Honourable Commissioner, many people who will get to read this interview may not know you too well. So before we proceed, give us a brief rundown of your person and profile?
My name is Prince Enobong Uwah. I am from Atan Offot in Uyo Local Government Area. I was born to Chief and Deaconess Emmanuel T. Uwah and brought up under strict Christian faith. I hold a Masters Degree in Public Administration. Between 1999 – 1994, I taught in secondary schools, I have worked with National Poverty Eradication Programme, NAPEP between 2001 – 2006 and i’ve also worked in the private sector as Head/ Planning and Strategy with Petro Consults LTD, in Lagos between 1995- 1997. I was the Pioneer President of Atan Offot Youth Forum, I was Nigeria’s representative to Commonwealth Youth Convention, one time Chairman, Uyo Local Government Youth Council and former Deputy National President, National Youth Council of Nigeria. In 2007 when His Excellency, Chief Dr Godswill Obot Akpabio come into office as Governor of Akwa Ibom State, he graciously appointed me his Senior Special Assistant on Protocol, Abuja Liason Office, and i went on to serve as Dean, College of Aides to the Governor and in 2011, when he was elected overwhelmingly by our people for a second term, it pleased God and the Governor, to appoint me Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, so here we are, serving to help interpret the governor’s excellent vision and peculiar programmes for the uncommon transformation of Akwa Ibom State.
Can you now recall some of the major achievements recorded by your ministry in the last 2 years or so?
There are so many, but the most remarkable is the Green Brigade, a brain child of Her Excellency Chief Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, which became the defining agent in rebranding the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources.
Before I came into office, the Ministry just existed as one of those in the bureaucracy, but we turned it around by the grace of God to a ministry that is on every lip and one of the key ministries driving Governor Akpabio’s uncommon transformation agenda.
Within my first month in office, we launched a two week intervention cleanup campaign in the state capital which was in a lamentable state of decay environmentally. We deployed waste compactors, steel receptacles across strategic disposal areas in the state and energized the system for effective waste management collection and disposal. This was a kind of first aid measure, before the major operation to restore our environment to being beautiful and habitable. On the 11th of December 2011, Her Excellency, Unoma Akpabio launched the Green Brigade, with a workforce of 2000 women and youths recruited to perform the services of waste collection and disposal, cleaning and desilting of drains and gutters, litter and vegetation control and daily sweeping of roads and streets in the capital city. They were all given tools including uniforms, personnel protection equipments, such as gloves, mouth and nose masks, boots, coveralls etc. It made me happy that, by this arrangement, the First Lady helped reposition the Ministry with this special outfit and above all, created a source of livelihood for all those who were recruited into the scheme. For this i am always proud and grateful for that legacy, as it empowers the people and gives them impetus to sustain the environmental sanitation agenda.
Beyond the Green Brigade and its massive operations for which i commend them and thank them so much on behalf of the First Lady and the governor who has stood solidly behind the scheme, we also embarked on erosion control at Eka Street, where the gully was threatening residents and the road, the gully at Dominic Utuk Avenue was addressed effectively as Governor Akpabio gave them urgent considerations, and the persistent flooding which made Uruan Street, Obio Imo and Oron Road intersection impassable and a nightmare for road users and residents. This has become a thing of the past and Uruan Street itself is almost completely ready for use again by our people.
We have reinforced our sanitary inspectorate unit and the Enforcement teams, prosecuted apprehended offenders who break environmental rules and generally ensured timely intervention in flood management control and waste disposal, we still have some problems with flood, but the Ministry is unrelenting in its massive operation of desilting all drains and gutters in the city, some of which have never been desilted since they were constructed, which leads to blockages and consequently, overflow of water which causes flooding. We have gone far with this around major streets, roads, avenues etc and many more are ongoing as we speak. I can assure you, we will leave no stone unturned in doing this. The problem of flood and landslides in some poarts of the State actually need Federal Government intervention as the State can only take remedial measures to handle them.
We have only heard of the environment, how about Mineral Resources which is also under you purview?
Oh that’s a good one. We have firm grip of that area too. I was coming to it. You can see that Akwa Ibom State remains the most peaceful state in the country where oil exploration activities, quarrying and other operations in the Mineral Resources sector are ongoing. I must also give kudos to our leader the state governor, H.E. Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio CON, whose policy thrust of making the state a choice destination has created a conducive atmosphere for investors to operate. For instance, on the 11th of November, I was at Uquo Gas Plant at Esit Eket with the council chairman Hon Ibanga Etang for inspection of the facility there. I am proud to tell you that we have a state of the art Gas Plant second to none in the African Continent right here in Esit Eket which is ready for commissioning with world class up to date technology. We have worked well with the various companies operating here including seven Energy, Septa, Frontier, Exxon Mobil, Total ExP and others. We have collaborated effectively with all oil companies operating in the state to craft memorandums of understanding, MOU’s, between them and their host communities for every year, and they have been wonderful in their corporate social responsibilities by keeping faith with the letters and the spirit of the MOU’s. There may be few areas of difficulty, but we are collectively working on their and given the disposition of the Governor who has the interest of the people at heart, pending issues will be amicably resolved and the sector will kick. With the ministry monitoring effectively, scholarships, skill acquisitions, and projects outlined in the MOU’s are ongoing. We doing well in that area too, and i give kudos to all the major players who have cooperated with the ministry to make this happen.
Recently, there was controversy between your ministry and the Waste Management Board, what is the state of affairs now?
I am not aware of any such controversy between the two. If it exists, I’m sorry to say it is a fiction created by the media. We are all one unit, effectively working for the uncommon transformation agenda. In other words, it is one family. The uncommon transformation family. There is no controversy whatsoever. Our duty as a ministry is to assist and collaborate with the Board to achieve the vision of Governor Akpabio?
What can you say about Akwa Ibom at 26?
God is truly great. I lack words to express how I feel inside of me, whenever i am asked this question especially outside the state and the country. But, suffice it to say that i feel a sense of exceptional pride I belong here. If we compare Akwa Ibom to states that were created alongside the state on September 23, 1987, we have gone too far ahead. We have even overtaken states that were created before now. It’s all thanks to the leadership our state has been blessed with. Particularly, let me limit it to this one I am blessed and privileged to serve with and be part of Governor Godswill Akpabio has done exceedingly well. The international community, Nigeria as a whole, and the good people of this state has acknowledged the unprecedented revolution and renaissance this wonder working governor has wrought on this state. Let me limit my glowing tribute to the catchphrase we all know. It’s a dumbfounding uncommon transformation all the way since May 29 2007 and 2015 when he ends this tenure, the state will never be the same again. It is my prayer that God gives us another man who will either surpass him or be like him, but God forbid, not one who will fall beneath him. Governor Akpabio has raised the bar of governance to unimaginable heights.
That takes us straight to the next questions. What is your view of the 2015 succession plan?
Hear me and hear me well. My desire is to have a man who will be like my Governor. That said, I respect leadership and authority. It is my conviction that, as the one who has been there for this number of years, Governor Akpabio is best positioned to show the direction to go come 2015. In our culture, we have an adage which says, abiyo iso idim enye omono idim, meaning he who leads the way in the river is the one who can tell the depth. I am irrevocably committed to following the direction of the Governor for the succession project of 2015.
Is that not blind loyalty. Don’t you have an opinion of your own?
Blind loyalty or not, call it what you like. For me, that is even a compliment. You said I don’t have an opinion, but I just told you my opinion. My position is, Governor Akpabio is best placed to give direction and I say that with every sense of modesty and sincerity. Look, I have worked closely with this man for all of six years and counting. If there is anything I can vouch for, it is his unrivalled passion for this people. His deep patriotism, his large heart, his goodness. His total dedication and absolute commitment to the Akwa Ibom dream. To whom should I then go, when I know that, from this kind man, only the very best will be his prayer for Akwa Ibom State? I stand on this truth with every ounce of conviction and persuasion in me.
So do you support the zoning of the governorship to Eket Senatorial District?
That question is uncalled for. I have told you my position already. If the Governor has made an open declaration that power should shift to Eket Senatorial District, then that is the stand of Enobong Uwah. Quote me. Even if i had a contrary view, my sense of loyalty makes it imperative to subsume my interest in that of the Governor for the general wellbeing and common good of the state.
The governor it is feared wants to impose a candidate on the people. What is your take on this?
Who told you that? Has the governor ever said so. The Akpabio that I know and serve will not impose any governor on the people. He has said time and again, that God will guide the Akwa Ibom people to elect a good man to lead them in 2015. Why people say he will impose someone is because, he is rightly interested in who succeeds him and for god’s sake, that is no crime. Who wouldn’t? Every good citizen is interested in who succeed Governor Akpabio after such seven star performance. Market women, youths, elders, partymen, everyone is involved so why do you run the governor down for also showing interest in his eventual successor. Please let’s leave parachial sentiments and be realistic.
What is your ambition come 2015?
The future is in the hands of God. For now, my brief is to serve as Commissioner for Environment, and I am focused on that. When my boss, the Governor deems it fit to release me, he will and as I said I will follow his direction.
You founded and lead a group Uyo Senatorial District Progressives Initiative USPI. What is your driving motive, and what do you say to critics who claim you lack the capacity to convene a stakeholders meeting of Uyo Senatorial District?
Simple! The USPI is committed to supporting the state Governor, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio to produce a credible and worthy successor come 2015. As for the issue of capacity to convene a meeting of Uyo Senatorial District, I wonder what you mean. We successfully convened it and the communiqué released at the end of the meeting. So? As for those who say I lack the capacity, I don’t know what they mean. If I had the capacity to represent Nigerian youths in many international fora, then I don’t know why I lack capacity to speak on issues limited to my state or senatorial District. Who is a stakeholder? How do you define a stakeholder and what are the parameters which I fall short of. I am a full born Akwa Ibom son. I am from Uyo in Uyo Senatorial District. By the special grace of God, I sit as a privileged member of the cabinet which collectively takes decisions that affect Akwa Ibom State, and I am a steward of the governor who is serving this state with my colleagues in the State Executive Council and I am a member of PDP and you say in not a stakeholder? That means your dictionary is from planet Mars and not applicable here. We are all stakeholders in the Akwa Ibom project and even Nigeria. The simple thing is, your stake may be different from mine and I grant you that right. In USPI, we are totally loyal to the Governor and will support him all the way to the very end. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment