2023: Akwa Ibom needs people oriented governor like Senator Bassey Akpan

Unlike the past administrations, almost every policy implemented by the current government is for the elite. None for the masses. For example, the proposed Dakkada Luxurious Housing Estate was built for the rich. And the 21-story building. No low-cost estates.

Investment grants are given to highly placed, while foreign job training etc. are reserved for children of the socially and politically privileged class. Governor Udom Emmanuel only favours the elite class he belongs. All this happens because he was never a home-grown politician. He remains an elite imposed on the people from the blues.

So, with the arrogant mentality common with opportunistic elites, he becomes anti-people and surrounds himself with his ilk. Sadly, those around him cannot advise him to reverse the trend because they fear that they will lose favour, if they do. The governor is known to get angry when advised because he thinks he is an all-knowing being. This erroneous perception has made him a dictator, riding on the back and silence of the citizens.

Those who are in the know say about 80% of memos from his commissioners are dumped in his trash bins because he reasons that their inputs as inferior. Except for his elder brother, other immediate family members, and close friends who decide who gets what out of our commonwealth, nobody ventures to utter a word or express a dissenting opinion. Not even members of his cabinet who ought to, as done in other proactive administrations.

So, in 2023 we need someone to positively change the narrative and absorb citizens’ opinions in governance to make a difference in the lives of Akwa Ibom people. Citizens are yearning for a governor who will exhibit such participatory leadership in order to carry them along as critical stakeholders. We need a dependable leader with listening ears to the plights of the electorate, not a dictator who ignores them in 2023.

The next governor must be a home-grown politician with proven records of impactful empowerment, benevolence, and leadership experience. Someone who will care for the needs of the common people, to erase the biting poverty and lamentation common among the citizens today is what the citizens deserve and are asking for.

Indeed, because of the dire state of affairs today, voters need a grassroots politician in the person of Senator Bassey Albert who has proven more than a thousand times in words and deeds that he is sensitive to the plights of the Akwa Ibom people. He is, without doubt, the most dependable politician amongst the lot, and is always ready to proffer solutions to the problems of the masses.

He has assured electorates of having developed “homemade solutions” to solve the current social discontent and poverty in the state. In his words, ” I have put in 30 years of my life in Akwa Ibom State, so l am more or less a Home Boy. I have lived with my people and I know their plights”.

OBA sincerely appreciates the necessity for government policies to be tailored towards addressing the welfare of the masses, then a few or the privileged class. Asked recently if he will pay pensions and gratuities regularly, OBA retorted: “Is it not their entitlement? The Bible says a labourer deserves his wages. I will pay entitlements, I will pay impress because this is the only way we can achieve a vibrant civil service”. When he said, “l see public office as a platform to serve humanity” he meant every bit of it and has track records to substantiate the statement.

He loves the Akwa Ibom people and has so far kept his promises in the social contract between him and the electorate. OBA respects the prime rule in the game of politics, which is to pamper the electorate as kingmakers. This is why the welfare of the citizens is very dear to him and he usually attends to it promptly without making excuses. In a radio program recently, he assured us that “my governorship aspiration is about the people. It is not about power, it’s about love. I love my people and l want to serve them.”

So, with him as governor, the prime position won’t swell his head, rather it will empower him to reverse the current situation and put the welfare of the cittizens at the forefront. This is why he talks about a new vision for Akwa Ibom State.

We need someone who is not egoistic, but humble and people-friendly such that he dines with the less-privileged, physically challenged and rejected youths on the same table. We need a “king” who connects with his subjects and not one who treats them with disdain. OBA fits the bill!

Akwa Ibom people desire such a personality as governor, not an imposed stranger. We no longer desire a governor who will end up scorning the ordinary people. We have had enough with the current one.