Udom Emmanuel: Better than the Best

By Aniekeme Finbarr 

The seeming inability of the voting public to strike a fine chord between politics and leadership has been one of the greatest impediments to growth in Nigeria. There is an apparent predetermined mindset as to who should vie for a public office or be appointed to occupy a position of serious political relevance. Most persons think it should be the exclusive preserve of politicians and by politicians I mean people who do close to nothing else than play politics. Quality leadership in climes like ours has continued to deteriorate faster than potatoes in an airtight bag. Those age-long, fundamental and hallowed traits in leaders have become so rare, scarce and in most cases completely extinct. 

It is therefore ironic when the same citizenry decry the decay in leadership ethos, the ineptitude of career politicians and the near absence of visible and sustainable development in the country. Albert Einstein, US (German-born) physicist calls it Insanity-doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

Akwa Ibom people are rising daily to seal a nexus between credible leadership and politics. The people are intelligent enough to decipher who is a good political leader and who is not. A politician's qualities are his characters that are natural, while some of the qualities are as a result of external influences. Promising politicians' qualities are often backed by skills, experiences, intelligence, integrity, with instincts - all combined together to achieve their goals. 

First and foremost, the best quality of a politician and good leader is honesty, God fearing and loving. A faithful and effective politician is trustworthy and reliable. He captures the essence of truth, display sincerity, candour and practices what he preaches. He makes decisions and accepts responsibility for his actions and his words. The same is true in his dealing with his people. He makes promises and keeps those promises. Somebody that people may be relied upon. Loving people with all his heart, might, mind. soul and striving to help them as a true mark of a responsible politician. 
Another important quality of a good politician is integrity and technical skills to handle those challenging assignments, fiscal matters, policies, plans, projects, ideas and initiative solutions to problems. This is where Udom Emmanuel has the edge. Integrity is consistency of actions, methods, measures, values, principles, expectations and outcomes. It is doing what is right, both legally and morally at all time even when no one is looking. Since politicians play very significant roles in the administrative processes, especially having hands in thousands of important laws and policies to their communities and country, they should like Udom Emmanuel be well-educated, modest, with experience in social welfare, volunteering or should have done some good work for the society. A politician should have a thorough knowledge and up-to-date information about the state he is going to contest an election. 

Sir Winston Churchill, a famous British politician who served as Prime Minister twice (1940-45) and (1951-55) once said that “a politician must have the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen”. Hence, a political career is meant for the people of high integrity and additional skills to achieve results and finding better ways of making life better for the people they represent. The Office of Governor of Akwa Ibom State is an exaulted seat with tremendous expectations. It is not meant for area fathers, thugs, assassins, criminals, illiterates’ god-fathers, inept, dubious and corrupt politicians. Akwa Ibom cannot afford to suffer such a tragedy. Such politicians apart from being greedy don't know the importance of education and can never invest properly on it. Good governance, transparency and accountability will elude us if these above mentioned set of people find themselves in the corridor of power. 

Udom Emmanuel is the quintessential leader. A man of vision and foresight, who knows we cannot rely wholly on the federal government allocation. He knows we must expand our revenue base by improving our Internally Generated Revenue sources. 
Nothing prevents us as a State government to expand our economy and engage in international trade, with the Ibaka seaport in view. Udom Emmanuel knows our businessmen and women must be encouraged and assisted to be export conscious and export competitive. With his strong experience in financing, he will redirect our tax policies to spur industrialization and the rehabilitation and modernization of existing industries–then make our wage and price gains consistent with productivity to hold the line on prices. 

Mr Emmanuel as a loyal servant in the Akpabio administration has displayed rare humility in first accepting the appointment to become SSG without blinking, as risky as the idea sounds. And on the job, early testimonies have emerged of his calm and open disposition to learn and lead. The doors to his office and home have remained open to lofty ideas, brilliant concepts. suggestions and criticisms from every angle of the populace. Everyone who has come in contact with him has had cause to testify to his listening disposition and penchant to offer help and assistance with an infectious smile. He exerts a rare sense of dedication, commitment and even benevolence aimed at crystallizing the principal policy goals of the Dr. Godswill Akpabio. 

I see in Mr Udom Emmanuel one who will tap into and utilize the people's strong-minded spirit of enterprise, industry, commerce and community. A man who, with his experience and contacts, enter into Public Private Partnerships (PPP) with both foreign and local investors to achieve economic growth objectives. And as a man with firm roots, he will partner with local councils as well as investors to assist the development of markets. The next drive has to be industrialization and it requires planning and strategy, a proper drive for industrialization will ensure that the problems of insecurity, unemployment and  education are solved. When there is a plan to develop industries, there will be the need to employ people, a situation that mandates proper training of youths with the appropriate skills to be employed and be less interested in crime, thereby helping to reduce the insecurity in the state. Here is a man favoured by God, zoning and the people. 


If Akwa Ibom people share in this dream, the Udom Emmanuel Dream, our factories can be revived and our farms can increase their production and sales to the richest, fastest-growing market of Asia, North America and Europe. Our exports will increase. 
Our debts will be serviced and budget deficits reduced; we would have forged across the Atlantic, in Europe and in Asia a trading partnership with markets that have a vast appetite for our resources. This can help sustain the economic growth of our State for generations to come. Akwa Ibom State cannot succumb to persons who have no blueprints for the state. The consequences are unthinkable economically. If we hang back in deference to local economic pressures and rely solely on Federal allocations and a marginal IGR, our capital budget will continue to be funded through increased borrowing. Our Industries–and I believe this is most vital—our industries will move their plants and jobs and capital inside the walls of Markets and territories with strong consumer spending, and jobs, therefore, will be lost here in Akwa Ibom if they cannot otherwise be sustained by a vibrant State economy. Worst still, our debt position will worsen. Our consumers will lack a wider choice of goods at lower prices. And thousands of potential jobs that depend on the sale or the transportation or the distribution of exports or imports, or jobs that can be created in an expanding economy will never be realized — these millions of potential workers in Akwa Ibom State will be the ultimate losers. Udom is the man for the future, simply better than the best.