Guardian

Chief Edet Mkpubre is the immediate past national vice chairman of PDP South-south. He is from Oron Nation in Eket Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom State. In this interview with AYOYINKA OLAGOKE, he lamented the uneven allocation of resources by the state government. He maintained that the people of Eket senatorial district have not seen the impact of uncommon transformation.

Is there fairness in distribution of projects in the state?

Uyo was a rural city many years ago, but today, Uyo is a good-looking city, I hope what is happening in Uyo and Ikot Ekpene senatorial districts could be extended to Eket senatorial district. The government still has few two years and some months to go. I guess he could remedy whatever short- comings, in terms of lopsidedness in the distributions of infrastructure, at least to reflect equity among the three senatorial districts.

You journalists have been to Eket, Uyo and Ikot Ekpene districts; can you drive in your car to Oron beach? The road is cut off; there is no communication anywhere. If you go to Ibeno, it is the same thing. You talk of Ibaka, it is a project on paper, in Ibaka, even the land acquired by the government for the deep seaport compensations have not been paid on those lands.

Governor Akpabio is said to be very generous. Is your district benefiting from the government’s ‘uncommon transformation’?

THAT has always been the style of the governor, trying to touch lives in his own way. I know he donates handsomely to churches, organisations, particularly NGOs that had taken upon themselves the task to tackle problems which government on their own cannot do. He has always been a generous governor, but people become a bit critical when he sponsored people to attend somebody’s wedding ceremony in Dubai.

I can’t understand why he would do that.

Doesn’t that show how wealthy the state is?

It doesn’t show the wealth of the state, I am sure 60percent of Akwa Ibom people don’t ride Prado jeeps. We are not that wealthy to give that out to an individual. Uyo had been built; there are so many other places that needed to be built. Eket is the headquarters of Eket senatorial district; it has been an old city with economic activities that can sustain a city. It needed to be built. The Governor needs to replicate what is in Uyo and Ikot Ekpene senatorial districts in Eket, so that people in Eket can stay and develop the city; that would create employment. Today, you see very prominent Anang people who don’t come to live in Uyo, they live in Ikot Ekpene because that place is now comfortable for people to live; very prominent politicians, some of them live in Ikot Ekpene and come to work in Uyo. I’m sure if Eket could be made as comfortable as Ikot Epkene and Uyo, people would want to live there.

How about job creation; will you say this government is doing enough?

Unemployment is there everywhere in Nigeria. But the governor promised during that he was going to build an industry in every local government, and the Akwa Ibom people were very hopeful that it will bring solution to the problem of unemployment, but that has not happened. What we hear now is that government is creating an environment for private sector to come in and that is a difficult one. My personal view is that if you wait in Akwa Ibom with the present level of poverty for people to come and invest in every local government, that could be a tall dream, it might never happen. I think government should invest in critical industries, the government should forget about creating environment because that is happening at the Federal. It is not the government responsibility to get into management of concept. In a situation of drastic unemployment the government must take decisions to intervene and build critical industries, which are useful to the people; create employment, manage it well. If those industries become profitable then you could privatize.

Akwa Ibom is right for a flourmill if you manage it well, and because it would be profitable, you privatize it in future. Look at the enormous development going on; let the government build aluminum roofing Sheet Company and make sure every building in the state get their roofing sheets from there.

If you are waiting for people to come and invest, they would not, because they have their own states to go and invest. There must be drastic decision on this unemployment issue; everybody is now playing politics because there is no employment.

What is the position of Eket people concerning 2015?

Our position is mainly on zoning and rotation. We stand on zoning and rotation because that is the only way power will move to every senatorial district. During the second term campaign of governor Akpabio, when Udoedeghe came in with ACN, I said, no, let governor Akpabio finish his second term so this governorship position will move orderly to Eket district that has not produced a governor since the creation of this state. I keep on emphasizing that Uyo has gotten their turn. Ikot Ekpene senatorial district is having a second term. It is the turn of Eket senatorial district. All I know is that people took decisions to allow the first turn to go to Uyo senatorial district; people took the decision to announce that it will go to Ikot Ekpene in 2007. Somebody should take a decision now to announce that the 2015 governorship position should go to Eket senatorial district. We are looking up to the governor to take that decision being the leader of the party in the state. The greatest legacy Akpabio will leave in Akwa Ibom is to bequeath peace and harmony. The Governor will do that by being just and fair to the people of Eket senatorial district.

But Akpabio has not really supported zoning?

I disagree, because on many occasion the governor said he supported zoning. People misinterpreted the governor when he said he is not a product of zoning; my interpretation is, that he meant he is not a governor of a zone; he is a governor of everybody. Governor Akpabio did not say he didn’t believe in zoning. The last time he said he believed in zoning was when Ibibio people met him; he said he believed in zoning and rotation.

What if the Governor does not support power shift to Eket senatorial district?

My governor will do what is right. He is guiding his legacy and image after his administration jealously. He knows what to do so that history will judge him fairly. Nobody likes to be reported as one who destroyed certain principles designed to favour everybody. He is the leader of the party in the state, at the appropriate time he will say that which is right.

Who is Eket’s candidate for 2015?

For now, it is not the issue of who is the candidate. Immediately the party takes the decision, I assure you thousands of people will come out. What we are doing now is advocacy. We have been telling the governor the right thing to do. We are pleading our case with the leadership of the state that it is our turn to produce the next governor of Akwa Ibom State, so that everybody will have a sense of belonging. The wealth of this state comes from Eket senatorial district.