Senator Udoma: A gold fish that has no hiding place

BY UBONG INYANG

Change they say does not come so easily. At  least the APC in Nigeria can be seen as a strong reference point to this assertion. This is so because for years, they fought, clawed, bled and finally got their just reward which was a change in government. As expected, the wind of change must be like a hurricane sweeping all through the country.  The man in the middle, President Buhari was entrusted as being the most capable of hands to take the country to the promise land and also turn this wind to places which required transformation. 

As provided in the constitution, the president must set up his cabinet members upon screening and approval by the red chamber (senate) in order to ensure a transparent and sheer fluidity in governance. The first series of appointments by the Commander in Chief did no favor to the south and the worst was still expected. Despite calls from the public for ministers to be appointed so that the change we yearned for could materialize, the president was unmoved and insisted that he must take his time to select and scrutinize the nominees to ensure that it is the best and only the best are given the task of running the country alongside him.

The constitution provided for at least a nominee from each state of the federation and the political spin doctors in the state especially those in the APC were busy lobbying to be the chosen one. 

As it pleased the president, he promised to submit his nominees before the end of September which he did. Several rumored names were up in the air and tension grew within the ranks in the state as to who will be worthy of the president’s call to service. The state APC may have been relaxed after all the president wouldn’t dare pick anybody outside his party’s fold and he somehow affirmed this when he stated out rightly that states who gave him much votes will enjoy his government more than others who gave him lesser votes. Akwa Ibom for the first time in their illustrious history is today an opposition state and the likelihood for a good nexus between them and the federal government was ruled out. To the surprise of many, the Katsina born leader; against the wish of the state party leadership, laid down political sentiments on the altar of good pedigree and beckoned on a man of royalty for the task in Senator Udoma Udo Udoma a two term senator under the umbrella of PDP between 1999 to 2007.

The name Udo Udoma is a household name as far as Akwa Ibom State is concerned. Late Sir Egbert Udo Udoma was the first black man to bag a Phd.in law at the prestigious Oxford University in UK and was also the Chief Justice of Uganda from 1963 to 1969. He further went on to become a justice of the supreme court of Nigeria and was chairman of the Constituent Assembly from 1977 to 1978 before his death in 1998.

Sir Egbert Udoma died a natural death but left behind a son who takes almost everything after him. Born in Ete village in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, a practicing lawyer, is regarded as a seasoned intellectual who over the years has been an inspiration for upcoming generations through his desire and zeal for excellence in everything he does. Senator Udoma attended St Catherine’s College, Oxford University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Jurisprudence in 1976, a Bachelor of Civil Laws Degree in 1977 and a Masters of Arts (Honoris Causa) in 1981. He attended the Nigeran Law School and was called to bar in 1978.

Senator Udoma joined politics and was elected as Senator representing Akwa Ibom South constituency between 1999 to 2007 serving for two terms. After taking his seat in the Senate in June 1999, he was appointed to committees on Public Accounts, Judiciary, Banking and Currency, Science and Technology, Privatization and Drugs and Narcotics as Vice Chairman and also the Chief Whip between 2004 till 2007. He has been acclaimed for being one of the first senators to oppose the alleged third term plot during the tenure of ex-president Obasanjo.  After the completion of a merited four years in the senate, he turned down an offer to be appointed as minister of state citing it as being an insult to his family background and he eventually moved on into the practice of law. He bagged the award of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) from the federal government and also went on to become the Chairman of UAC of Nigeria Plc in 2010. 

In 2012, Senator Udoma was appointed as Director of Union Bank Plc and further rose to the rank of Chairman in 2013. Mr Udoma specializes in advising on Nigerian investment laws and the investment environment generally, particularly in the petroleum, energy and natural resources sectors, advising Nigerian and international companies on company corporate law, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions and the raising of financing in the capital and money markets, as well as on major construction and engineering contracts. His experience is vast and excellence is his benchmark. 

The inclusion of Senator Udoma in Buhari’s cabinet is well overdue regardless of the fact that the APC camp in the state has rejected his nomination. His nomination goes on to tell Nigerians that the president is interested in proven individuals regardless of their political affiliations. Being a card carrying member of the PDP, Senator Udoma had been neutral in terms of politics in the state recently. He chose to stay neutral despite the involvement of eminent Nigerians in the just concluded elections through endorsement of one candidate or another. Senator Udoma guarded his reputation by being a symbol of unity among the people of Ikot Abasi. 

This he did through scholarship programmes for Ikot Abasi indigenes and other people-oriented projects. His call to serve the country has been hailed by Akwa Ibomites especially the neutrals. Regardless of the portfolio that he will be assigned to, his track record speaks well for him and it will be no surprise if he exhales to the fullest. We the people of Akwa Ibom voice out our full support for our very own we say congratulations sir.