The forum of immediate past local government vice chairmen of Akwa Ibom state have strongly resounded their undiluted support for the Akwa Ibom state Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel in the face of the political situation of the state.
In a special visit to the commissioner for Local Government and chieftaincy affairs, Rt Honourable Victor Antai, on Tuesday, the past vice chairmen stated that all the members of the forum had been vice chairmen from 2010 till 2014 and were all brought up by the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and not one of them has deserted the party till date.
“We want to encourage His Excellency Deacon Udom Emmanuel to maintain focus on his job as Governor of Akwa Ibom State and not be fazed by the appeal Court judgment.” said Honourable Victor Henry, spokesperson for the forum and past vice chairman of Eket LGA. He continued; “Deacon Udom Emmanuel was the best fit for the job of governorship to continue the development of Akwa Ibom state, and he has done well. We are the masterkey of the grassroots and we have the command of our various communities. We will stand with Governor Udom Emmanuel and will support our party PDP, notwithstanding the outcome of the courts”.
Having gone over the strides of Governor Udom Emmanuel and stressed the fact that the PDP has demonstrated love and respect for the people of Akwa Ibom State, the forum unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the Governor. Honourable Sir Luke Peter Udom of Etim Ekpo LGA moved the motion, which was seconded by Honourable Victor Henry of Eket LGA.
Weighing in, the honourable commissioner for Local government and chieftaincy affairs, Right Honourable Victor Antai extended deep appreciation from Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel to the forum. He thanked the people for keeping faith with the government in spite of the challenging times facing the polity.
The commissioner, who himself was a Chairman of Mbo LGA in Akwa Ibom state, stressed that the political hitches the state is facing at the moment is only temporary. “It is part of what will be cleared by the dakkada philosophy, which is a campaign against the Pull-him-down-syndrome”, he said.
Reinforcing justification for the overwhelming support that Akwa Ibom people have for Governor Udom Emmanuel, Honourable Antai praised Governor Udom Emmanuel's approach to developing Akwa Ibom especially in a period of dwindling resources in the nation. He stated that the Governor has divided the development of the state into three sections; air, water and land.
“In the air section, the governor is building one of the longest runways in Nigeria. The second runway of our airport can carry Boeing 777, Airbus A360 and any cargo plane; and you know that cargo handling is big business.
So much is also happening in the water sector. The governor, who is not from Oro nation, is putting in a lot of energy into developing the Ibom deep seaport and industrial area for his industrialization policy. A contract has been signed with CCECC for construction; and the Governor has given C of O to Nigerian Ports Authorities. Dredging is set to start at Ikot Abasi, to boost economic activities via our waterways”. The commissioner said.
Talking about the land section of Governor Udom’s development programme for Akwa Ibom, he said; “I am aware of two refineries on the table, one in Ibeno and one in Esit Eket. The Governor knows that power supply is fundament to industrialization and he is the only governor to have collected the only license in Nigeria issued for increase in power generation. Akwa Ibom now has the license to produce enough for 24 hour power supply.”
“The Governor's policy of trainings for manpower development will ensure that Akwa Ibom people are well equipped to man these industries coming up in Akwa Ibom and not people from other places. Contrary to false claims by critics, the Governor has sent 200 Akwa Ibom people for the power sector training, and the counterpart funding by the state was duely remitted.”
“Let us support what is right and shun satanic propaganda” the Commissioner concluded with the charge, to a thunderous applause from the forum members.
In an impressive demonstration of strong faith, the forum ended the visit with a heartfelt prayer session for the Governor, Deacon Udom Emmanuel.
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