APC JUSTIFIES UDOM’S RE-ELECTION?

I read on Mr. Ata Ikkideh’s wall on Facebook report of a recent radio interview by Senator Godswill Akpabio. I was more interested in question number one which was put through to the respected Senator and his answer.

Questioner: (1) Why didn’t you establish 31 industries?

Akpabio: Paucity of funds and insecurity.

Me: this is interesting. Therefore I want to be fair, very fair in my analysis here.
Firstly, I want to give you an idea, just an idea of the quantum money that entered Akwa Ibom State during Sen Akpabio’s regime.

Take a trip to Akpabio’s residential building under construction at Shelter Afrique Estate, Uyo. Biltmore Estate located at Asheville, North Carolina regarded as the biggest residential building in USA, cannot stand it. While the 250 rooms Biltmore building is a normal house with corrugated roofing sheets, the entire Akpabio’s (multiple rooms) building is made up of reenforced concrete with compressive strength greater than 6000(PSI) not only making the building bullet and bomb proof but designed to resist incoming warheads, missiles and countermeasures. The question is whether the senator is fortifying himself and family against 3rd world war. If the answer is no then the choice of the building is an indication of a person that has conquered money so much that he has run out of ideas of what to do with it.

Gov Udom Emmanuel on the other hand came in during period of recession and therefore received far less and yet he has been able to bring in some industries. He has also been able to restore security- which essentially will bring in more industries. This is a justification that he deserves four more years to build on that foundation.

Industrialization is without doubt at the apex of the growth and development options of any third world economy. In order to move from the vicious cycle of generational poverty an economy must evolve from agrarian or whatever state to manufacturing. There is no other options.

That is why I thank Mr. Nsima Ekere for his shortsightedness. In his so called manifesto he listed reasons Akwa Ibomites should jettison industrialization and accept his alternative measures. And these are nothing different from what state government after government in Nigeria have been doing for the past 53 years without any results. Ironically these are his much hyped planned programs for Akwa Ibom State in the next four years. For instance he said he would invest massively in infrastructure in a way that “puts money in the hands of artisans, suppliers and contractors and pay people 100,000 each if their wives deliver triplets or more children at a time. What a way to revamp a third world economy!

By the way is he referring to artisans and suppliers from the moon? Where were these people when he managed over 1.5trillion naira at NDDC for over 3 years. Is the infrastructure under reference different from the ones he claimed to have invested in to “REPOSITION” NDDC? Where are they? Why didn’t those claimed investments put money on artisans hands? Sometimes these men talk with very little regards to the intelligence of the Akwa Ibom people.

I recall VP Osinbajo claimed the APC government has invested more on infrastructure, about 3trillion, in the last 3 years; more than the combined investment of all other government in Nigeria history. But why hasn’t this reflated the economy? For answer let’s look at the “balloon effect” on the circular flow of income analogy which I think Mr Ekere’s economic team didn’t explained to him. The size and strength of a balloon can be determined by either injection or leakage of air. Interestingly however, you can manipulate the air inside a balloon to change the shape. But whatever new shape it takes, the size remains the same if there is no external injection. In this case only the air inside is being manipulated. This is what happens to an economic system that is monotonous or starved of external inflows. State governments after governments wait for federal allocations (which is the air within the balloon), pay salaries, build some infrastructure etc. As long as nothing new comes in the economic balloon remains the same while the number of people breathing the trapped air increased daily. They are also breathing out so at the end while the balloon becomes more uncomfortable, its overall size remains. This is the thrust of Nsima Ekere’s economic policy.

His planned investment of 50billion in 4 years to develop small and medium enterprise as a replacement for a well articulated industrialization policy already in place shows how shallow some people who offer themselves for leadership can reason. From which source? Same over flogged Federal Allocation (the usual air inside the balloon)? The sad thing is that people are clapping including renowned economists some of whom are professors building leaders of tomorrow. As we speak some of them are on radio studios spreading same Old Testament with this visionless proposal. Very sad indeed.

FDI of $1b or more maybe brought in by just one industrialist in one day as the market opens up. Imagine if in just one year you have only five of such. That is $1b x 366=1.83trillion fresh funds injected into the system. Why will the state not grow, why will it not develop even if the federal allocation collapses.
Who is thinking for these people Mbok? The way to go is industrialization which injects into the balloon more and more air while the balloon increases in size until it bursts.

Nsima’s planned economic model shows he has not given up the Old Testament model of receiving and sharing federal allocations among cronies and top party faithfuls using coded terms like “Local Content” while the masses wreath in poverty with poor “boys” hovering around the few plunderers.

So when they tell you that all “politicians” have left PDP to APC please pray for more to do so in order for Udom to have enough latitude to make the state work again for your good. Only industrialization can grow the economy, create and sustains job and ensures improved standard of living on a sustainable basis.

Who said Udom has brought in enough industries to create the desired impact? Ammem? It is just over two years of a brand new vision. But he has taken the state through some important steps. The learning process, the usual teething problems etc were there as should be expected. But a lot of lessons have been learnt. The toothpick, rice mill and some others may not be operating at installed capacities yet and have attracted some criticisms; even laughters but the syringe, the metering industry etc are doing well. That is the way it should be. Success here, failure there the journey continues. Through experience, better ways are learnt and improvements attained.

Senator Akpabio supposed to have asked Udom how he has succeeded so far in the only two things which his “more money” philosophy could not do in his time which are security and industrialization. As ONLY GOD could do, he has made Sen Akpabio to say the truth during his radio interview under reference : that Udom has succeeded where he failed and therefore deserved a second term.

James Abang R828
Atte-Okiuso Village, Urueoffong/Oruko LGA.