Education is the bedrock of social and economic development in any society or nation. It is only through education that most of the social evils can be eradicated.
According to Lord Brougham, “education makes a people easy to lead but difficult to drive, easy to govern but impossible to enslave”. It was on realization of this great importance of education in the quest for effective and efficient leadership in the state that the state governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio on May 29th2007 in his inaugural speech stated this, “my beloved people of Akwa Ibom State, our mandate is a torch which shall illuminate the path of development through educational empowerment, social justice and infrastructural renaissance”.
Few months after his assumption into office, the Governor declared total free and compulsory education in Akwa Ibom state from Primary to Secondary school level, though the former governor, Obong Victor Attah had done something similar previously.
Today the fruit of that action isthe massive awareness and educational advancement of Akwa Ibom people which has transformed children from ‘house-helps’ to managers with sound education and good command of English. Akwa Ibom children can now compete favourably with others around the world which before now was almost impossible.
To sustain this uncommon educational attainment and even move it higher, Akwa Ibom people must consider this factor in the 2015 succession plan, and should look for a person with the same zeal and passion for education like Governor Akpabio, which is Udom Emmanuel
Leadership is progressive and not retrogressive, our standard of education and awareness must be higher than what it was yesterday, and should move from secondary to higher institutions. It is a true saying that if our fathers aimed at the star, we should aim at the moon; if they aimed at the moon, then we should aim at the sun.
To complement and add innovations to the educational strides of the governor, the Secretary to State Government has vowed that it will be forward ever and backward never. In him the lord will complete what he has started in Godswill Akpabio.
One of the key areas in the sustainable uncommon transformation agenda of Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel is the education and employment sector. The SSG has set his administration plans in motion to bring quality into the educational sector of the state in-line with his transformation drive that will sweep the entire state and touch all areas of human endeavour as well as put smiles on the faces of Akwa Ibom people.
Udom Emmanuel is a man of quality, educationally conscious and politically aware of the many road-blocks that has hampered the attainment of quality education by Akwa Ibom children, hence his determination to increase the tempo of education and extend the free education beyond secondary level with a lot of innovations. Udom Emmanuel’s administration will not just focus on ordinary education but technical and vocational educations will be greatly encouraged and given a boost.
As a private businessman, Mr Udom Emmanuel before the advent of the free and compulsory education in Akwa Ibom state, has trained thousands of now graduates in his Local Government Area and the state at large. For many years now he has been running a free scholarship programme to assist the less-privileged children. When it comes to educational matters, Udom will spare no resources in making sure that the students are properly taking care of.
His educational generosity knows no bound as he tries as much as his resources will allow him to support and encourage all forms of education ranging from technical, vocational, academic, advanced studies, and many others as far as education is concerned. He has contributed immensely to the educational advancement of Akwa Ibom people, truly he stands tall as a hero and commander of education in Akwa Ibom state and beyond.
The Akwa Ibom community in Lagos puts it this way, “ Mr Udom Emmanuel has done more than any other person for the educational development of our children, he is a very generous man when it comes to issues of education and giving helping hands.Forthose of us who could not pay our children’s school fees, he has been there for us; acting as a father, a husband to the widows and whoever knocks on his door for help. He takes care of our children as if they were his biological children without any discrimination, he is so devoted and committed in church activities, and gives generously to all not minding where the person comes from. He sees everybody as his own and carries everybody along”.
With Udom Gabriel Emmanuel on the saddle as governor, Akwa Ibom Students will sing a new song. He has centred his administration plans on education and job creation through human capital development. The students will form the nucleus of his administration as he plans for free education in higher institutions. This is indeed the golden opportunity students have been waiting for in their quest for educational pursuit and should therefore, rally round Udom Emmanuel in his governorship ambition.
Little wonder the State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio did not just search for a successor, but a man that will be able to sustain and improve on the current free and compulsory education in the state, and even move it beyond what the present administration have done. It is not out of place that the governor has beamed his search light deep and discovered Udom Emmanuel who is a core believer in education shown by his massive investment in the sector as a private person.
The governor knows that among all those he has worked with, it is only Udom Emmanuel that has the same educational passion like himself, and can make the needed sacrifices that will sustain the free and compulsory education in the state and move it from where it is now to where it supposed to be. As a visionary leader, the governor looks beyond today to the future of the state after 2015. In his succession plan, he had to consider a man that will be able to uphold his tenets of developments and manifest his educational dreams in Akwa Ibom state.
Everywhere around the world, succession plans are usually challenging and tempting. However, the incumbent takes two things into cognisance; it is either the successor continues in living the dreams of his/her ancestor, or abandons it for his/her own pursuits to the detriment of the people. Education and infrastructural development are the most outstanding achievements of the present administration and the governor is so passionate about the sustainability of these noble achievements after his exit from office come 2015.
As an education-friendly citizen, the Secretary to State Government is very committed and passionate about sustaining the educational tempo in the state. He has before now demonstrated this commitment through his massive educational empowerments and will do more when he emerges Governor. He has been harping on the need for Akwa Ibom people to prepare themselves educationally to enable them take charge and benefit from the industrialization projects that will emerge from 2015.
His vision and dreams for the state is to see every Akwa Ibom child given an equal opportunity to access and obtain education as much as he/she desires and coming out to be gainfully employed in the companies that will be scattered around the state through his massive industrialization programme.
Udom is seriously disturbed by the current trend in the state and country at large where people graduates from Higher Institutions to roam the streets in search of employment. He believes that employment of the idle youths will drastically reduce the rate of criminalities in the society. This opportunity must not pass us by as he intends to bring a lot of industries to the state through Public Private Partnership arrangement, we must as a people, think right and leave political sentiments and selfish interest few politicians when considering who will be the governor of Akwa Ibom state come 2015. We need a Governor that will at least attract a petrochemical industry to the state, which is very sure and certain with Udom Gabriel Emmanuel on the throne.
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