We will prepare an auto photo map of Akwa Ibom State to consolidate development – James Iniama

Hon James Iniama, an estate surveyor and politician, in this interview with UDEME ETIM, speaks on how Akwa Ibom State under the leadership of Gov Udom Emmanuel is experiencing all round development.

He reveals that his aspiration for the top job in Akwa Ibom State is driven by the quest to consolidate the achievements of successive administrations in the state.

Excerpts:

As you are ready to contest for the governorship seat in Akwa Ibom State, what are the areas in the state that need attention and which you intend to touch?

Akwa Ibom State was created in 1987. We have grown to hear that “Rome was not built in a day.” Don’t forget, Uyo was a local government headquarter. I came to Uyo on February 21, 1985. I can say confidently that Uyo; though a local government headquarter was still an urban village. Most of what we see in Uyo today were not there. So, if you think back from the day Governor Tunde Ogbeha (the first military governor of the state) was received from Okom River boundary between Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, till today, when you come to Uyo, you are faced with the challenge of turning the urban village into a state capital suddenly.

At a time, we had the University of Cross River State which is now the University of Uyo. Thank God we had Cross River Television Station, now Akwa Ibom State Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC); we had Champion Breweries; Plasto Crown; Auto Park, and Qua Steel Company in Eket. Other companies in the state were Quality Ceramics at Itu; Sunshine Batteries; Ikot Ekpene; Biscuit; Cement Factory; Asbestonit and Palm Mill Industries in Abak Local Government Area.

But these were only foundational industries that could help us to evolve. Since the administrative headquarters of the state has been settled with befitting edifices of a state, Tunde Ogbeha, Godwin Abbe, Obong Akpan Isemin found themselves in that realm of development. And then came Obong Victor Attah as an architect and planner. Attah said, “Come we need to have orderliness in the state through the master plan.” He then produced the master plan that defined the nature of the development of the state.

That is the template of which I believe every administration in the state can ride. But you see, if you talk of a master plan, it is dynamic. We have come to a point where that master plan of development of our dear state will be revised. Now, come governor Udom Emmanuel. Udom came and initiated the cluster of industrial development. I thank God we are now going to have the Free Trade Zone, Deep Sea Port, among others. Obong Victor Attah started the airport while Governor Udom Emmanuel brought Ibom Air. We are still at the development stages of our state.

So, if you look at Akwa Ibom State, let me challenge you, on the day it rains, just step out to any local government areas of this state, the immediate challenge that confronts us is flood. We still need to develop the infrastructure of this state. So, what are we going to do? We will address that immediate need through the preparation of an Auto Photo Map of the state. The map will simply tell us exactly what the layup of the entire state is so that we can ensure an integrated development plan of the state, because the way this state grows, very soon we will have a one-city state.

Everything will be well planned and laid down in a manner that there will be no chaos when we get into the development of the state. There is more to be done. We must prepare to step into the shoes of our past leaders who have laid this foundation with commitment and patriotism to the people.

What is your relationship with Gov Udom Emmanuel since he has already said that he doesn’t know his successor for now?

The governor will not have a successor until elections are conducted. There will be an electoral process to be published by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC). The governor has to follow the law. He is not a lawless man. Yes! He doesn’t have a successor for now. He is honest about it and that is true. We the citizens of Akwa Ibom State know that he doesn’t have a successor for now. The other side of it is that I am a member of the People Democratic Party (PDP); a very loyal PDP person at that. So, we will wait to follow the party guidelines for the party primaries and then be warmed up for the General Elections. My relationship with the governor is that he is my governor, and I am a Christian and I revere leadership. He is my governor, and I am loyal to the government of Gov. Udom Emmanuel.

Some names have been mentioned that the governor has anointed some persons such as Udom Inoyo, Akan Udofia, Pastor Umo Eno as anointed persons for the governorship of Akwa Ibom State and your name is not there. How do you strategize for the contest?

If I don’t strategize, I won’t invite you to come for this interview. And let me say this: Where we are sitting is a few meters away from Maitama – a popular sit-out in Uyo. And if you want to hear gossips, please sit around there till midnight. You will even hear that your village head has been anointed to contest for governorship in 2023.

There are all manners of stories, but we are talking of a governor, Udom Emmanuel, who understands the rules of succession. We are not in a church where you just get anointing oil and begins to anoint somebody. He understands we will all compete and exhibit competence. Governor Udom Emmanuel comes from the banking sector, an organized banking sector in that matter, precisely Zenith Bank. He rose to the height of his profession. He understands the process of succession. He will like the process to run smoothly so that Akwa Ibom will have the best of the best. This is how it will be. There is no anointed candidate yet, and it will not be.

You just mentioned PDP as a platform you will contest election in 2023. And there is internal wrangling in that party. Are you comfortable using the platform?

It is a normal thing. In a political process, we should expect this kind of thing. We know that the National Chairman’s tenure has come to an end. And people will obviously become interested to be the new National Chairman of the party. So, you should expect all manners of things. But PDP is a family. It is an internal issue that will be resolved amicably. I am extremely comfortable in PDP. And of course, there is no other party in this country I will leave PDP for. Rather than go to any other political party, it means there will be no aspiration for me. It is the only party of hope for the people of this nation.

What if you don’t secure the party ticket for the election?

Why are you wishing me bad instead of praying for me? I am a man of faith. I don’t even expect anybody or anything to say that I will not be the preferred candidate by the delegates of the party at the primaries. I am sure to be given the party ticket come 2023.

I read your profile and discovered that you come from a private sector like Gov. Udom Emmanuel. What will be your focus as Emmanuel concentrated on industrialisation in the state?

To say Udom Emmanuel is focusing on industrialisation is not a complete statement. If you look at Udom Emmanuel’s administration, he has initiated not only industrial programmes, but he has also tackled issues in agriculture, education, human capital development, small and medium scale businesses. For anybody who understands Akwa Ibom State, you will know that these are critical sectors of life for the people of the state. If you understand that, what you need to do is to step into the shoes of the agenda of Gov Udom Emmanuel. Build on it, improve on it to the benefit of the Akwa Ibom people.

Let me start with Ibom Deep Seaport. You cannot come into this state as a successor of Governor Udom Emmanuel and you are not chasing the development of Ibom Deep Seaport with vigour. It is critical to the development of this state. You can’t be Governor Emmanuel’s successor without aligning with Free Trade Zone initiative and make it one of your priorities. For instance, in 1998, I travel to Dubai; Dubai International Airport was not nearly as good as Victor Attah International Airport in Akwa Ibom State. But you see, Dubai International Airport is a Free Trade Zone. What I noticed was that the Free Trade Zone was also advertised at the point you are making your documentation at the Immigration Office in the airport.

The amazement is that those Free Trade Zones in Dubai have fused and are and became a very active business unit in Dubai. So, if we have Free Trade Zone, congratulations to Governor Udom Emmanuel. Anybody who comes here will be interested to develop the Free Trade Zone. Imagine the population of youths in Akwa Ibom that are not employed. You can’t come here without doing anything that will create employment for these youths. The Civil Service cannot absorb all the youths. The only thing you can do to ensure that most of them are employed is to continue the industrial development agenda of Governor Udom Emmanuel. Of course, Udom has an agricultural initiative. And for me, what I am going to do is to map out the state.

We will prepare our soil survey. We will have to know which parts of the state are fertile for each crop and economic tree. We will have to train our farmers and provide more land to ensure that we are no longer subsistent farmers but engage in large scale agricultural practices to guaranty more employment through the processing of agricultural products. creating exports to add value chain. You just acknowledge that people have worked in this state. Your predecessors have laboured, put in their time, one must step into their shoes and continue from where they stopped and make them better.

When you talk of the industrialisation agenda, don’t forget that the former Governor of Cross River State from Akwa Ibom State, Obong Dr Clement Isong within four years as governor built about 10 factories in four years but none of these is in production today. We should be thinking of reactivating those Industries and get this population of our youths gainfully employed. You also look at the commercialisation of activities. We don’t want an Akwa Ibom State where everybody’s focus will be on the government. It will not be right, so we will look at providing vehicle, creating an enabling environment that will ensure that commerce thrives. As I have said, we must understand the peculiarities of our people. We must know the state and our needs including the relative advantages offered by each senatorial district and council area. This is the way I think it should be not a directional thing. Governor Emmanuel does not only focus on industrialisation. He is doing other things.

How do you assess the report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that the Akwa Ibom State unemployment index is very high?

Let me tell you, I am a Nigerian. I have been living in this country as a Nigerian before Independent. I celebrated Nigeria Independent as a primary school pupil. You are a journalist, tell me one day that you see statisticians from the Federal Office of Statistics going through our streets taking data. You see there are things we say about Nigeria which Nigerians must question. You don’t just sit in Abuja or one office somewhere and you pop up projections or figures, telling me that these are those unemployed in Akwa Ibom State. No! You hit the street and you find out facts that will enable you to build upon. You can’t tell me that Akwa Ibom State has the highest number of unemployed youths in the country.

Recently, there is a political group in Akwa Ibom State known as Maintain Peace Movement (MPM) whose son is to drive the succession plan of Gov. Udom Emmanuel. Are you part of this movement?

Yes! It is a part of the succession plan. For everything you must do, whether it is your family, friends, or social groups, you need peace. I am one of many Nigerians who have suffered great injustice and discrimination. I have been hunted and hounded in this state just because I was the opponent of somebody in the 2007 General Elections. You have the records that from 2007 electricity could hardly be seen in this state.

Women couldn’t go to market. Of course, what I am saying, there are records for them. Whatever we have to put down, we will be in error if we don’t have peace. It is a principle that we seek peace and be committed to it. We will not only talk peace, but we must also make it our lifestyle. We should make Akwa Ibom State be like heaven where everybody wants to go. Whether you are coming for tourism, business, or anything about development, we must all rise and support Maintain Peace Movement initiative.

We lost it all from 2007. People left this state. Others started living in Cross River because of insecurity. It is only now most of us are returning. I left Uyo for many years because we didn’t have peace. I am supporting the Peace Agenda of Governor Udom Emmanuel. But what I don’t know is if it is the vehicle in which Governor Emmanuel is pursuing his succession plan. That is what I don’t know but it is a necessary agenda. It should be preached, taught so that we live together peacefully.