The stage is set for OBA to win Uyo senate race

BY ETORO-OBONG INYANG

With the 2015 electoral cam paigns in their crucial stages, one senatorial district that would attract particular interest of the people of Akwa Ibom is the Akwa Ibom North East (Uyo) senatorial district because of the involvement of Obong Bassey Albert popularly called OBA.  

In the last one month, he has been campaigning across the nine local government areas that make up the senatorial district, moving from ward-to-ward, and door-to-door to woo the electorate to vote for him. From all indications, the stage is set for OBA to emerge as the senator for the area given his popularity and acceptability among the people of the district.

It is based on his popularity and acceptability that the people of Ibesikpo-Asutan, Ibiono Ibom, Itu, Etinan, Nsit Attai, Nsit Ibom, Nsit Ubium, Uruan, and Uyo local government areas have unanimously agreed to queue behind his senatorial ambition. It was for this reason that OBA won with overwhelming and convincing majority of votes at the primary elections of the Peoples Democratic Party. 

Since the commencement of campaigns, Obong Bassey Albert has received repeated assurances from the people of district on their willingness to elect him as their senator. It must be stressed that the banker-turned politician is set to win the seat, but, not on a platter of gold, rather his massive support is predicated on his antecedent, having left remarkable imprints in the development of Akwa Ibom State when he served as finance commissioner.
While he served as finance commissioner, Obong Bassey Albert was a vibrant, committed and resourceful member of the state executive council. He coordinated and supervised the execution and implementation of inter- ministerial direct labour projects which saw the spread of development projects across the length and breadth of the state. 

He is an economist and also holds an MBA degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. A banker with two decades of banking and management experience, at the time he was invited by the Akpabio administration to serve as a commissioner, OBA had risen to the position of Vice-President, South-South region of First City Monument Bank, FCMB Plc.  

 He managed the Ministry of Finance with a feat yet to be surpassed. Through his ingenuity and innovation, Akwa Ibom State ministry of finance was reengineered for profitability, greater efficiency, and higher productivity. Under him, staffs of the ministry were motivated through various training programmes and capacity building in ICT, revenue collection techniques and taxation principles. He also ensured the full automation of operations of the ministry which went a long way to tracking revenues accruing to the state, thus minimizing leakages in government revenues.  

 As the finance commissioner, OBA served as the chairman, Akwa Ibom State Joint Derivation Committee. He was a member of the Akwa Ibom State Finance and General Purpose Committee, FGPC. He was the chairman, Akwa Ibom State Micro Credit Committee and chairman, Akwa Ibom State Inter-Ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee. As the chairman of the state Inter Ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee, OBA ensured that Governor Akpabio’s vision of bridging the development gap between urban centres and rural communities was vigorously pursued.
 His closeness to the grassroots stands him out as the man for the senate job.

  He is a philanthropist and a man who empathizes with the plight of the people.

 OBA deserves the senate not only on this account, but, also on the account of what he has done for the people of the state as a whole, and Akwa Ibom North East in particular.  

His benevolence has also covered the elderly, widows and young people through   scholarship awards, skills’ acquisition progammes, free health care and business support programmes.  He has assiduously articulated a blueprint that would be seamlessly mainstreamed into a common development document in tandem with the aspirations of the people of Uyo senatorial district. His campaign is focused on youth development, women empowerment, social welfare, infrastructural development and sustainable development.  With this record of outstanding achievements, it’s no wonder therefore that elders, youths and women from Akwa Ibom North East senatorial district have resolved to support the senatorial ambition of OBA. They strongly believe that if elected alongside President Goodluck Jonathan and Udom Emmanuel as governor, Obong Bassey Albert as senator will make a perfect combination that would attract more development opportunities to the people of Akwa Ibom North East senatorial district.