*Keeping Akwa Ibom in Peace and Prosperity: Why Udom is the only Option*

Tom FredFish,
8th December, 2018

Despite the many gains for peace in the past three and half years in Akwa Ibom state by the Udom Emmanuel led administration, the drum beat of war by Akwa Ibom APC candidates for 2019 elections baffles right thinking citizens on the real intentions of APC for the state.

Before the coming of the Udom-led administration in 2015, Akwa Ibom state was rated unsecured and a flashpoint of violence during electioneering. That period had Senator Godswill Akpabio, Obong Nsima Ekere, Obong Umana Umana among many others who are now in the APC, governing the state.

Irrespective of various attempts by the Nigerian police, there exist unresolved cases of high profile murder, politically motivated assassinations, kidnappings, rape, robberies and political violence.

There are several known instance to buttress this point. An Ibibio monarch, Oku Ibom Ibibio III, Edidem James Robert Obot was murdered in cold blood in his palace in 2011; a retired General of the Nigerian Army, Edet Akpan was reportedly kidnapped during church service; one staff, two police men escorting cash belonging to Idems Ultimate Limited from their Abak road office to a nearby Bank at Abak road were attacked by robbers who shot about three people dead and carted away the company's money.

Political violence was also the order of the day as violent cases were recorded in Ikot Ekpene during political campaigns by thugs loyal to a current APC chieftain as youths returned to Uyo on reprisal, attacked innocent citizens and burnt down several vehicles and tricycles popularly know as keke Napep bought by the state government to ease transportation in the state. A candidate for Mkpat Enin state constituency, Dr. Joseph Akpan-akpudo was allegedly murdered in cold blood because of his political ambition. The list of breach of peace, violence and insecurity is inexhaustible.

The threat to peace from 2007-2015 when Senator Godswill Akpabio reigned as governor was not without repercussions. The foundation of Akwa Ibom peace, prosperity and development were hampered.

Two cases will prove this point. According to Darabong Utip, an indigene of Uyo Local Government Area who told her story in a recorded video message, peace is sine qua non for prosperity. Darabong was born and bred in the North East of Nigeria. At the peck of the Boko Haram menace in the north in 2012, her family ran back to Akwa Ibom state for safety but insecurity in Akwa Ibom state was in no way different from that of Maiduguri state where they fled from. Her parents immediately left Akwa Ibom to nearby Cross River state until Udom came in 2015 and restored normalcy.

Darabong confided that the movement to seek a peaceful environment after fleeing the North affected the economy of her parents that she and her siblings dropped out of school because her parents could hardly fend for them talk less of paying their school fees. She stayed away from school for three years until Udom Emmanuel assumed office in 2015 and her family returned to the state, thus while her contemporary had graduated and some gone for youth service, she began year one at the university.

The story of Ubong Nkanga is not different from Darabong Utip. Ubong recounted: "I am from Akwa Ibom state, between 2009-2014, the state was insecure, and many businesses collapsed. Night life in Uyo seized and my parent's food business was affected. I and my siblings dropped out of school. However when Udom came as governor in 2015, the security situation changed, people could now go out at night. My parents went back to their business, and we are back to school, there is nothing absolute as peace. We are happy that the dark days in Akwa Ibom are over."

The above elucidations have shown that the absence of peace can affect prosperity. Peace can be defined as law and order within a state and the absence of violence or disturbances. Without peace no substantial development can take place - no economic activities, opportunities, looking for jobs, payment of taxes, seeking for votes or profits can take place in a situation that lacks peace.

Without peace, there can never be prosperity and no prosperity can exist without peace. To fast track the achievement of lasting peace, the Udom Emmanuel administration took into cognizance four major steps from the onset.

First, is decent livelihoods. The PDP administration under Governor Udom took cognizance of the fact that when people are gainfully employed in decent work either employed or self employed and earns a decent living, they have a stake and would do nothing to disturb peace that is why the governor focussed on industrialization to avail youths who are usually agents of the breach of peace, jobs.

Second, is the provision and access to capital. When people are provided with capital to invest and improve their income through investment, they are not only stakeholders but an instruments of empowering others. This discourages them from any violent venture. The provision of soft loans to traders, artisans and other citizens up to 2billion naira by Governor Udom has yielded positive gains in the attempts to instill peace in the state.

Third, is the accurate utilization of revenue and services. The collection of revenue and investment of it in critical infrastructures and services needed to boost the state economy and peace to flourish, increases systemic resilience to violence.

Fourth, is having the right kind of leader who leads by example. Widely known as a Christian with the fear of God, Governor Udom since assuming office has lead by example. He has zero tolerance for violence and is never desperate to hold on to political power. His appointees are very conscious of this and have followed his body language and set mark for themselves to avoid activities that would encouraged violence or breach of peace. The high point of various attempts to stabilize peace in Akwa Ibom state is the proscription of all cult groups in the state by Governor Udom Emmanuel. This helped a great deal to reduce violence which is a product of cult related activities.

All these effort of Governor Udom Emmanuel is not without gains. Just recently, in a well attended event, the Nigerian Union of Journalist, NUJ, Akwa Ibom state chapter honoured Governor Udom Emmanuel with the "Outstanding Peace Achievement" award - the first of its kind since the creation of Akwa Ibom state. The state has been named the most peaceful state in the Niger Delta and conducive for investors. That is why her Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, is one of the highest in the country since 2015. The simple equation is that there can be no investment in a place where peace is absent. The investment in Metering industry, Syringe factory, flour mill, cocoanut industry and others in the pipeline are the product of lasting peace in the state. These activities would lead to employment and the end product - prosperity.

As citizens move to elect their leaders in 2019 for another four years, the only option left to keeping Akwa Ibom in peace and prosperity is electing Governor Udom Emmanuel for a second term in office. And "this is none negotiable" said Mr. Dan Etukidem, a public affairs analyst.

_Tom FredFish is a public affairs analyst_