Robinson Umo

The re-nomination of Mr. Moses Ekpo constitutes a major “nice thing” from Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Ekpo’s statutory and political alter-ego. Having in his first term ceaselessly promoted Mr. Ekpo as the best deputy governor in the country, it became an integrity issue whether the governor would be able to move beyond mere promotion and shake off palpable pressure for him to run with another candidate as deputy governor.

But why was the re-nomination that significant? Precisely because it made Mr. Emmanuel the very first governor in the state since 1999 to have gone into his second term with the same man as his running mate, thus sealing his status as a man of absolute integrity. It was, therefore, no surprise that at the polls later in the year, the people of the state enacted the second nice thing by preferring him to any other candidate, rightly judging that if his charity had so obviously began at his political home, he would have same to dispense in our larger home of Akwa Ibom, even at a discount.

The voice of the people is the voice of God! That was exactly what the judiciary attested with regards to the popular mandate given to Governor Emmanuel and his Deputy for a second term. First, it was the tribunal, then the Appeal Court, and finally the Supreme Court. To massage and reciprocate the supreme beatitude of the moment, Governor Emmanuel recorded yet another first by retaining his entire first-term cabinet.

Akwa Ibom witnessed several breath-taking things and the least we can do in appreciation here is to continue to count our blessings. And so we take Ibom Air, as well as an infrastructural and business wonder from the standpoint of our local Nigerian possibility, beating a national record in airline business f e a s i b i l i t y.

For the Deputy Governor, a consummate communicator, a doyen of the media, and devout Christian of Catholic persuasion, Mr. Ekpo had intoned, the calm mirth with which he conveys seriousness of decision praying on his lips.

Given his very tight schedule, which included an oversea trip at the corner, my deductions were that the deputy governor could only undertake those media-related outings as crash programmes – and that is what it turned out to be: the two events on the same day; one even lasting well into mid-night. Health and security equivalent of striking the rock twice, if you asked me; just like his Biblical namesake had done in the days of old.

But our modern day Moses stretched the limits in virtuous justification of the confidence reposed on him by the media in the state as its ambassador, as well as to prove the point that Governor Emmanuel means well for the state as indicated by these other nice things: the new deal in hospital infrastructure; the flour mill; rice mill; garri processing mill; the fertilizer blending company; the game-changer security move, resulting the cessation of hostilities