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2023: Deconstructing the Next Governor of Akwa Ibom State

Published

4 years ago

May 21, 2022

Eric

By Michael Effiong

We are just five months into the year but the fever of the 2023 elections is already enveloping and gripping every part of our polity. There is no doubt that there are mixed feelings among our citizenry regarding the performance of our federal and state governments, one thing is sure, however, like spilt milk, it will be impossible to get our past back but we have the chance to determine the look, feel and shape of our future by our action or inaction in the next couple of months.

Just like in a few other states, 2023 will be a defining moment in Akwa Ibom State because once again, there will be a transfer of power after an 8-year reign of an incumbent. Expect drama, hire wire politicking and more.

As expected, a few gladiators have indicated interest in occupying the Hilltop Mansion but what exactly should Akwa Ibom people be looking for in the man who will occupy such a high office?.

Before I am crucified by gender activists, I have used the word “man” here because as at the time of writing this, no woman has thrown her hat into the ring.

Being one of Nigeria’s oil-rich states, Akwa Ibom State is well positioned for greatness, but a lot of creative thinking and sacrifice is required to take it from where it is presently to where it should be.

The present Udom Emmanuel government has laid a strong foundation in infrastructure and investments, some of which may take years to bear fruits that is reason the people need a steady hand to steer the ship at this time.

It is my considered opinion that the next governor of Akwa Ibom should not be a dyed-in-the-wool politician. The state should not be left in the hands of the ex-this, ex-that class, those whose only claim to fame is holding public office for donkey years with little or nothing to show for it.

This is not the time to compensate anyone, it is not time to think of men who only discuss today, but a time to choose a visionary leader, the kind of leader that loves his people and is passionate about their welfare.

It is time to get the kind of kind of leader that we can trace his trajectory, not one with questionable wealth who throws handouts left, right and centre or one who is just desperate for power just for the sake of bearing the toga “Governor”.

The next governor of the Land of Promise must act as a corporate titan/CEO, someone with the ability to manage men and resources.

He should be someone who has shown the capacity, character and competence to run a successful business. Someone who understands the dynamics of profit and loss, someone who has built an enterprise from zero to its zenith.

Someone with a track record of performance, like it is said, you cannot give what you don’t have or as they say on the streets “if e didn’t dey, e didn’t dey”.

Why is it necessary for the next Governor to be private-sector driven? Everyone knows that the greatest problem in the world today is paucity of funds available to nations and by extension states.

A state governor who only knows how to spend and does not know how to create wealth is not a good fit in today’s world that has been hit by recession.

Apart from funds, anyone who has run a business before, will know what it is to be innovative and would have developed the penchant for adapting to new realities.

Again, anyone who has ran a business will know the pains and needs of SMEs-who are the major drivers of any economy.

What the state needs is the kind of leader highlighted by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President & Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, one who is able to crystalize his vision, define its objectives, navigate its development and supervise its implementation.

He should have clearly defined ideas for agriculture, tourism and hospitality, rural development, health care and education. He should have a plan for the elderly and women.

The best man for the job should be one who envisions an Akwa Ibom beyond oil. He should be the man who has been outlining his ideas, and not the one who has been grandstanding on the soap box.

I am not a fan of abandoned projects. It is therefore good that there should be some form of continuity in vision. After all, it is a common saying that government is a continuum.

Nothing exemplifies the truism of continuity than the birth of Ibom Air. Governor Udom Emmanuel did not build the Victor Attah International Airport. What he did was to improve on it and then expand the use of the facility by creating an airline.

Each time I board the airline, I cannot help but commend governor Emmanuel and the team that dreamt and executed this project. Apart from its excellent corporate culture and efficiency, this is one government investment that is a job-creating machine.

The other day, I was having an argument with a friend who said the airline was a misadventure.

I knew immediately that this was sour grapes and I took time to highlight what such an enterprise means for the state.

Apart from creating easy access for investors and tourists, today, it flies to six destinations.

Now check this out. At all its destinations, it will have ticketing officers, people at the check-in counters, ground staff from cargo handlers, cleaners to engineers, it will have a full compliment of crew for shifts, it will serve refreshments which means that producers of bottled water, beverages and bites will have an outlet for their products. Imagine this kind of multiplier effect from just one business. That certainly is no misplaced priority?

Another area that Mr. Emmanuel should receive kudos is his decision to have a data base for all farmers. I am told that at the touch of a button, you can find out specific details and number of maize, poultry, cassava farmers e.t.c in the state.

That is not all, he midwifed the Akwa Ibom Geographical Information System (AkwaGIS), which will enable the state manage her land in an organized and digitalized manner.

We all know that data is king, without the right data, proper planning becomes like groping in the dark. In deed, these two projects show the forward-thinking nature of the present governor and it is therefore necessary for someone who shares this kind of vision to continue in 2023.

Furthermore, His Eminence, Dr. Sunday Mbang, an Akwa Ibom indigene, had once said that the next governor of Akwa Ibom should not be a cultist or someone who is associated with violence, I totally agree with him. He must be a man of proven integrity with impeccable character. Not one who has an EFCC case hanging over his neck or one who has been running in and out of court rooms over past misdeeds.

In addition, the next governor must dare to thread where others dread. He should be the kind of man who is not afraid to have his hands dirty.

He should be dogged, tenacious, courageous and resilient yet humble and amiable. He should be open-minded and be able to to bring the best and the brightest stars together for the common good of the state. I therefore, call on the people of Akwa Ibom to take this points to heart as they head to the primaries and eventually to the polls to choose their next Chief Executive.

Effiong, a journalist writes from Lagos

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CAN Tackles Shariah Council Over Call to Remove INEC Chair Amupitan

Published

2 days ago

January 30, 2026

Eric

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has rejected the call by the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) seeking the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan.

The Shari’ah Council, earlier this week, demanded the immediate removal and prosecution of Amupitan, as members of the Council questioned his integrity over a legal brief in which he reportedly acknowledged claims of persecution constituting genocide of Christians in Nigeria.

Reacting to the development in a statement on Thursday, the Chairman of Northern CAN, Reverend Joseph John Hayab, and the Secretary General of Northern CAN, Bishop Mohammed Naga, questioned the motive behind the demand, asking who was sponsoring the call and why such interests are hiding behind the platform of a religious body.

Describing the call as a dangerous attempt to politicise religion and undermine a critical national institution, Hayab stressed that Professor Amupitan has a constitutional right to freedom of religion, adding that expressing concern over challenges faced by his religion does not amount to bias or disqualification from public service.

He also pointed out that many Muslims who had served in key government positions in the past had troubling religious antecedents, yet were not subjected to similar scrutiny, urging national actors to prioritise competence and national interest over sectarian sentiment.

Hayab, who warned that the controversy further reinforces concerns about persistent religious discrimination against Christians in Nigeria, particularly in appointments to sensitive national offices, recalled that the two immediate past INEC chairmen were Muslims from Northern Nigeria, and warned against narratives suggesting that only adherents of a particular religion are qualified to lead the electoral body.

“Anyone hiding under the guise of the Shari’ah Council to demand the removal of the INEC chairman over political or sectarian interests should come out boldly. Otherwise, the ploy has died naturally, he said.

“”Are they saying that no other religion should serve as INEC chairman except Muslims? The most important question Nigerians should ask is whether Professor Amupitan is competent or not.

That should be the focus, not his faith,” the statement added.

The association commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it described as a deliberate effort to promote national unity by appointing a Christian as INEC Chairman, despite being a Muslim.

It noted that the decision reflected statesmanship and inclusivity, similar to precedents set under the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, who kept a northern Muslim as INEC Chairman against all odds.

The Christian leaders advise the Shari’ah Council to publicly identify any individual or group behind the campaign against the INEC chairman, insisting that religious platforms must not be used as “cheap cover” to pursue political interests or intimidate public officials.They, however, called on the INEC chairman not to be distracted by the controversy, urging him to remain focused on his constitutional responsibility of conducting free, fair and credible elections.

“He should concentrate on doing the right thing for Nigerians and not behave like others who openly manipulated elections in the past and now seek to remain relevant through religious blackmail,” the statement said.

Northern CAN also raised concerns about what it described as emerging signals of a coordinated political agenda ahead of the 2027 general election, citing recent comments by the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, who warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) risks electoral defeat if it drops a Northern Muslim-Muslim ticket from President Bola Tinubu’s re-election ticket.

According to the association, such statements, when viewed alongside the sustained attacks on a Christian INEC chairman, raise legitimate questions about whether there is a deliberate effort to undermine Christian participation and confidence in the country’s political process.

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Sit-at-Home: Soludo Threatens Anambra Traders with Forfeiture of Shops

Published

3 days ago

January 29, 2026

Eric

Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has escalated the enforcement of his earlier directive to traders at Onitsha Main Market, warning that shops of defiant traders will be forcibly closed if they continue ignoring government orders to open for business on Mondays.

The development follows Soludo’s initial announcement on Monday, when he ordered a one-week closure of the market over traders’ persistent defiance of the state’s anti-Monday sit-at-home directive.

Addressing the situation during an on-the-spot inspection of the market this afternoon, the governor said past efforts to persuade traders had failed, and the government is now moving to a more assertive approach.

“If you deny 20% of workdays in a year, you are undermining our prosperity, job creation, and the economy. In 2022 and 2023, we fought it. In 2024 and 2025, we pleaded. But in 2026, we are shifting to gear 4, no backing down. Anyone who closes their shop, we will help them close it for one week. From next week, if they refuse to open by Monday, I will shut down the market and take over some of them,” Soludo declared.

He described traders’ repeated Monday closures as deliberate economic sabotage, stressing that the closure ordered on Monday was a protective measure for law-abiding citizens.

Security personnel, including the police, army, and other agencies, have been deployed to enforce the closure and maintain order. Soludo warned that non-compliant traders after the one-week shutdown risk a longer closure of up to one month.

The measure is part of the state government’s ongoing effort to end Monday sit-at-home practices, which have continuously disrupted economic activities across the South-East.

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ADC Appoints Oyegun, Utomi, Bugaje, Others into 50-Man Manifesto Committee

Published

3 days ago

January 29, 2026

Eric

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday constituted a ”50-Member Wise Men and Women Policy and Manifesto Committee” chaired by Odigie Oyegun.

Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s national publicity secretary, in a statement, said the constitution of the Policy and Manifesto Committee, followed the approval by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, led by David Mark.

The party revealed that this is in line with the party’s commitment to building a credible, people-centred, and forward-looking policy framework for national governance.

The party had earlier constituted the Committees to review membership register and draft a new Constitution for the party

According to the statement, “The Policy and Manifesto Committee brings together a distinguished group of Nigerians drawn from diverse backgrounds, including former public office holders, academics, technocrats, policy experts, civil society leaders, and professionals.