By Etokowo Owoh 

I took time to read and digest the speech given by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, on the anniversary of his sixth year in office on Saturday, May 29, 2021. 

The speech reflected the foresight of a leader on a mission, a heartening departure from speeches made by Nigerian leaders most of which are deficient in key socio-economic appeal and philosophy of governance. Governor Udom’s remarks were nuanced with measurement criteria that assuage public perception.

Aware of the temper of the time and with the felt needs of his people met, he didn’t talk down on the public rather, he then communicate with empathy to an already distraught population. His tone and views were inspiring and l with the right dose of salt to spice the palate. He no doubt came across as pleasantly different.

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Cynics, and they are many, may not yet appreciate the speech having for several years been traumatized by long talks that were replete with fine prose but short on economic activities are produce outcomes that lead to the improved economic well-being of the people. Outcomes of economic activities should be measurable against the backdrop of time, resources employed, and, above all, predetermined benchmarks. 

And one does not blame them because past speeches failed to lay emphasis on how their administrations have conquered, or will conquer, specific societal challenges such as increased employment rate, reduced inflation rate, reduced the mortality rate of mothers and children, elimination of common ailments such as malaria, availability of potable water in households, improved performance of school children at public examinations, reduced teacher/pupil ratio in public schools, the reduced crime rate among many others. It is only within these definable criteria that speeches are soul-lifting and roundly edifying. 

Only then would hope and confidence be rekindled and restored amongst Nigerians who daily grapple with very harsh economic conditions. These correlations were missing in most past speeches, not because they could not be derived, but perhaps someone is not willing to face reality or is unwilling to conduct a basic survey to ascertain numerically the extent of improvement in the quantum of benefits that accrue to the people based of efforts exerted.

So one found greater efforts expended in written speeches than on the works that should make the speeches credible. 

Governor Udom Emmanuel’s speech was also apt and elevating in that it dealt with two primary issues that impinge on our growth as a people. First, it said clearly that one of Akwa Ibom’s major challenges is industrialization which when achieved would, among other things, translate to more employment opportunities, reduced capital flight, and a robust transactional economy with an attendant boost in GDP. He gave an account of his efforts, so far, at surmounting this challenge.

 Second, he took a kaleidoscopic view of the future and sought to generate discourse on the subject of future leaders of our dear State. He reminded us of a serious aspect of the State’s life where serious attention if neglected, could be self-destructive. That is the qualifications and attributes of the next governor after him.

That was bold as he gave very emphatic prescriptions and sounded a note of advice (some could say warning) on what to look out for in the next governor; the values that must accompany the would-be occupant of the exalted office. For if the occupant does not possess these attributes, he will not be able to reposition Akwa Ibom State along the lines of well-defined core values let alone accelerate the pace of what he is currently doing to re-define the content of the State’s economy. Let me quote a segment of his speech: 

    …..do you desire a successor with a known e-mail address

    that the international business community recognizes.

    Do you want a leader who will fritter away our commonwealth

    in search of cheap popularity or one who would utilize the

    Resource and continue investing in projects with enduring values…

The imports of these lines are that the governor was talking about fellow Akwa Ibomites who have laudable principles and are capable of meeting the requirements adumbrated by His Excellency. People of high net worth integrity who would not define governance from a narrow and jaundiced prism of me, and myself. People with large hearts would give the generality of Akwa Ibom people the freedom to compete for opportunities within the system. 

He wishes for someone who is not a stranger to the international business community in a digitized, globalized, and highly integrity-minded world. He leveraged on someone who has proved his mettle in several world outings and would not for any reason compromise his hard-earned reputation but rather would place it as collateral while negotiating collaborations and partnerships on behalf of the State. One who has managed multi-billion dollar budgets and is astute enough to navigate his way through an infinitely changing world economic order to the benefit of the State.

The keywords here are TRUST and INTEGRITY within and beyond our borders. The governor was making a clarion call for someone whose reign as governor would not change anything about him because he has nothing more to prove. One whose current lifestyle won’t change merely because he is governor. An Investor friendly person whose words one can take to the bank once uttered.

He was short of saying that we should not risk the management of our resources in the hands of chameleons; people who masquerade just to enter the office only to turn monsters thereafter and gamble with Akwa Ibom people. To Mr. Udom Emmanuel, having someone of such towering integrity would fast-track interaction between local investors and the State, on the one hand, and easily lubricate international business transactions that would increase the quantum of private sector funds, both local and foreign direct investments, in the State. That we do not want people who would come to launder their image at the plaza, or anywhere else, in want of cheap popularity in the name of “ono mkpo owo”. 

Summarily put, the Governor is asking the people of Akwa Ibom State to search for a next governor who will leverage on the well-known core values that over the years have stood Akwa Ibom out as a sought after trademark – hard work, integrity, perseverance, and the belief in rewards that commensurate these time tested irreducible minima. In short, he set the tone for those who aspire for the coveted office to first examine themselves and see if they are worthy of this ‘communion cup’, and for the public to judge by standards that would deposit enduring legacies in our quest to set ourselves apart as a destination of choice for all what is good.

Someone may ask: who is Udom Emmanuel to seek to dominate the political sphere with a political philosophy? Why can’t he just finish his tenure and leave us to figure out our next steps? Well, Udom Emmanuel is a leader. Every good leader should, according to John Maxwell, “know the way, go the way, and show the way”. He showed the way. 

The question on the lips of Akwa Ibom people, who worry about our tomorrow, now is who could such a person be? Among the lots jostling for this position, do we have anyone with these ‘tall’ credentials? My answer is yes we do, they are many.

The choice of leaders is not usually a mean task. Each time God wanted to pick leaders for His people, He went the extra mile to select, not necessarily among the presumed best by human calculations, but by criteria that awe man’s presumptions. Take Moses, Joseph, David, and Elisha; who usually emerge is a ‘forgotten one’ at the seaside, one ‘sold to slavery’ in the house of Potiphar, one ‘in the bush’ quietly tending after the father’s sheep, or one ‘dutiful enough’ to watch when the master will be taken up. 

These metaphors go beyond grandstanding loud noise and touch at the very root of what leadership stands for – service. In each of the examples cited above, God rooted for someone who would render service to His people.  It will be a disservice to Akwa Ibomites, living and yet to be born, if we continue to bask in the absurdities that characterize politics in our society while our people suffer want and deprivation in the hands of those whose claim to altruistic tendencies are at best tenuous. 

We must look far and think deep lest we falter and set the hand of the clock backward for leadership is everything and the lack of it brings sorrows to a people. The Governor has set the tone as a good leader. We must pick up the gauntlet from this pleasant axis and run with it. Indeed, a good speech.

*Etokowo Owoh is a Management Consultant and Public Policy Analyst.