By the time you would have finished flipping through the pages of this newspaper, Governor Godswill Akpabio would have finished executing one PDP assignment or the other. If the governor was not representing the vice president at the Ekiti PDP governorship campaign rally, he either would have returned from a trip with the president to Sokoto, Kano, or Katsina all in the name of PDP and love for his country.
Akpabio’s personality and mien mean different things to different persons, he was among the first set of persons to have openly declared support for President Jonathan’s second term bid in 2015. He is said to be the one-man drafting committee bankrolling the PDP. His one million naira lunch money to PDP Zonal executives almost sold him out as a reckless spender as his was media-hyped beyond proportion. The ambitious lawyer-turned politician has been through the waters and fires of political gossips and blackmails severally without being consumed. It is him that was rumoured to be behind the falls of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Ahmed Gulak, and the disintegration of the once powerful and influential governors’ forum of Nigeria. Today, Chief Godswil Akpabio-scion of the famous and revered Akpabio family in Essien Udim has towered as a political gladiator across the length and breadth of our country. He is perceived as one of the closet governors to President Jonathan. He has the ears of the President at will. He heads the finance committee of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP.
Akpabio has become the pot and the steward that cooks and serves PDP menu. When Boko Haram threatened to sell the abducted Chibok school girls, he was on hand to ‘buy’ them. He is not just working to see to the success of President Jonathan; he has gone a step further to preach peace and unity among the various ethnic groups in the country. In 2011, he mobilized 1,165, 629 Akwa Ibom votes for President Jonathan, making Akwa Ibom State one of greatest supporters of the President. Akpabio is PDP and PDP is Akpabio. The President has publicly acknowledged Akpabio’s closeness to the seat of power. He considers Akpabio as a trusted partner in the transformation agenda of his presidency. Severally, the President has applauded Akpabio’s development strides as supporting blocks to the transformation agenda.
As I woke up the other night, I was just thinking why Governor Akpabio was telling me why he is angry with the President. He told me so many stories up to the point he invited me to the dining table. On the dining table was a menu list of assorted foods, sparkling wines, desserts, fruits, appetizers, fresh fish soup, and different porridges on one side, on the flipside were, names of his possible successors in 2015, Goodluck for2015, zoning, PDP versus APC, recalcitrant opposition, commissioned projects, yet –to-be fulfilled campaign promises, senate 2015, political enemies, and food for thought. As I was about sitting down to some delicious and nutritious meals, I suddenly woke up, only to discover that it was a mere dream. Governor Akpabio’s administration is driven by competing impulses within his cabinet, his extended family, and external forces, on one side is his adamant desire to install his successor, and on the other side were Akpabio’s family members who want to entrench Akpabio dynasty in the state and his cabinet members who are on the wings angling to succeed him in 2015.
As I got to the bathroom, I kept thinking and pondering over some of the things the governor told me, and as my mind ran through the socio-economic and political landscape of our country, I discovered that the realities on ground were enough to get the governor angry and other well meaning Akwa Ibom people even much angry. For all that the governor has done for the PDP and for all he has been to President Jonathan, one would have expected that the cordial relationship would have yielded commensurate benefits to the people and government of Akwa Ibom State, but, unfortunately, the state and its people have been so lightly esteemed by the federal government in all areas of human and capital development.
Under the transformation agenda of the federal government, significant reforms have been recorded in the areas of education, power, agriculture, aviation, roads, sports, infrastructure and economy. As one of the states that voted massively for President Jonathan in 2011, Akwa Ibom should have benefitted in commensurate terms, as a leading oil producing state that has contributed to the quantum of our national revenues, and for all that Governor Akpabio has done for PDP and the Presidency, one would have expected large dividends of democracy in Akwa Ibom State. Under the present transformation agenda of the federal government, so many roads and other strategic projects have been constructed across the country, among them include, Benin-Akure road, Benin-Okene road, Benin-Shagamu road, Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Abuja-Lokoja raod, Onitsha-Owerri road, Katsina ring road, Abuja-Abaji road, Lokoja-Benin road, 3rd mainland bridge, Zaria-Funtua road, Ibadan-Ilorin road, Enugu-Onitsha road, Kano-Maiduguri road, Gombe-Potiskum road, Apapa-Oshodi expressway, River Benue bridge, Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Kaura-Namoda rail line project, Benin-Auchi road, unfortunately, none of these roads cuts across any part of Akwa Ibom state.
More worrisome also was the fact that the enormous state resources used by the state government in the construction and reconstruction of federal roads in the state were yet to be refunded by the federal government. The nation’s premier maritime training institution in Oron was yet to be accorded a degree awarding status, the University of Uyo was yet to receive its take off grant by the federal government years after academic activities had commenced, no Akwa Ibom indigene has been appointed a presidential aide. The proposed federal polytechnic in Ibiono Ibom was yet to commence academic activities. The sad era of Obasanjo presidency where for eight years, all the state could benefit from the federal government was a N600miilion road rehabilitation, seem to be here again, the Ikot-Ekpene-Itu-Calabar highway has been deteriorating for more than a decade without any attention from the federal government, Ikot-Ekpene-Umuahia road has become a death trap, Ekparawa-Iwukem-Azumini road has been abandoned months after the Niger Delta Affairs ministry awarded its contract to a Chinese firm CCECC, Eket-Oron road has not witnessed any significant improvement since it was awarded to Gitto. With all its oil and gas resources, the state was yet to have a refinery, not even an oil depot has been built by the federal government. With its longest coastal line in the country, the state was yet to have a seaport, not even a rail line has been extended to the state.
But how come Edo State, a non PDP state that gave President Jonathan 542, 173 votes has benefitted so much from the Jonathan presidency? The governor of Edo state has been among the strongest critics of the president, yet the state has benefitted immensely from the Jonathan administration. Just take a look, the immediate past chief of staff to the president, Mike Oghiadohme hails from Edo state, the works minister, Mike Onolememe also hails from Edo State, the BoT Chairman of PDP hails from Edo state, most of the federal roads in that state have undergone massive rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Delta state governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan cannot be said to be a very close ally of the President, but how was he able to attract such mega and strategic projects from the federal government? Delta State gave President Jonathan, 1,368, 851 votes in 2011. Uduaghan has been able to attract a federal university of petroleum technology, an oil and gas processing facility and the recent ship dockyard ground breaking event and the flagged off of a maritime university in Warri South local government area.
Yes, governor Akpabio and indeed the Akwa Ibom people have genuine reasons to be angry with President Jonathan, for all the support they have given to the president, they were yet to be rewarded. So, where then is the much talked about power and influence of Governor Akpabio in the national polity? Or could it be that Akpabio was being ‘hanky-panky’ by the Presidency? For all that Governor Akpabio has done to support PDP and the government at the national level; he should be rewarded with federal projects.
Governor Akpabio has not hidden his perceived closeness with the presidential villa, at one of his usual interactions with press men in his office; he was quoted to have said that he was not that kind of a governor that would use eight years to fight the president without bringing back anything for the people. While Akwa Ibom people await the benefits from the close and cordial relationship between Aso rock and the Hiltop mansion, the state government should reconsider and re-strategize its engagement with the federal governmrnt. The era of pretending that ‘ke Akwa Ibom ado ok’, should be deleted from our psyche, because in the present federal structure, every state needs the active collaboration and corroboration of the federal government, Akwa Ibom State cannot be an exception. But, if for all the much touted influence the governor has in Abuja, he cannot broker enough power that will earn the people of the state tangible benefits, then the governor’s anger was well justified, but, he should watch his steps, may be, Aso rock was yet to see loyalty in his power and politics. Could it be that there was some kind of conspiracy against the governor, and by extension the Akwa Ibom people? I am just thinking!
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