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| Adiakpan |
Prince Owodighe Adiakpan is a grassroot mobilizer, community leader, Oil and gas expert, a renowned technocrat and a former PDP governorship aspirant in the last gubernatorial election. In a chat with newsmen, He disclosed that the Peoples Democratic Party remains the most preferred by entire south-south region of the country, and therefore called on every Akwa Ibom people to give Governor Udom Emmanuel their full support in order for him to achieve his industrialization plan. Excerpts:
You aspired as a gubernatorial aspirant in the last April election and could not make it at the Peoples Democratic Party primaries, have you concluded your political career or do you still have further aspiration?
Let me first say a happy new year to all of you, life as a journey doesn’t Start there and end there. There is nothing like automatic in life, it is a process. Once you have an aspiration, it cannot just go like that based on your driving process. Three things drove me into governing this state. The first is Akwa Ibom People, the second is Akwa Ibom People and the third is Akwa Ibom People. Akwa Ibom State must get to where it should be. We have to produce Akwa Ibom State of this century. There is no end to my aspiration; we are still looking forward to it. But whatever the aspiration will be, it is going to be in tender with God.
Life as a process; how would you weigh the beginning process of the present administration in the state.
It is too early to tell, the government has a four gap to run throughout, this is first seven months and with the price index of petroleum as our mainstay, and with the present economic situation of the country, we should not expect so much at a very short time. The Akwa Ibom State Government is trying to stabilize; we should allow the administration to mature before thinking of assessment. Again, with the issue of court cases here and there, the distraction is much but then, the Governor is trying considering what He is doing in the state despite this distraction.
Sir, logistically has Akwa Ibom State arrived her needed destination considering the fact that the state is an oil producing state?
No, Akwa Ibom has huge oil and gas products that are yet untapped. Oil has been in this state for over fifty years. We have the upstream and the downstream. We have construction, building electrification and so on which need certification to practice, how many AkwaIbomite have been properly trained for in oil and gas sector in the past 50 years. At offshore, who are the ones maintaining the oil equipment and installations, we don’t have people; our people are not even aware what is going on in the industry. You can come out with your first class degree and Masters but there are certain things you have to know in the oil industry in order to be there.
We need to establish a vocational school in Akwa Ibom to train our people for the task ahead. How many of Akwa Ibom people can operate crane for example .This is done by Italians, the Philippines etc. A crane operator could be chartered and flown to other places to make a whole lot of money and come back while our people are still asking for job. If you don’t have the skill you won’t be engaged in oil industry. We need to develop our people, give them the necessary vocational training and that is what the government should do. The school can be located anywhere in the state. Akwa Ibom is like a-one-town state, you can access any place within few minutes. The location is not the problem; the problem is equipping the school to meet the century’s technology. We are talking of quality and content. With good contents and quality, the graduates of the vocational school will be hot cake in the oil and gas industry and will also be employers of labour.
But we have all these vocational contents in polytechnics and universities around, why are the graduates not useful?
These graduates lack basic current technological skills. No graduate is employable without the basic knowledge of computer. Now, many of our graduate claims to be computer literate including those who studied computer science lack the skills. It is the skill that gives you a job in oil and gas industry, first class or masters without the needed skill is zilch.
Is this the reason why Mobil Producing Nigerian Unlimited is being flooded with outsiders?
I will not say it is a gang up. Some of these things are politically driven. Again, how many indigenes are encouraged to read science and technology oriented courses. Nobody would wait for you for anything, the Hausas, the Yoruba’s, the Igbos are all struggling to take over everything including the leadership of this country, therefore , Mobil is not an exception. We must also design strategies to be there. Sitting down to cry and complain of marginalization will not solve our problems.
There is this argument in some quarters that “Dakkada” is a PDP rerun campaign initiative or do you view it other wise? It is not for any rerun, it is an initiative of government to re-echo the need for our people to re-unite and change their psyche for positivity. We must stand up and love ourselves; we must be our brother’s keeper. Our main problem is love, we must come together to fight for our common good, it is a fantastic philosophy. If we all key into this idea, our problem would be solved.
Sir, you NGO is launching a programme soon, what is it all about?
We are launching tree planting exercise, one man one tree. Trees really help in the provision of natural environment. Climate change affects everyone globally. Last year there was a summit on climate change in Paris in which the whole world attended. Everybody should be concerned on how to restore the earth to its natural form. The world is really hot, we need trees. The climate change affects both fauna and flora. So it is a must that every Akwaibomite should plant a tree to reclaim the natural environment bestowed on us by nature. If we close our eyes and fail to see the effect of this climate change, imagine how this place will look like in the next ten years.
The outbreak of some sicknesses that we are experiencing now in the world is attributed to tampering with our environment, so we must do something. Our forests have been destroyed, and no one cares to replace them. Many species of animals are now extinct. We used to have elephants in this state around Eket, Esit Eket axis but where are they today? What about the herbs that served as the best medicinal values in the world, where are they today? They are all destroyed, our people lived up to150 years because the depended on herbs and sea foods, what is the situation today?
So, where should we plant these trees?
In our environment, in government house, around our houses, Schools, Churches. Economic trees should be planted in our farms, forest, everywhere. Go to the villages and plant trees. We are campaigning against cutting down of trees. If you cut down one tree you must plant another, if you cut you cut down two trees, you must plant more.
There is this problem of indiscriminate waste disposal in the state; is there no good way to handle this?
It is very sad. Akwa Ibom people were not known for littering the environment with dirt. There was a time in this Country that top Generals in the Army and other top government functionaries and business men were marring Akwa Ibom women because our people were naturally decent. Remember refuse were not meant to be seen with naked eyes. And I believe the ministry of environment is doing something about this. The refuse should be removed in the night, refuse and dustbin should not be placed on the main road .Government should create areas for dumping of refuse not main roads’ to serve as an eye saw. Collection of refuse can also be done house by house. The state government can institute a trash day and create awareness on how and where people should disposed them or keep in front of their houses while vehicles go around picking them ,it could be once or twice a week, and not only collecting the refuse, they should be recycled, processed into manure and other useful things. The main thing is that we should think about our heath. We have what it takes to keep our state clean.
Sir, How can gas flaring be controlled
There are laws in this country designed to curtail this activities. Secondly the petroleum bill that is lying waste at the National Assembly should have been on immense favour in this direction but polities of oil will not allow the bill to see the light of the day.
Akwa Ibom state has lost her position at the NDDC as a result of Barr. Dan Abia’s untimely sack as the Managing Director, what is your response?
This is the greatest injustice done to this state. Any Akwa Ibom person that is happy about this development should be stoned, I am serious, and such person should be stoned. No Akwa Ibom person should be happy with this development. According to the NDDC arrangement each state serves for four years irrespective of change of government, but Akwa Ibom man, Sir Dan Abia has stayed for just two years and he was relieved of his appointment, for what. The world should hear his offence. If there is any political reason to remove him, then anybody that is appointed as acting Managing Director should be a member of assisting board to hold a brief until a substantial Managing Director (MD) is appointed, then why go and bring another person from a different state? It is a slap on our face. Why should we be happy about this development, is there nobody in Akwa Ibom State to act as acting Managing Director (MD) until Akwa Ibom Man is placed there on substantive capacity? See, we must do things that bring peace into this country. Though we are not violent people but our simplicity should not be taken for granted. We need our position in NDDC back that is the message from Akwa Ibom people.
Sir, what is the main way to develop our people, put together all this political initiatives?
Akwa Ibom people must go to school, not just going to school but best schools. Every school in this state should be western oriented. What does it take, nothing except a political will. With the amount of money that we have, Akwa Ibom child should be able compete anywhere academically. If I become a Governor today, my main focus will be education. When you give people education, you have given them everything. What creates jobs is education; I mean relevant education, not history in today’s economy, not philosophy in today’s labour market, but 21st century education being useful globally. Akwa Ibom can feed the whole Africa. It is just an appreciation of economic and political wills. Akwa Ibom people are not lazy, good training and development.
Why didn’t you join G-22 when you lost the Governorship ticket?
It is one thing to contest and another thing to win. I can contest and loss but I loss to who? Well, I lost to my fellow brother not a Hausa man or Igbo man. So when they say I lost, I look at the winner and his antecedents that made me to accept the outcome of our party primaries. I have no regrets or whatsoever over my decision.
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