His names are Godswill Obot Akpabio. He is the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria. To many of his admirers, he is the golden governor, who has turned a once sedentary state into a wonderland of a sort. The land of beauty. The land of pride. The city that works for the people, and other Nigerians.

But, to his adversaries, the Akwa Ibom helmsman is the sweet-talking, 'loud-mouthed' governor, who never gets tired of advertising his achievements and dramatic turn-around of his state.

However, there is always a point of convergence among the Akpabio lovers and haters: The man has performed well, even when he is lampooned for making a song and dance of his works. The response, from his defenders, equally is: Let our governors and leaders at all levels perform and 'make all the noises in the newspapers and television.' Let them sing their praises to high heavens, as long as we can see and feel their achievements in concrete terms. As long as we can see the landscape being transformed; lives being bettered and things moving in positive and progressive direction.

Indeed, for many Nigerians, what ultimately matters is: Performance, performance, performance. No less. So, let's have good roads everywhere and let the Minister of Works stand in the sun, basking in euphoria and adulation. Let the health sector work; let's have adequate security of lives and property; let's have abundant food supply; let's have efficient and effective electricity and let whoever has wrought the magic bask in all the blaze of glory. How does that disturb anyone's sleep?

That's why Nigerians would continue to celebrate men like him (Akpabio), men like Mr.Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, for his turn-around of Lagos; Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole of Edo State, for his achievements. Gov. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State, has also done well. There are a few others who make democracy meaningful in this clime, leaders who give us hope that all hope is not lost. That we may yet emerge the super country we could have since been, if only our leaders had stayed focussed, faithful and loyal to us the electorate, the people, they purportedly swore to serve.

For me, leadership is ultimately about loyalty. Loyalty to your promises and pledges while running for office. Loyalty to the people, who gave you mandate. Loyalty to your country, which gave you the privilege to occupy the high office. Without loyalty, no leader can truly be called great.

It, therefore, follows that bad rulers are disloyal leaders. Bad rulers are loyal only to themselves, families and cronies. We have had a surfeit of them in the nation's history. You can name them, can't you? Disloyal leaders. Leaders for whom their words were not their bonds. Leaders who took us back, rather than march us forward. We still have them everywhere, from the centre, down to the grassroots!

Conversely, good leaders, in serving their people so well, demonstrate uncommon loyalty. Loyalty to God and loyalty to God's people. So, we can in the same vein, safely conclude that Akpabio, Fashola, Oshiomhole, Dankwambo, are loyal leaders because they are working for the people. On another level, they are also loyal to their leaders. Fashola, for example, is a loyal associate of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Come rain or shine, Fashola has stuck with Tinubu. In the case of Akpabio, it is an open secret that he is the loyal and faithful associate of President Goodluck Jonathan. He has stuck with the president, defending his administration and trumpeting his re-election bid. And in the process, throwing almost all his goodwill and reputation in the fray.

In fact, many of his admirers have expressed anger and disappointment at what they call his 'unfathomable' support for President Jonathan. Why would any man do that, especially for a president who is facing the toughest battle of his political life? Why would a governor of Akpabio's standing risk everything to support a president buffeted from all corners by the opposition? Why risk all for one man, especially in a country where people often don't reward one good turn?

Dele Momodu, perhaps, encapsulated the feelings of Akpabio admirers, when in his recent column in THISDAY,he beseeched the governor to dump his support for the president because he was losing much of his goodwill by so doing. He asked him to learn from what happened to people like Dr. Peter Odili and others whose loyalty were repaid with malice by former president Olusegun Obasanjo.

But Akpabio, despite all entreaties, has remained resolute in his support for Jonathan and his 2015 ambition. And he is 'reaping the costly price' of loyalty to a president, who has broken not a few hearts with the difference in expectations and performance of his administration. Verbal missiles are being hurled at him.

http://odili.net/news/source/2013/sep/23/500.html

Nice write-up.

This article is on point. love it

Mgbati media @ work again.Where are the 'vast' majority of Nigerians that are disenchanted with GEJ? Who told them that Yoruba+boko haram constitute the bast majority of Nigerians?

#yawns#

Please do not bracket fashola with any governor in nigeria .be it akpabio ,oshiomole ,amaechi or any other person.
He is operating a different and higher level.
Building Alice town in wonderland is the least of akwa ibom's problems .getting people out of wretched poverty in a sedentary state is.
Malabo is more beautiful but the poverty of the people is the same.
Abuja is equally beautiful but beautiful at what cost?
On oshiomole. ,I understand the chaotic nature of edo politics and the attribution of roads and other physical infrastructure to performance in nigeria .
What is lacking in all these places is strategic planning and job creation?

While fashola is strategically positioning Lagos to vaccum up a significant portion investment coming into the west African sub region ;from banking ,tourism ,transportation ,manufacturing to even oil and gas ,I cannot see any other person including the presidency with any simple and viable plan.
Most of the their efforts have been haphazard
,half baked and utterly useless.

Within a very small radius Enugu ,akwa ibom and PH are vying to be a full fledge international airport status.we also have ASABA not too far away.this balkanisation of status is already a strategic failure.
We also have the warri ports ,calabar ports,port harcourt ports but militancy and piracy already makes them unviable .
The higher cost of insurance for merchant ships makes it costlier than Lagos .
strategic failure- security

On oshiomole ,he should have fully diverted his attention to agriculture with emphasis on cash crops.oil palm ,rubber etc .as it is,edo kingdom remains a civil service state .

bloggernaija: Please do not bracket fashola with any governor in nigeria .be it akpabio ,oshiomole ,amaechi or any other person.
He is operating a different and higher level.
Building Alice town in wonderland is the least of akwa ibom's problems .getting people out of wretched poverty in a sedentary state is.
Malabo is more beautiful but the poverty of the people is the same.
Abuja is equally beautiful but beautiful at what cost?
On oshiomole. ,I understand the chaotic nature of edo politics and the attribution of roads and other physical infrastructure to performance in nigeria .
What is lacking in all these places is strategic planning and job creation?

While fashola is strategically positioning Lagos to vaccum up a significant portion investment coming into the west African sub region ;from banking ,tourism ,transportation ,manufacturing to even oil and gas ,I cannot see any other person including the presidency with any simple and viable plan.
Most of the their efforts have been haphazard
,half baked and utterly useless.

Within a very small radius Enugu ,akwa ibom and PH are vying to be a full fledge international airport status.we also have ASABA not too far away.this balkanisation of status is already a strategic failure.
We also have the warri ports ,calabar ports,port harcourt ports but militancy and piracy already makes them unviable .
The higher cost of insurance for merchant ships makes it costlier than Lagos .
strategic failure- security

On oshiomole ,he should have fully diverted his attention to agriculture with emphasis on cash crops.oil palm ,rubber etc .as it is,edo kingdom remains a civil service state .

What nonsense did you just type here? Bucnch of tribalists!! Typically trying to eun down other people while promoting your own!!! SMH.Fashola is the most overated politician Nigeria has ever seen.The SW propaganda machine has continued to frrd us more and more cooked up stories about him.Sorri it will take more than just propaganda to get into aso rock.it think you people should know that by now

bloggernaija: Please do not bracket fashola with any governor in nigeria .be it akpabio ,oshiomole ,amaechi or any other person.
He is operating a different and higher level.
Building Alice town in wonderland is the least of akwa ibom's problems .getting people out of wretched poverty in a sedentary state is.
Malabo is more beautiful but the poverty of the people is the same.
Abuja is equally beautiful but beautiful at what cost?
On oshiomole. ,I understand the chaotic nature of edo politics and the attribution of roads and other physical infrastructure to performance in nigeria .
What is lacking in all these places is strategic planning and job creation?

While fashola is strategically positioning Lagos to vaccum up a significant portion investment coming into the west African sub region ;from banking ,tourism ,transportation ,manufacturing to even oil and gas ,I cannot see any other person including the presidency with any simple and viable plan.
Most of the their efforts have been haphazard
,half baked and utterly useless.

Within a very small radius Enugu ,akwa ibom and PH are vying to be a full fledge international airport status.we also have ASABA not too far away.this balkanisation of status is already a strategic failure.
We also have the warri ports ,calabar ports,port harcourt ports but militancy and piracy already makes them unviable .
The higher cost of insurance for merchant ships makes it costlier than Lagos .
strategic failure- security

On oshiomole ,he should have fully diverted his attention to agriculture with emphasis on cash crops.oil palm ,rubber etc .as it is,edo kingdom remains a civil service state .

fashola remains the governor of sanitation and traffic control.

Atouke: His names are Godswill Obot Akpabio. He is the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria. To many of his admirers, he is the golden governor, who has turned a once sedentary state into a wonderland of a sort. The land of beauty. The land of pride. The city that works for the people, and other Nigerians.

But, to his adversaries, the Akwa Ibom helmsman is the sweet-talking, 'loud-mouthed' governor, who never gets tired of advertising his achievements and dramatic turn-around of his state.

However, there is always a point of convergence among the Akpabio lovers and haters: The man has performed well, even when he is lampooned for making a song and dance of his works. The response, from his defenders, equally is: Let our governors and leaders at all levels perform and 'make all the noises in the newspapers and television.' Let them sing their praises to high heavens, as long as we can see and feel their achievements in concrete terms. As long as we can see the landscape being transformed; lives being bettered and things moving in positive and progressive direction.

Indeed, for many Nigerians, what ultimately matters is: Performance, performance, performance. No less. So, let's have good roads everywhere and let the Minister of Works stand in the sun, basking in euphoria and adulation. Let the health sector work; let's have adequate security of lives and property; let's have abundant food supply; let's have efficient and effective electricity and let whoever has wrought the magic bask in all the blaze of glory. How does that disturb anyone's sleep?

That's why Nigerians would continue to celebrate men like him (Akpabio), men like Mr.Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, for his turn-around of Lagos; Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole of Edo State, for his achievements. Gov. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State, has also done well. There are a few others who make democracy meaningful in this clime, leaders who give us hope that all hope is not lost. That we may yet emerge the super country we could have since been, if only our leaders had stayed focussed, faithful and loyal to us the electorate, the people, they purportedly swore to serve.

For me, leadership is ultimately about loyalty. Loyalty to your promises and pledges while running for office. Loyalty to the people, who gave you mandate. Loyalty to your country, which gave you the privilege to occupy the high office. Without loyalty, no leader can truly be called great.

It, therefore, follows that bad rulers are disloyal leaders. Bad rulers are loyal only to themselves, families and cronies. We have had a surfeit of them in the nation's history. You can name them, can't you? Disloyal leaders. Leaders for whom their words were not their bonds. Leaders who took us back, rather than march us forward. We still have them everywhere, from the centre, down to the grassroots!

Conversely, good leaders, in serving their people so well, demonstrate uncommon loyalty. Loyalty to God and loyalty to God's people. So, we can in the same vein, safely conclude that Akpabio, Fashola, Oshiomhole, Dankwambo, are loyal leaders because they are working for the people. On another level, they are also loyal to their leaders. Fashola, for example, is a loyal associate of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Come rain or shine, Fashola has stuck with Tinubu. In the case of Akpabio, it is an open secret that he is the loyal and faithful associate of President Goodluck Jonathan. He has stuck with the president, defending his administration and trumpeting his re-election bid. And in the process, throwing almost all his goodwill and reputation in the fray.

In fact, many of his admirers have expressed anger and disappointment at what they call his 'unfathomable' support for President Jonathan. Why would any man do that, especially for a president who is facing the toughest battle of his political life? Why would a governor of Akpabio's standing risk everything to support a president buffeted from all corners by the opposition? Why risk all for one man, especially in a country where people often don't reward one good turn?

Dele Momodu, perhaps, encapsulated the feelings of Akpabio admirers, when in his recent column in THISDAY,he beseeched the governor to dump his support for the president because he was losing much of his goodwill by so doing. He asked him to learn from what happened to people like Dr. Peter Odili and others whose loyalty were repaid with malice by former president Olusegun Obasanjo.

But Akpabio, despite all entreaties, has remained resolute in his support for Jonathan and his 2015 ambition. And he is 'reaping the costly price' of loyalty to a president, who has broken not a few hearts with the difference in expectations and performance of his administration. Verbal missiles are being hurled at him.

http://odili.net/news/source/2013/sep/23/500.html

no governor has performed like akpabio in Africa. He was voted best governor for 3 YRS in a row. This writeup is characteristic of yoruba ethnic jongoists and apc goons

chukwudi44: Mgbati media @ work again.Where are the 'vast' majority of Nigerians that are disenchanted with GEJ? Who told them that Yoruba+boko haram constitute the bast majority of Nigerians?

Nwanem nwoke why did you block the sun from Biafra like this? Must you show Ofe nmannu that east of the Niger we have not mastered the act of computa? Why my brother why open nyash like guinea fowl.... you no sabi click link? How Eric Osagie come resemble Yoruba name..... where u dey for market when they tell us say every Yoruba name must start with Oba Femi Bola Ahmed Tinubu Fa Shola Sanjo naaa... Chukwudi @ 44 years you fall our hand o, Osagie go be traitor Calabar naaa

B.L.S:


Nwanem nwoke why did you block the sun from Biafra like this? Must you show Ofe nmannu that east of the Niger we have not mastered the act of computa? Why my brother why open nyash like guinea fowl.... you no sabi click link? How Eric Osagie come resemble Yoruba name..... where u dey for market when they tell us say every Yoruba name must start with Oba Femi Bola Ahmed Tinubu Fa Shola Sanjo naaa... Chukwudi @ 44 years you fall our hand o, Osagie go be traitor Calabar naaa

Bros abeg I am not 44 years u hear? I insist the write-up is mgbati so STFU

bloggernaija: Please do not bracket fashola with any governor in nigeria .be it akpabio ,oshiomole ,amaechi or any other person.
He is operating a different and higher level.
Building Alice town in wonderland is the least of akwa ibom's problems .getting people out of wretched poverty in a sedentary state is.
Malabo is more beautiful but the poverty of the people is the same.
Abuja is equally beautiful but beautiful at what cost?
On oshiomole. ,I understand the chaotic nature of edo politics and the attribution of roads and other physical infrastructure to performance in nigeria .
What is lacking in all these places is strategic planning and job creation?

While fashola is strategically positioning Lagos to vaccum up a significant portion investment coming into the west African sub region ;from banking ,tourism ,transportation ,manufacturing to even oil and gas ,I cannot see any other person including the presidency with any simple and viable plan.
Most of the their efforts have been haphazard
,half baked and utterly useless.

Within a very small radius Enugu ,akwa ibom and PH are vying to be a full fledge international airport status.we also have ASABA not too far away.this balkanisation of status is already a strategic failure.
We also have the warri ports ,calabar ports,port harcourt ports but militancy and piracy already makes them unviable .
The higher cost of insurance for merchant ships makes it costlier than Lagos .
strategic failure- security

On oshiomole ,he should have fully diverted his attention to agriculture with emphasis on cash crops.oil palm ,rubber etc .as it is,edo kingdom remains a civil service state .

Ignoramus.. You sit behind your computer with little or no information about other parts of the country, yet you deem it fit to pass judgment. To e_diots like you, anyone not residing in Lagos is impoverished? It's time you left your ragtag lifestyle in the slums of mushin and ajegunle, go to other places and free yourself from the fool's paradise you entangled in. Hungry blogger working for his meagre pay check.

Good Morning Nigerians

safepassage2015: no governor has performed like akpabio in Africa. He was voted best governor for 3 YRS in a row. This writeup is characteristic of yoruba ethnic jongoists and apc goons

did you read the writeup?