It was Thomas Paine, an American Intellectual and Revolutionary that said “I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. It is the business of little mind to shrink, but he whose heart is firm and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principle till the end”.
Also, a prominent philosopher, D. S. Jordan also said “Men must learn how to act brave. The world steps aside for the man who acts like he knows where he is going”.
It is no longer news that the 2015 Governorship election campaigns had since begun throughout the 329 wards across Akwa Ibom State. What may however make news is who the political parties would select to fly their flags in the 2015 Governorship contest and the politician who may likely emerge as the Governor of the state come May, 29, 2015 inauguration.
Presently, the Governorship race has unfolded many gladiators most of whom are widely known and very experienced in the art of politics while others who are not also well known would contest in other political parties that are not also well known in the state.
Among the politicians who are ready for the 2015 Governorship race in the state are the present Deputy Governor, Obong Nsima Ekere, the immediate past Senator that represented Uyo in the senate, Senator Effiong Bob, the present Secretary to the State Government, Obong Umana Okon Umana, a one-time Governorship candidate in the state, Mr. Larry Esin and others.
In taking a cursory took at the line up of the 2015 Governorship aspirants, one would see that they are all men who have made their marks in their different fields of endeavours and callings.
They are all men who have over the years toiled politically, socially and economically to stand out among men and indeed they have stood out.
However, one man appears to have a higher pedigree politically, socially and otherwise above other politicians who are poised to grap the coverted Governorship trophy of Akwa Ibom State come 2015 and that man is Obong Umana Okon Umana.
For the 2015 Governorship race, Umana has been doing his home work and consultations since he concluded plans to run for the office of Governor in the state in 2015.
In one of such consultations, the people of his native home, Nsit Ubium called on the Secretary to the State Government to run for the highest political office in the state.
A group under the umbrella organization called Nsit Ubium Political Elders resolved to stand by and support the political ambition of Obong Umana to a logical conclusion.
The event which was the re-unification meeting of the PDP elders in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area took the decision after the Special Adviser to the Governor. Chief Emmanuel Ibiok moved a motion calling on Umana to contest the seat in 2015. The motion was seconded by a retired Permanent Secretary in the state, Engr. B. G. Bassey.
The Nsit Ubium Political Elders resolved to support Umana noting that he was a political leader whom many trust and would support for the Governorship position in 2015.
The former Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly, Hon. Aniefiok Thompson who is also the Chairman of the Nsit Ubium Elders’ Forum commended the leadership qualities of Obong Okon Umana in the past years calling on the people of the state to support his ambition.
Present at the forum included Dr. Effanga Okon Inyang, Captain Iniobong Ekong, Hon. Ekong Essien, Mr. Inyang Unyah, Mrs. Eno Thompson and other political leaders of Nsit Ubium extraction.
Available records show that Obong Umana Okon Umana had served as Akwa Ibom State Director of Budget, the Commissioner for Finance and presently the Secretary to the State Government and he is therefore well versed in the art and function of public administration, leadership and followership.
One school of thought in the state has argued that since the immediate past Governor of the State, Obong Victor Attah came from Uyo Senatorial District while the present Governor Godswill Akpabio is from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, the 2015 Governorship position should be zoned to Oron ethnic group.
But the prosecutors of this line of argument have not got it right as records have shown that at no time in the political history of Akwa Ibom State had the Governorship position been ever zoned to any area.
For instance, in 1991, although the eventual winner of the Governorship election, the late Obong Akpan Isemin came from Uyo Senatorial District, other contestants such as Chief Ekong Etuk from Etinan which is also in Uyo Senatorial District contested. Others were personalities such as Chief Sunday U. Akpan from Ikono. This was to show that the position was not zoned to Uyo Senatorial District.
Also in 1999 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, contestants came from all parts of the state to contest the Governorship position.
It was as a result of this that politicians such as Obong Victor Attah from Uyo, Benjamin Okoko from Eket Senatorial District, and Dr. Ekeng Anamdu were also cleared to contest.
And in 2007, Chief Godswill Akpabio from Ikot Ekpene emerged the winner of the primaries out of the 58 other contestants that aspired for the position. In that year, the present Deputy Governor, Obong Nsima Ekere contested along with Akpabio and lost narrowly.
With the above facts, it is now clear that at no time had the Governorship position in Akwa Ibom State been zoned. It is therefore a fallacy for any group, zone or senatorial district to clamour for the zoning of the 2015 Governorship position to their ethnic blocs as presently being campaigned for by some indigenes of these blocs, zones or ethnic groups.
Therefore, the 2015 Governorship race is open to all and only the swift, intelligent, focused and one that is close to the people would carry the day.
As for Umana Okon Umana, he has the experience, capability, exposure and the ability to contest the 2015 Governorship polls in Akwa Ibom State just as other politicians from other ethnic blocs do.
Records show that Umana is well versed in the art of leadership and he is ready to go once the 2015 Governorship election bell rings in Akwa Ibom State.
A look at Umana’s record shows that the technocrat was born on 20th August, 1959.
For his primary education, he attended the Edgerley Memorial School in Calabar, Cross River State and did his West African School Certificate at Saint Patrick’s College, Calabar in 1976 where he passed out with Grade One.
He later studied Economics at the University of Calabar and graduated in 1980 with a second class honours, Upper Division.
Umana also studied in the University of Port Harcourt where he bagged the Masters in Business Administration (Finance) in 1987.
His working experience shows that Umana was in Champion Breweries, Uyo in 1978 while in 1979 and 1980, he was a Research Assistant on a study of West German Development Aid to Africa, sponsored by the Munich based IFO Institute for Economic Research.
The young Umana in 1980 took up appointment as Instructor in Economics at the Gajir City High School and was later appointed Lecturer in Economics at the School of Basic Studies, Akamkpa, Cross River State in 1981.
In October, 1989, he joined the Budget Department of the Governor’s Office as Principal Budget Officer while he was promoted to the status of a Permanent Secretary in charge of the Budget Office in October, 2000.
He formally retired from Akwa Ibom State Civil Service in August, 2003. As a result of his diverse experience in the Civil Service and out-side the service as a pure technocrat, Umana was found worthy to be appointed the Commissioner for Finance by the Obong Victor Attah administration in August, 2003.
Umana served as the Commissioner for Finance till June, 2007 when he was appointed the Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government till May 29th, 2011.
In June 2011, he was re-appointed Secretary to the State Government in the ongoing second term of the Godswill Akpabio’s administration, a position he holds till date.
In the course of his services to Akwa Ibom State in the past 34 years, Umana Okon Umana has also performed some special assignments and responsibilities to the satisfaction of all indigenes of the state.
These include Chairman, Steering Committee, Akwa Ibom State / World Bank Community Based Urban Development Project and Chairman, Inter-Ministerial Committee on Direct Labour Jobs, Chairman, State Programme Co-ordinating Committee of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1997.
Other positions he had held are member, State Economic and Development Planning, member Administrative Panel of Enquiry into the Affairs of Anchor Insurance Company Limited, member, Administrative Panel of Enquiry into the Management of Akwa Ibom State Property and Investment Limited as well as member, Finance and General Purposes Committee among others.
Some of the special courses he had attended over the years are the National Workshop on Budget Preparation and Implementation organized by the Federal Ministry of National Planning, Workshop on Efficient Economic Management and another National Workshop on Professional Improvement on Budget and Planning Skills among others.
Umana was awarded the Akwa Ibom State Public Service Award for Outstanding Performance in 1991 among other awards.
Presently, Umana is a member of the Nigerian Economic Society as well as a fellow Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.
Umana and other 2015 Governorship aspirants must work hard and whoever emerges, would be supported by the people of the state. Umana and other aspirants should remember that, as Prof. Pat Utomi stated “The quest to be a leader must not be driven by vain glory but it must be for the purpose of transforming the society”.
They should always remember the English proverb that says “He who thinks that he leads but has no followers, is only taking a walk”.
As for Umana Okon Umana, he has come a long way politically and 2015 is beckoning on him to contest the Governorship election in Akwa Ibom State.
This would afford him the opportunity to continue to contribute to the economic, social and political emancipation of the state and its people.

We need fresh hands let the so call Umana go and rest he is corrupt. I heard that name when i was in col of Agric Obioakpa whom people pay through their nose to get job there and after a period of 6 month the appointments were terminated. Percentage of the money when to that idi*t umana. And you are here talking about experience. Experience in embezzlement and corruption. Let him go and rest besides its Oron turn. GOD will cause him to come up and waste that my money he collected.

Iniobon: We need fresh hands let the so call Umana go and rest he is corrupt. I heard that name when i was in col of Agric Obioakpa whom people pay through their nose to get job there and after a period of 6 month the appointments were terminated. Percentage of the money when to that idi*t umana. And you are here talking about experience. Experience in embezzlement and corruption. Let him go and rest besides its Oron turn. GOD will cause him to come up and waste that my money he collected.