WHEN ONE MAN SINGLEHANDEDLY CHANGED THE NARRATIVES , PERCEPTIONS OF A RACE, THE GODSWILL AKPABIO'S EXAMPLE BY CKN
Few days ago I watched on TV the celebration of the 39th years anniversary of Akwa Ibom State
The celebration was spectacular
In attendance were the who is who in Akwa Ibom State including former governors ( military and civilians )
I still don't know why my own brother Ekerete Udoh couldn't extend an invitation to me ( e be like say i go begin distance myself from that guy 😆 😂 )
I was impressed with the giant strides the State has achieved under 40 years
Before now , an average Akwa Ibom was looked down on by Nigerians
Most of them were seen as individuals meant for minial jobs
If you need a cook , gardner, mayguard and " houseboys " in the past , Akwa Ibom was your best destination
These was how we got to know of Bassey , Okon , Inyang , Ekaette etc in those days
Despite the successes of some Akwa Ibomites, no one reckoned with them
Akwa Ibomites were notorious for menial jobs , it got to a point that many Akwa Ibomites felt more comfortable claiming other states around the South South than their home State
But some years ago, God sent a " Moses " and who practically came to liberate his people
His name is GODSWILL AKPABIO
Akpabio wasn't the first civilian governor of Akwa Ibom, the first in 1999 was Arc Attah
But Akpabio it was that dug in , revolutionised Akwa Ibom and made it a pride of place
Never in the history of Nigeria have I seen such quick turnaround in fortunes
Akpabio was a man that was in a hurry to rewrite history and he surely did
Within 8 years , he did what many states couldn't achieve in 50 years
Akwa Ibom became the tourist destination of Nigeria
Good roads became it's Hallmark..Every part of the State were touched
Schools , hospitals were built..The life of an average Akwa Ibom was turnaround
Akwa Ibomites disappeared from the various manial jobs they were used to
Patriotism set in, most of them moved back to their state to join hands in developing their state
Every Akwa Ibomites started having their place of pride in the scheme of things
Many Nigerians wished they were from Akwa Ibom
Today Akwa Ibom stands tall as a pride to its people
In terms of infrastructural developments, there are few states that can measure and match up to Akwa Ibom
The state currently has the best Airline in the country amongst so many other things
The best stadium in Nigeria is in Akwa Ibom State ( all legacies of Akpabio)
The governors after Akpabio like Udom Emmanuel and current governor Umoh Eno are doing their best to keep the flag flying
Don't get me wrong , Godswill Akpabio like every human beings has his shortcomings and flaws ( it is usual ) afterall I have known him from a distance since 1998 when he was working with EMIS ( A telecommunications company owned by Don Etebiet ) but above all these , he came , saw and conquered
If there was a second Moses , Godswill Akpabio was one and I am sure the people of Akwa Ibom will not forget him in a lifetime
Chris Kehinde Nwandu is a Lagos based Journalist