Deacon Udom Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom state governor in this interview, speaks on his industrialisation agenda, preparations for 2019 elections, threat of war by the opposition and other issues. TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI and CHIAMAKA OSUAGWU bring the excerpts:

What was your level of expectation at the time you conceived the various projects embarked upon by your administration and how far have you gone in achieving your projection?

In terms of quality I will say yes, but in terms of speed I will say no because we came into governance with a blueprint. If you check, you would see that we had a blueprint when we started, but nobody knew that 2016 and 2017 would witness one of the worse recession ever. So, in terms of speed, we are not there. Secondly, there are typical African problems that we are having, which we made provisions for, but some of them are a little bit frustrating. By now, our deep sea port would have gone far even though our consultants believe that it is one of the fastest ever in this part of the world. When we came in, we said that to lay a proper foundation for our economic development, we needed to look at the three gateways – land, air and water, but we encountered some bottlenecks. So, I do not think I am up to speed that I had in mind, but in terms of quality and deliverables that we promised, I think we have tried.

How have you been able to fund these projects given the recession that you talked about?

Let me first of all thank you for your choice of word. Thank God that you did not say cash. I keep letting people, especially the media know that there is a difference between money and cash. You can develop a lot with money, but you might not have cash, so the essence of my being here at this time is to create money to develop my state, but I may not have cash. If you ask us of cash, we might not have, but we can create money to develop the state.

Do you see your administration completing these project between now and May next year, when your first term elapses?

The problem with Nigeria and Africa is that we are too short term in our processes and that is what is affecting their execution and even our investment decisions. And that is why in Nigeria today, if you go to any city, every inch is a kiosk, helping the Asian market to grow its small and medium scale enterprises. Because everybody is looking for commerce and quick sale, every nonsense produced in Asian market, we must buy and sell. Ninety per cent of what we are doing is not short termed because we cannot do them in short term, and that is why Nigeria has not developed small and medium scale enterprises up till now. We are not doing anything that will terminate by next year; we are doing things that people will see their value, so that irrespective of what God decides tomorrow, those things should run. The point is that outside road construction, infrastructure development, social services and amenities, you can see factories, which shows that investors are coming. In fact, apart from the Coconut Refinery, there is no other one that government has one per cent share in.

With the Coconut Refinery, we want to make a statement. If tomorrow, the state government says ‘look we do not have a hand in this thing again,’ we will sell that investment at a profit because you need only one million nuts every day to make a profit of at least N220 million dollars a year in that refinery. When I am talking about numbers, I am talking with all the sensitivity analysis you have ever been taught on earth. Tell me how many governments in Africa that can boast of that kind of profit not to talk of jobs that would be created because as of today, we have employed 1,200 on the various processes involved. Concerning the coconut plantation, the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) is there following up. We are targeting to plant two million seedlings. Let the worst happen, there is no way out of the two million seedlings we won’t come out with about one million. They are high breed coconuts and each bunch is targeted at about 57 nuts, and coconuts sprout about four to six rounds. At times, you have three layers at a go. So, if you have one million stands, it means that in about 200 days, you cannot finish about 200 million nuts.

We are not doing typical white elephant projects, we are doing projects that by tomorrow, even if we want to privatise, their Initial public offering (IPO) will realise initial investment and even give us room for expansion. Today, virgin coconut oil in the international market is $6 per litre. If you remember your mathematics very well, 221 litres make one barrel. So, multiply that toget how much it is a barrel. We might not refine as much as we do in terms of crude oil, but if you look at the numbers, there is no way, with all your sensitivity analysis that we will not operate at maximum capacity. Our next target will be bamboo, because if you scan the entire South-South, every little bush you see, you will see bamboo sprouting on its own. It is natural, it is like palm trees that you can see everywhere. Like our creed says, we see beyond what others see.

Where does Akwa Ibom really have competitive economic edge?

You cannot arrive at a score, if you have not finished the examination. I am not so quick at scoring what we have done, and what we have achieved. And in life, you are not good until someone says you are good, which is why you are here. So, you as the examiner will tell us whether we are good.


What measures are you taking to enlist the assistance of the Federal Government and why can’t the gulf between the state government and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in the interest of the state?

I am one of those who believe that anyone who holds an executive position in any development -oriented agency, not only the NDDC, shouldn’t seek for political appointment. It is extremely contradictory; it is only in Nigeria that you will find such a thing. Secondly, I am not talking propaganda; we are the largest contributor to the NDDC fund. NDDC runs projects in nine states and all International Oil Companies (IOCs) contribute two per cent of their budget to the commission, but drive round Akwa Ibom State and show me one road that is up to 2 kilometres that was built by the so-called NDDC. There is nothing like gap, we don’t play politics with development. The questions are: What has been contributed so far? Can we even see what is on ground?

You’ve seen the roads we are doing, which are of high quality. But most of these federal agencies will go and put bitumen on top of clay or top soil. As they are leaving, those things are gone. We are not even going too far. If sincerely you mean development, we have from Odukpani in Cross River State up to Aba, Abia State still pending when the full contract has been awarded. The essence of NDDC and Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) was to bridge this gap, but how come that has not been so even with all the money they have collected? These are question people should answer because if we speak, some will say that we are playing politics. I am not playing politics with development. I am talking about things you can see. We are talking about capacity here; you cannot give what you do not have.

Are there specific initiatives that you have put in place to tackle youth restiveness, which is a major problem in the country?

What you are seeing on ground is actually aimed at that. The biggest employer will still be agriculture. We will still build more factories where they will go and work. We have at least 26 hectares of cocoa plantation. We are bringing one of the best cocoa processing plants you can ever think of, because what differentiates the cocoa you get from Nigeria from the cocoa you get from any other place is the flavour as a result of the way we dry cocoa in Nigeria. That is why even with all the cocoa that we have in this country, we didn’t not make anything out of it. We didn’t invest in the processing of the cocoa to meet international standard, so we could not get appropriate pricing for the cocoa we grow in Nigeria. One of the best flavours you can get in terms of coca is from Akwa Ibom because of our vegetation.

During your opening remarks, you talked about the invasion threat by the opposition ahead of the 2019 elections. Are you planning to match force with force as some PDP governors have boasted?

Those calling for war; it is either they have wars in their homes or within themselves. But we that have peace, we preach it. I just want Nigerians to ask those preaching war where their children are. Whose children do they want to engage in the war, when they have hidden their children somewhere? Unfortunately, that is one of the disadvantages of freedom of speech and human rights. We are aware that they have even gone ahead to sew fake police and army uniforms, and are trying to bring in all kinds of ammunitions through different routes. I normally ask people that if the intention is to serve, why you have to kill the people you want to serve. We all campaign, present our manifesto and call for votes so that we can serve our people, but if you sincerely want to serve your people, why do you have to kill them? This means that they have other motives in which serving is not included.

There is an allegation that there are plans to make sure that elections do not hold in Akwa Ibom State in 2019. Assuming that the alarm is correct, what are you doing as government to ensure that the plan does not succeed?

What we can ensure is to make sure that the state is peaceful. The people of Akwa Ibom know what they want and who they want. They are so enlightened, educated, and they are politically savvy. So, they know someone who is sincere, and have the capacity. I believe the people will speak out for what they want. This is the time for people to recreate, redefine and restructure. There are certain things we are noted for and everybody have certain threats of leadership. There are certain statements I will make, the whole world will clap, and there are certain statements I will make and the whole world will be disappointed. You must determine within yourself that if you have come to serve the people, the interest of the people should be paramount. The state is well organised, and things are structured. We do not just do things by human intuition, it is a planned and well mapped out system that we are running here.

The 2019 presidential election seems a two-horse race between your party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC). How confident are you that PDP will take APC out of power?

The level of confidence has no probability; it is as constant as the North Pole. People that usually play pool will use the money they should have used to eat to play, hoping that they will win, how much more the biggest party in Africa that has structures across all the units and has brought development to Nigeria?. It is not even a probability, I am certain it is PDP or no other party.

https://www.independent.ng/pdp-will-take-apc-out-of-power-in-2019-gov-emmanuel/

ok keep dreaming sir. it will do u like a film

Only confidence will not help oh.
Better go and do your political mathematics very well.

BUHARI keep disgracing us with this certificate matter but ATIKU (under the umbrella) with his people planning to take over and take us back to the era of awarding pseudo project while waiting for another government to implement the real ones for them to claim the glory is NOT AN ALTERNATIVE FOR NIGERIA.

I LOVE OBI. PETER.

Well-done sir. Keep the confidence up. With the huge Federal allocations minus IGR within the state for almost four years pencil and toothpick factories. Your own even better small pass osun matter. The garment making factory that one made is under lock and key. All of una your days are numbered both apc and pdp and the rest including the upcoming ones.

Have nothing to say rather than to collect space...oya come nd beat me

Na so ooo.....many pipu eye don already open and more go still open b4 election

Not only you Sir, all of Us ni o

kikiki my belle
patience Jonathan was soo confident then too

Super confident bro

Udom is a useless human being---nnamdi kanu 2017

Super confident bro. Make them just no fvck up

Sure Banker

B

Yea. We will surely send buhari back to daura

Abi.

Let PDP first capitalize on Buhari inability to provide his School Cert. Go to court anew. Stop Buhari from contesting the 2019 presidential election if he fails to produce the originals of his Secondary School leaving Certificate.

How can a certificate-less man be dribbling professors and SANs?

Military Board is in Nigeria, not in hell.

You own seat isn't even secure.

Talk is cheap udom,
retired primary school teachers you are owing 1 year plus pension and gratuity since 2015 will kick you out first...
heartless thing like udom

Please stop thinking this way so as to avoid looting the state treasury,because Buhari will treat you like fayose

Yes Na pdp have made inroad in buhari region that have Jonathan 3% of votes..

Pdp now has Kano , zamfara , jigawa and Sokoto with the caliphate support..

Lamido ,markafi , tambuwal, kwakwanson will destroy buhari in north west the only state save there is katsina..


Pdp will flog buhari flawlessly in the middle belt there is no argument here.

North East is atiku region pmb is dead there..


The south are with atiku

ok

Nigerians especially the youths are buying into the false hope preached by politicians that Nigeria is working. The same politicians & their children have all secured their future in the western world. If you're still supporting a political candidate base on regional, religious, ethnicity, etc. You're only gambling your future.

Meanwhile, you can last longer in bed using natural means. See my profile for details

Amen

If you no Atikulate wetin you gain
Change the change 2019




Check my siggy to eradicate poverty

Very true, Atikulators are kicking Buhari back to Daura

My friend was so confident Real Madrid will win C S K Moscow in the champions league..
and he used the money he was supposed to use too buy a phone to Play bet9ja
Till today he is still using nokia touch light..

This man may just retire Akpabio from politics.

over-confident is what kills d cat but with God on our side we will send d dullard back to daura