Mr. Robert Ekutmfon Umoette is among the strong contenders for the governorship position in Akwa Ibom Stake. He speaks on the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan in his first tenure in office, the pitfalls of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the just concluded election in Anambra state and INEC’s readiness to conduct credible elections in 2015.

By Udeme Clement

The controversy in the  political circle about President Jonathan’s ambition for 2015 presidency is taking a new dimension as some politicians, especially the opposition are calling on Jonathan to jettison his interest. What is your take on this?
To start with, I do not share similar opinion and I believe Jonathan should contest for the presidency by 2015 because he has the constitutional right as a citizen of Nigeria to seek a second term in office. Beyond that, he has the framework to move Nigeria’s economy forward.

He is doing well in the petroleum sector and already tackling the lingering power crisis, which has been a major challenge in growing the economy. He should be given a second tenure to consolidate on the economic policies he has formulated to transform the country.

*Akpabio

For instance, we are currently facing institutional problem in this country and without building good institutions our economy will not realise tangible outputs now and in the long-run.  So, Jonathan needs another four years to build institutions capable of stimulating economic growth and development. Without institutional changes, Nigeria will be lagging behind in the scheme of things globally.

The tenure of the incumbent governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio is gradually running out. How will you assess his performance in office since 2007?
Looking at the level of development in the state, I believe he has done well.
His first achievement was changing the outlook of Akwa Ibom people, such that everywhere in Nigeria and even outside the country now have a positive outlook of Akwa Ibom indigenes. In terms of infrastructure, everyone can see clearly the massive work in the state, ranging from good road network to other infrastructure put in place to make the state much more productive.

Some of us still believe that Akpabio has not done well in industrial development and job creation considering the level of unemployment in an oil producing state like Akwa Ibom?
We must be objective about this kind of assessment because infrastructure and roads, which he worked on extensively in the state are the necessities that come with governance.
Any government, be it at the federal or state level that cannot provide the basic infrastructure is seen as a failed government.

Today, there are other governors in Nigeria who are not doing up to expectation, yet they are still there. So, we should commend those who are doing their best to deliver on the dividends of democracy.

Comparatively, can you say that the infrastructure on ground and government projects in Akwa Ibom commensurate with the large amount the state receives as monthly allocation?
I do not have access to the statistics on government’s expenditure in public goods in the state but from what we see in terms of the airpo

rt project and other capital intensive projects, I believe the governor has done well and should be commende

d and supported to do more for the betterment of the state and the economy at large.

Many flaws were recorded during the Anambra governorship election concluded recently. With these pitfalls, do you think the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is ready for free and fair elections by 2015?
Personally, I thi

nk INEC is fully prepared for 2015 and will do the right thing to move the nation forward. INEC as an institution is committed to conducting credible elections. The INEC officials must have learnt from what happened in Anambra and will do everything possible to correct the anomalies. Also, we should note that during the election in Anambra, INEC officers were prepared before the day of the election, even as the materials needed for the exercise arrived on time and even the media reported it.

But some officers of INEC for whatever reason decided to do what they did, so you cannot blame the Chairman of the INEC, Prof. Jega for that. Those officers caused that havoc as it were in Anambra but INEC as an institution is working hard to put everything in place for 2015. So we can still have confidence in the ability of INEC to conduct free and fair elections in future.

If you become the governor of Akwa Ibom state in future, what will you do to transform the economy of the state to be better than what it is at present?
You see, before handing over power to any person, the important thing is to look at the antecedent of such individual and his past achievements. His past records will determine his capability to deliver while in office.  My goal is to remove that system whereby Akwa Ibom indigenes wake up every day and go to the office or a house of a political office holder looking for stipends, because they do not have what to do, to earn a living.