Ini Billie, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State governorship aspirant, and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary, Mr Onofiok Luke, has donated N5 million for the completion of the auditorium of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in the state.
Speaking on Thursday in Uyo during the formal consultation of the leadership of the PDP, traditional rulers of his local government area, Nsit Ubium, led by HRM Nteyin Solomon Etuk, the Oku Ibom Ibibio about his aspiration, Luke said he would run an inclusive government that would emphasise continuity in development.
The former speaker of the State House of Assembly said he would build on the development templates and legacies of previous governors, Obong Victor Attah, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and Mr Udom Emmanuel.
According to him, he has been incubated in the leadership womb of Akwa Ibom State for 15 years, adding that he has prepared for an opportunity to be the governor of the state.
He mentioned that having carefully identified the needs of different communities in the state added that he would ensure that there is no “dislocation in development” started by the past governors.
He explained that he would prioritise the development of human capacity in agriculture, entrepreneurship, aviation, and maritime, where the state has competitive advantage.
He further noted that under his leadership, the state would raise a pool of qualified manpower with the required competence to compete in the emerging industrialised economy of the state.
“I have been incubated in the leadership womb of this state for 15 years. I have interfaced with all strata of the state and her people; I know their challenges.
“With this exposure, I know the needs of the women, the youths, and students. I have in the last 10 years carefully collated the specific needs of our communities and they have formed part of my social contract.
“We have built infrastructure in this state; we will continue to build on infrastructure but we have to build people. We will build the capacity of our young men and women to match the human capacity needs.
“Akwa Ibom is a largely rural and agrarian community, to close the economic gap between our people and the enormous infrastructural development we have already, the next phase of industrialisation will be agro-based and value chain development.
“We will build more commodity hubs, we are going to make effective use of existing hubs and increase them across the state to ensure that our people have value for their agro produce,” he stated.
In his response, the state chairman of the PDP, Mr Aniekan Akpan, who served alongside Luke in the State House of Assembly between 2011-2015, described the aspirant as a committed party man.
Akpan encouraged Luke and his supporters to carry out their consultations and campaigns with decorum and decency, saying the party was open to every aspirant to express himself.
“You are a founding member of the party. We know you as a committed party man. The party appreciates you,” he said.