The APC Governorship candidate, Obong Nsima Ekere, will formally unveil his economic and social blueprint on Monday, but this morning, one of the party leaders, Mr. Umana Umana gave us a hint of its contents. ‘I have had extensive discussions with Nsima on his plans for Akwa Ibom, I have seen his blueprint, I can say that Nsima has great plans for the state’, says Umana in two radio interviews today. He continues: ‘I am glad that Nsima does not only have great ideas for the state, in fact, some of his plans are quite like the ones I proposed when I ran the same race in 2015’, Umana, the managing director of Oil & Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA) enthused. Ekere will run his campaign on a five-point agenda spanning economic prosperity; Infrastructure, Security, Education, Health & Social Protection and governance and Institutional reforms.
Asked whether Ekere will keep to his one-term pledge, Umana testified to the good leadership qualities and character of the candidate, noting that ‘he is a gentleman; he will keep his words’. The interviews spanned over two hours in the two radio stations, Inspiration and Comfort, and turned out, quite fortuitously, as the opening bell for the APC governorship campaigns. By INEC timetable, gubernatorial campaigns open nationwide today, but nothing officials was scheduled. But tomorrow afternoon the party holds a solemn assembly and on Monday, Ekere will inaugurate his Campaign Council and unvel his manifesto.
On Udom Emmanuel’s performance, Umana scores the administration F9, especially on his industrialization agenda. ‘Setting up small cottage ventures is not industrialisation. It shows lack of planning and poor understanding of what industrialisation is’. He noted that Udom Emmanuel has in his four budgets planned to spend N2.5 trillion. Even if these budgets have been performing at 50%, at least the government should have invested one trillion naira in the state. ‘But has anybody seen or felt the impact of one trillion in the last three and half years?’, Umana asked. Umana said that the governor should have continued on the path of big developmental projects which the previous administrations have set out. Such projects include the airport terminal building, cargo terminal, Third Ring road, among others.
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