banks – Zenith Bank – before he answered the clarion call to return home to contribute to the development of the state as secretary to the government, a position that revealed his true worth to the people of the state who voted for him to become their governor.
Emmanuel was not the only success story in the finance sector. There are many who are making their mark in the sector, also, but who may not be well known. Unyime Idem, proprietor Stanford Microfinance Bank, is one of them.
Ubokudom Nyah, a successful architect, is a worthy ambassador. Across the length and breadth of Nigeria, and even outside the country, Akwa Ibomites abound whose successes have made them worthy ambassadors of the state. In the area of sports, the emergence of Emem Eduok of Esperance of Tunisia; William Troost Ekong of FK Haugesund of Norway and Imoh Ezekiel on the current list of Super Eagles is proof that Akwa Ibiom brims with many Vincent Enyeama.
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