Godswill Akpabio Knows His Worth

 

By Matts Udoaka

I have a high respect for Godswill Akpabio. He deserves an incisive commendation and heartwarming accolades. Not the flattering adulation from political jobbers and praise singers for mouth-watering contracts. Godswill Akpabio has to be eulogized for his worth. Like an American, Glen Backshaw, once said that the best way to ask for more good things is to appreciate [good things]. If one cannot praise his fellow man for his creditable performance who else should one appreciate? It is a matter of conscience, and of getting nearer and nearer to understanding the language of nature, as intoned by Kenneth Kaunda. For sure, I am proud of Godswill for his innate wisdom of delivering dividends of democracy to his people without let or hindrance. His natural knowledge of understanding the public needs is classified as inductive reasoning, so says the Philosopher. That ranks him top amongst his pearls. Godswill Akpabio is human, and he has human failings like any other person. He is not infallible, but at the level of the issues at stake, any discerning mind will agree with me that his policies have human face, and in most cases they are people-friendly.

The kernel of this epithet is to give the Akwa Ibom Governor kudos for understanding that besides controlling and directing human and material resources, governance is more about providing the necessary infrastructure for ordinary citizens. And this is where he stands out pre-eminently among his equals, especially in the South-South geo-political region.

I am an ardent traveller. I love going to places and other States. That broadens my knowledge of other people, their culture, environment and tradition. Therefore, when my cousin invited me for his traditional marriage at Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, I did not hesitate. Never did my cousin describe the ruggedness of the road we were to pass to Emohua to me. At least if that had been done, the fore knowledge of the road would have helped me to keep back my small car, and follow others with the bus. So, in company of some members of my family, in the convoy of friends from Port Harcourt, we set about the journey bona fide. None of my people hoped for a rough journey as many of us who started life in Rivers State are familiar with the East-West road that leads to Emohua. That of course, is the knowledge of about three years back. Still we knew that Port Harcourt journey to Emohua would experience a lighter traffic from Umukoro Junction. More so, knowing that from that Umukoro Junction to Emohua would not exceed one hour, everything put together, we expected no stress or fatigue. Conversely, the journey from Umukoro Junction to Choba that is not more than a kilometer turned out to be a nightmare, stressful with disgusting headache.

This short space of the East-West road (from Umukoro to Choba) which is within a local government area of Obio/Akpor, became a killer disease, fatigue-laden, stressful and painful for both the human body and vehicle. At a point everyone opted to go back to my cousin’s residence in Port Harcourt, but we considered that going either forward or backward from that point is equal distance, therefore, we had to roll our vehicles cautiously with pieces of some of the damaged parts falling off as a result of the impact of the constant hit on sharp edges of the broken coal-tarred road.

In this experience, the terrible thing to note is the state of the total neglect of the road harboured by Rivers State in this 21^st Century. The serious question that went through my mind was, where has the Rivers State government been operating from if the state authorities couldn’t see such a poor standard of the road running through the heart of the city? Or has it become a crime for a state government to maintain the worst areas of the federal road in its state? In the ensuing confusion that erupted, with the total stand still of traffic, we learnt from one of the road users that a few days back, a gang of robbers took advantage of the poor road and traffic hold up to have a field day, robbing and maiming people while they killed two men who were travelling to Bayelsa State . Such unfortunate scenario couldn’t have occurred, should the Rivers State Government had changed the face of the road to make movement easier. That is what inspired this write-up. As a matter of fact, the NDDC, which headquarters are located in Port Harcourt is an intervention agency of the government. Its functions have given rise to its Commission status being raised to a full fledged ministry. The NDDC has the capacity to maintain that stretch of the road for easy accessibility till it is worked on, if drafted by the Rivers State Government to do the job.

 HIGH POINT

Therefore, ignoring every avenue opened to the Rivers State Government to maintain that portion of the road is what Godswill Akpabio wouldn’t have done. I raise my thumb up for the people-minded governor of Akwa Ibom State. Governor Akpabio has no rival in contemporary states of South-South of Nigeria . His feelings about such poor state of the East-West road wouldn’t allow him to sleep. I can still remember how the Itam-Ekom Iman road was, before his coming. I am seeing Akpabio’s fingers along Uyo-Ikot Ekpene Road . These roads are federal government roads. He is working them because he wants the best for his state. He is not wasting the state funds because these roads are meant to serve the people of his state and beyond. Federal roads are not exclusive preserves for federal citizens. We have no special people belonging to federal government alone. Indeed  Godswill Akpabio is the best among equals. After this time, the Akwa Ibom people will do well to raise his status to federal level to enable him give more to his people.

Having said thus, it is imperative to remind Godswill that as we cherish his efforts at fixing both urban and rural roads at Ikot Ekpene, Uyo, Essien Udim, Etim Ekpo, Ika and Abak, other local dilapidated roads are still yawning for his fixing. As a caring administrator, he should not ignore such roads as Obot Akara-Umuahia road, Okobo-Oron road, Ukanafun and Oruk Anam roads to mention a few. Godswill must remember that he made a pledge to the people of Essene in Ikot Abasi; during his thank you tour to the people in 2007. Good enough his pledge was gazetted  for execution in 2010 after the State’s Assembly had given its approval to the budget that contained the Essene project. As the Essene road is no longer passable, the people are still hanging unto his pledge with hope. As a promise keeper, His Excellency should allow God’s will to be done on the Essene rural roads.

In Uyo metropolis, the old Ring Road/Peter Uboh street is still gasping for repairs. It would give an easy link to the city. The people will be grateful to see IBB by-pass linked smoothly with the Jubilee School Road . This dirty by-pass is directly opposite the Ibom Hall. His Excellency should not altogether forget Ikot Ntuen-Ikot Akpan Abia Road, directly opposite the Teaching Hospital. Indeed, the whole of Nsit Ibom roads are regrettably bad. From Ikot Akpan Abia-Obo Attai where the NDDC Housing Estate is cited there is no single road that leads to the estate. The Estate there would ease off accommodation problem if the road is worked.

In Ibiono Ibom, the able governor should remember to link Ikot Akpan Obong with Afaha Itiat, and also Uyo Itam-Aka Ididep on good road network. I cannot complete this write-up without pointing to Ituk Mbang-Ndon Ebom road in Uruan Local Government Area. They are impassable to the core. This road network will enhance transportation of food stuff from the hinterland to the urban area.  Governor Godswill Akpabio is known all over Nigeria for his pragmatic programmes, especially in the area of infrastructural provision. Let not the surface of these poor roads become a set back for him.