Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has denied having any ambition for a third term through a surrogate when his second expires in 2023.
He said he would not continue in office for a third term through any surrogate.
Speaking in Uyo during an interactive session with the people, the Governor promised not to allow any cultist to take over the reins of governance from him in 2023.
According to him, “for peace to reign and for Christ to have control, I am not interested in the third term through a surrogate, the only thing you can help is to do is to ensure that no cultist is allowed to emerge Governor of the state.
“some council areas are highly volatile so if they nominate a cultist we would not permit such. any cultist arrested would not be released”.
The only way to ensure peace is to make a way to eradicate cultism if you want to ensure peace, we look up to God, then we embrace peace. some cult groups are clashing in some parts of the state and we have tried to make sure we crush them.
“We will stop at nothing in ensuring we crush them. it is not out intention to deploy soldiers to volatile areas and you are forcing us to do so. please let parents talk to their children, they gain nothing from cultism. it can’t be because of one man the whole village would run away. it is time to go their right way. ”
The Governor also explained why he is opening up more internal roads in Akwa Ibom State saying that it is to allow for ease of transportation and movement of goods and services.
He admitted that the lockdown caused by COVID19 had affected the completion time of these projects but stated emphatically that the roads will be completed in good time as government and governance is a continuum.
The Governor maintained that the intervention of his Administration in every sector of the state is wholesale assuring that all issues of pensions and gratuities will surely be given the rapid attention they are presently receiving.
Udom who challenged the protocol and parameters used by the National Bureau of statistics to rank the State as the second largest in terms of unemployment said he should be spared any distraction from NBS.
According to the Governor, “we were the second in foreign direct investment, every part of the state is a construction site, what do people call employment. I inherited 100+ doctors and today we have over 400. I attribute this to ignorance.
“In terms of investment in agriculture. our target was 16000 hectares, the coconut plantation is employing up to 400 people. Find out people in hospitality businesses, and none employ less than 250.
“It’s the same statistics they reeled out before 2019 election maybe NBS had forgotten than elections are over.
“Statistics has procedures and approaches. how did they arrive at their sample size’ they don’t even know the population of Nigeria.
“The fastest way to stimulate the economy is an investment in industries. do you know how many workers we have under Ibom air? both direct and indirect.”
