When the news of Umana Umana’s alleged interest in the 2015 governorship race broke into my politically-deaf ears a few years back, I simply smiled as so many thoughts flashed across my film mind. He is a good man, a silent achiever, seasoned technocrat, a progressive bureaucrat, erudite administrator and an accomplished family man, but I have so many things plague my thought as I view him as my governor.
Number One: Eket Senatorial District will have to wait for another eight long years before they gamble for the governorship slot again. But does that matter? Well, that is the One billion dollar question the people of Akwa Ibom will have to answer. Zoning has become the slime in Nigeria’s democratic anecdote. The tenacity of the doctrine has become perpetually punctured (for good) as series of defiant capable leaders have emerged swimming against the tide of zoning.
But should Mr Umana Umana’s emergence be a product of defiance? Not in the least! When Jonathan emerged in 2011, it was not as a product of zoning, neither was it in defiance of the doctrine. Dr. Jonathan emerged as a popular candidate against all odds because he was the man of the moment, and this brings me to the second thought.
Number Two: Is Umana Okon Umana really the man of the moment? As a neutral observer, I will chorus a resounding YES! Through a film darkly, every viewer beholds him striking the image of a colossus on the political cum administrative landscape of Akwa Ibom. He has been there from the ‘beginning of time’. He bestrides the every sphere of the state’s political history, not as an observer but as an active participant. It can never be said that he was brought from Lagos (in a night bus) to become a commissioner. Obong Umana’s presence permeates the entire political ‘chiefdom’ of the state, yet one hardly hears him speak of his achievements. Most times I ask myself, what uncommon modesty did this man enmesh himself in? His unassuming personality has so endeared him to the people that even in the marketplace; his name arouses smiles from all and sundry. It is rare for someone who is not a Chief Executive of a place to command such endearment. What else is there to add… YES, Mr Umana Umana’s generosity (as I’m made to believe) has also drawn him close to the people’s heart. I am yet to see an evil finger directed at him, and if there is someone who planning to do so, I will advise such a finger or its owner to act fast because I perceive a Hurricane is about sweeping across the land.
Number Three: Akwa Ibom has reached the apogee. The present administration, led by Chief Godswill Akpabio, has launched the state into the orbit. We can’t afford to gamble with the future of the state. For someone who has been in the system from the days of John the Baptist, Obong Umana’s leadership of the state will be the icing on the cake of Akpabio’s administration. This is not to say that Umana-led Akwa Ibom MUST tow the line of the Akpabio government, far from that. My reckoning is that, having been in the system, Umana will be able to tow Akwa Ibom along the path renewed acceleration leading to new heights and prowess. He who wears the shoe, they say, knows where it pinches, as such, having been in the shoes of state administration for so long, an Akwa Ibom, under Umana Umana, can never derail. I can bet everything I have on that.
MY SUBMISSION: Zoning seems to be the only fence on path of Umana Umana’s governorship. It remains the slime which has made many state slip from the path of development. Should Akwa Ibom continue to fiddle with this slime, we will either lose or gain depending on which side of the divide we fall into. But if we allow good sense of judgment to guide us, Akwa Ibom will witness a more accelerated development from 2015. Obong Umana Umana’s administrative prowess is not in doubt. His coming is not to amass wealth or gain popularity, but I forsee a man coming to render selfless service, service above self to the people of Akwa Ibom. I foresee a man who will be restoring the fear of God within the walls of the Hilltop Mansion. I foresee a governor riding on a colt as the people gladly shout ‘Here comes the Messiah’ along the streets. I see a man who knows exactly where to place his finger and gets a problem solved. I SEE UMANA UMANA AS THE CAPABLE HAND THAT WILL MOVE AKWA IBOM BEYOND 2015.
U2 CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN
Friday, 17 May 2013
WILL IT BE POSSIBLE FOR SSG UMANA TO SUCCEED GOV AKPABIO
AKWA IBOM 2015: FIDDLING WITH THE SLIME
“I told you. You don't love someone because of their looks or their clothes or their car. You love them because they sing a song only your heart can understand.”
― L.J. Smith
When the news of Umana Umana’s alleged interest in the 2015 governorship race broke into my politically-deaf ears a few years back, I simply smiled as so many thoughts flashed across my film mind. He is a good man, a silent achiever, seasoned technocrat, a progressive bureaucrat, erudite administrator and an accomplished family man, but I have so many things plague my thought as I view him as my governor.
Number One: Eket Senatorial District will have to wait for another eight long years before they gamble for the governorship slot again. But does that matter? Well, that is the One billion dollar question the people of Akwa Ibom will have to answer. Zoning has become the slime in Nigeria’s democratic anecdote. The tenacity of the doctrine has become perpetually punctured (for good) as series of defiant capable leaders have emerged swimming against the tide of zoning.
But should Mr Umana Umana’s emergence be a product of defiance? Not in the least! When Jonathan emerged in 2011, it was not as a product of zoning, neither was it in defiance of the doctrine. Dr. Jonathan emerged as a popular candidate against all odds because he was the man of the moment, and this brings me to the second thought.
Number Two: Is Umana Okon Umana really the man of the moment? As a neutral observer, I will chorus a resounding YES! Through a film darkly, every viewer beholds him striking the image of a colossus on the political cum administrative landscape of Akwa Ibom. He has been there from the ‘beginning of time’. He bestrides the every sphere of the state’s political history, not as an observer but as an active participant. It can never be said that he was brought from Lagos (in a night bus) to become a commissioner. Obong Umana’s presence permeates the entire political ‘chiefdom’ of the state, yet one hardly hears him speak of his achievements. Most times I ask myself, what uncommon modesty did this man enmesh himself in? His unassuming personality has so endeared him to the people that even in the marketplace; his name arouses smiles from all and sundry. It is rare for someone who is not a Chief Executive of a place to command such endearment. What else is there to add… YES, Mr Umana Umana’s generosity (as I’m made to believe) has also drawn him close to the people’s heart. I am yet to see an evil finger directed at him, and if there is someone who planning to do so, I will advise such a finger or its owner to act fast because I perceive a Hurricane is about sweeping across the land.
Number Three: Akwa Ibom has reached the apogee. The present administration, led by Chief Godswill Akpabio, has launched the state into the orbit. We can’t afford to gamble with the future of the state. For someone who has been in the system from the days of John the Baptist, Obong Umana’s leadership of the state will be the icing on the cake of Akpabio’s administration. This is not to say that Umana-led Akwa Ibom MUST tow the line of the Akpabio government, far from that. My reckoning is that, having been in the system, Umana will be able to tow Akwa Ibom along the path renewed acceleration leading to new heights and prowess. He who wears the shoe, they say, knows where it pinches, as such, having been in the shoes of state administration for so long, an Akwa Ibom, under Umana Umana, can never derail. I can bet everything I have on that.
MY SUBMISSION: Zoning seems to be the only fence on path of Umana Umana’s governorship. It remains the slime which has made many state slip from the path of development. Should Akwa Ibom continue to fiddle with this slime, we will either lose or gain depending on which side of the divide we fall into. But if we allow good sense of judgment to guide us, Akwa Ibom will witness a more accelerated development from 2015. Obong Umana Umana’s administrative prowess is not in doubt. His coming is not to amass wealth or gain popularity, but I forsee a man coming to render selfless service, service above self to the people of Akwa Ibom. I foresee a man who will be restoring the fear of God within the walls of the Hilltop Mansion. I foresee a governor riding on a colt as the people gladly shout ‘Here comes the Messiah’ along the streets. I see a man who knows exactly where to place his finger and gets a problem solved. I SEE UMANA UMANA AS THE CAPABLE HAND THAT WILL MOVE AKWA IBOM BEYOND 2015.
U2 CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN
When the news of Umana Umana’s alleged interest in the 2015 governorship race broke into my politically-deaf ears a few years back, I simply smiled as so many thoughts flashed across my film mind. He is a good man, a silent achiever, seasoned technocrat, a progressive bureaucrat, erudite administrator and an accomplished family man, but I have so many things plague my thought as I view him as my governor.
Number One: Eket Senatorial District will have to wait for another eight long years before they gamble for the governorship slot again. But does that matter? Well, that is the One billion dollar question the people of Akwa Ibom will have to answer. Zoning has become the slime in Nigeria’s democratic anecdote. The tenacity of the doctrine has become perpetually punctured (for good) as series of defiant capable leaders have emerged swimming against the tide of zoning.
But should Mr Umana Umana’s emergence be a product of defiance? Not in the least! When Jonathan emerged in 2011, it was not as a product of zoning, neither was it in defiance of the doctrine. Dr. Jonathan emerged as a popular candidate against all odds because he was the man of the moment, and this brings me to the second thought.
Number Two: Is Umana Okon Umana really the man of the moment? As a neutral observer, I will chorus a resounding YES! Through a film darkly, every viewer beholds him striking the image of a colossus on the political cum administrative landscape of Akwa Ibom. He has been there from the ‘beginning of time’. He bestrides the every sphere of the state’s political history, not as an observer but as an active participant. It can never be said that he was brought from Lagos (in a night bus) to become a commissioner. Obong Umana’s presence permeates the entire political ‘chiefdom’ of the state, yet one hardly hears him speak of his achievements. Most times I ask myself, what uncommon modesty did this man enmesh himself in? His unassuming personality has so endeared him to the people that even in the marketplace; his name arouses smiles from all and sundry. It is rare for someone who is not a Chief Executive of a place to command such endearment. What else is there to add… YES, Mr Umana Umana’s generosity (as I’m made to believe) has also drawn him close to the people’s heart. I am yet to see an evil finger directed at him, and if there is someone who planning to do so, I will advise such a finger or its owner to act fast because I perceive a Hurricane is about sweeping across the land.
Number Three: Akwa Ibom has reached the apogee. The present administration, led by Chief Godswill Akpabio, has launched the state into the orbit. We can’t afford to gamble with the future of the state. For someone who has been in the system from the days of John the Baptist, Obong Umana’s leadership of the state will be the icing on the cake of Akpabio’s administration. This is not to say that Umana-led Akwa Ibom MUST tow the line of the Akpabio government, far from that. My reckoning is that, having been in the system, Umana will be able to tow Akwa Ibom along the path renewed acceleration leading to new heights and prowess. He who wears the shoe, they say, knows where it pinches, as such, having been in the shoes of state administration for so long, an Akwa Ibom, under Umana Umana, can never derail. I can bet everything I have on that.
MY SUBMISSION: Zoning seems to be the only fence on path of Umana Umana’s governorship. It remains the slime which has made many state slip from the path of development. Should Akwa Ibom continue to fiddle with this slime, we will either lose or gain depending on which side of the divide we fall into. But if we allow good sense of judgment to guide us, Akwa Ibom will witness a more accelerated development from 2015. Obong Umana Umana’s administrative prowess is not in doubt. His coming is not to amass wealth or gain popularity, but I forsee a man coming to render selfless service, service above self to the people of Akwa Ibom. I foresee a man who will be restoring the fear of God within the walls of the Hilltop Mansion. I foresee a governor riding on a colt as the people gladly shout ‘Here comes the Messiah’ along the streets. I see a man who knows exactly where to place his finger and gets a problem solved. I SEE UMANA UMANA AS THE CAPABLE HAND THAT WILL MOVE AKWA IBOM BEYOND 2015.
U2 CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN
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