BEVERLY HILLS, May 29, (THEWILL) – Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has prayed against a successor who would take the state backwards after he would hand over in 2023.
Emmanuel’s prayers were contained in his statewide live broadcast, Saturday, to mark the sixth year of his tenure as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
According to him, his desired successor must be a man who would utilise state resources to continue investing in projects with enduring values rather than fritter away the commonwealth of the state, in search of cheap popularity and affluence.
THEWILL reports that there have been widespread speculations on who would succeed Emmanuel, with scores of aspirants including; members of his cabinet, National Assembly members, businessmen and civil servants already consulting and seeking support from perceived delegates to ascend the Hilltop Mansion.
In his words, the Governor said: “Let me now ask you my dear Akwaibomites: Do you want a successor who will cancel out all the great strides in industrialisation we have started? The peace we currently enjoy and return us to the years when violence and kidnapping reigned and sowed fear in the hearts and minds of the people?
“Do you want a successor who will come with anger towards all we have done, as opposed to continuing with the great works we have started? Do you want a leader whose approach to testing his popularity would be to drive in a long convoy to “Ibom Plaza” and throw money at the hapless people, watching them scramble for the money and the people would say that’s “Ano owo Mkpo”! Is that the kind of a successor you want?
“Is that the kind of empowerment our people deserve? Someone who will bring out the worst in our youths rather than challenge them to seize the future and unleash their potentials? Do you want a successor who will relegate God to the background and assume an all-knowing power?
“Or do you desire a successor with a known e-mail address that the International business community recognises? Do you want a leader who will fritter away our commonwealth in search of cheap popularity or one who would utilize the resources and continue investing in projects with enduring value?
“Do you want a successor who would see Government as a cabal where our commonwealth would be shared among a privileged few or do you desire a leader who would continue to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of our people, a successor who understands the economic dynamics that shape our globalized space and would utilize those skills to advance our well-being?
“These are questions you have to provide answers, and the answers you provide would determine the type of a successor you deserve”
The two-term Governor, who started his political carrier as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) during the second term of Chief Godswill Akpabio’s administration in the state, maintained that the state could not return to a situation he described as “big on noise but little in execution.”
He added: “Mark my words, we will not return to the type of leadership that is big on noise and small in the execution of the big picture items. We will never go backward on the peace in our land, the steady and focused developments we have started. The line in our state anthem has made this faith manifestly clear: Forward ever and backward never!
“So my dear Akwa Ibomites, if what you are desiring is a successor who will not have the capacity and the discipline to build a state where you and your children will live in peace and strive to excel, if you are desiring a successor who will turn back the clock of our developmental strides.
“If you are desiring a successor who will bring out the worst in our youths as opposed to galvanizing their energies and challenging them to be the best they can be, if you are desiring a leader who would not efficiently utilise the resources of this State on projects that have redeeming value then I am sorry to disappoint you, God will not give us such a successor.”
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