By Essien Ndueso
It is no longer news that Governor Godswill Akpabio has bridged the gap of underdevelopment and backwardness in Akwa Ibom through an even
spread of projects, programmes, empowerment and development schemes throughout the 31 local government areas of the State. This has been further consolidated with the execution of over 4000 rural projects that cut across the three senatorial districts, ten federal constituencies and 329 political wards in the state in addition to the construction and rehabilitation of at least 260 roads to provide the state with the best road network in the country.
Of this number, 80 roads measuring over 200km are federal roads, and their execution, as is common with Governor Akpabio’s ideals, are of greatest standard or quality as you will like to say. Such roads which have since been completed and have been put to use, include: the dualised Ekim Itam – Ikot Oku Ikono road(a section of the Calabar/ Itu Highway), the Afaha Obong –Etim Ekpo – Iwukem road, the Enen Nsit road which has three bridges, the Nung Udoe Itak-Use Ikot Amama road, the Abak-Ikot Ekpene dual carriage way, the Abak – Ukanafun road, and even the dualised Airport road which was commissioned by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan in July 2010.
Ibesikpo Asutan is not the largest local government area in Akwa Ibom State. But this area created from the old Uyo local government area in 1996 is home of the first indigenous commissioned Nigerian Army Officer, Brigadier Gen Wellington Bassey (NA001), a former Chief Of Air Staff, Air Marshall Nsikak Eduok, former Minister of Aviation, Air Commodore Ita Udo Ime, former Minister of Women Affairs, Obong Rita Akpan and even the immediate past Governor of the State, Obong Victor Attah.
An assumption by any development analyst could be that with this array of bigwigs and notable names, Ibesikpo Asutan people will be wrong if they cry of apparent marginalization and lack of attention by successive governments.
Over the years, the Aka-Nung Udoe road has been a subject of political debacle, as different governments failed to live up to their promises of making the road motorable. And this continued despite the fact that until recently, political leadership of the state resided in the area.
Stretching a distance of 15 kilometers, the road leads from the famous Ibom Plaza in Uyo, the State Capital and terminates at Nung Udoe , the headquarters of Ibesikpo Asutan local government area; the road is not the longest road constructed by Governor Akpabio, but then, the significance of this road is worth a mention.
On this road lies one of the longest surviving industry in the state the Champion Breweries, a plastic production company – the Plasto Crown, as well as the Children Reformation Center built by Her Excellency Mrs Ekaete Unoma Akpabio. Also, the road is the nearest route to the oil rich city of Eket that is home to several multinational oil and gas firms.
The Local Government Area is blessed with extensive oil palm grooves and other forest resources. There are crude oil and solid mineral deposits in the area. The area presents potentials and investment opportunities in oil palm related industries (vegetable oil, soap, cream, feeds) ceramics industry, commercial farming, starch/glue production, glass blowing, and exploitation of minerals (oil, gas, clay, sand, gravel) deposits.
Two of the most distinguished secondary schools in the state, Lutheran High School, Obot Idim, and the Air Force Comprehensive Secondary Schools, at Okop Ndua Erong are located within the Local Government Area. The area also houses the National Secretariat of The Lutheran Church of Nigeria at Obot Idim Ibesikpo, at where Governor Akpabio announced his intention to re-construct the dilapidating road in September 2009.
Soon after, a man renowned with promise keeping, Chief Akpabio matched his words with action when he signed a contract awarding the dualization of Uyo-Aka-Nung Udoe Road to the CCECC Nigeria Limited at a contract sum of N12.03bn.
At the contract signing ceremony, Governor Akpabio explained that he was not guided by weights of opinion but by the promise he made to the people of the state in May 2007, that the lives of Akwa Ibom people will never remain the same again.
The hitherto poor state of this road , its despicable nature turned the route into a nightmare. And even commuters to adjoining local governments preferred to take alternative longer but safer routes; as some of the bad spots had even become a haven for criminals and were completely impassable.
The construction of this federal highway has doused the tension created by political jobbers that the Akpabio’s administration will fail to execute the project in other to score a cheap political point against his predecessor Obong Victor Attah.
And so the doubting Thomases, who were skeptical that anything good could come from Nazareth” got dumbfounded when on Monday September 13, 2010, the groundbreaking ceremony for the road construction was performed by no lesser a person than the Vice President of Nigeria, Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo.
Although due for commissioning in May, the people of the area are already savouring the benefits of the road which has ensured increased commercial activities as well as the material well being and personal comforts of the residents.
Prominent among them is Air Marshall Nsikak Eduok who led some elders from the area on a thank you visit to the uncommon transformer.
The new Aka – Nung Udoe Road road is one of the delights in road construction with modern features such as utility corridor, parking lanes, pedestrian overhead bridges in strategic locations, road traffic devices and signs and road markings to guide motorists.
Another road closely related to this road is the third ring road, which comes with a new flyover, and which springs from the dualised Ikot Oku Ikono road and abuts the Aka – Nung Udoe road with a promise to presenting a more organized inner and outer road network. This is in addition to the just awarded construction of the Aka – Nsit – Etinan- Abak road project.
It could be seen therefore that the accelerated development in Akwa Ibom State brought about by the Akpabio administration has become a critical lesson for apostles of good governance, because it tends to lead Akwa Ibom people away from ethnicity and traditional ties, which hitherto tied developments to where leaders come from, to a more acceptable even revolution in the socio-economic development of the state
