By Frank Meke
I believe in dreams fulfilled, and the inspiration and testimonies it usually births. Akwa Ibom state is certainly a dream in the works, from feverish trepidation and anxieties to a glorious wonder.
The state created by Ibrahim Babangide and his men in uniform has shed off the weight and garb of uncertainty, inspiring innovations and unshackling self-imposed fears and inadequacies.
Birthed in black gold and surreal mangrove and maritime tourism ecological wonders, the history of Akwa Ibom is replete with battles with oppressive merchants, white, black, indigenous, and foreign, but her people with emancipative and candour spirits have always prevailed.
The champion spirit, the uncommon chant and artistic reimaginative spirit, has always announced a new dawn, a new inclusive and a new generation of political philosophers.
From irrepressible and architectural grandmaster, obong Victor Atta, to uncommon prosperity divo and prosperity merchant, Godswill Akpabio to extraordinary treasury mint angel, Udom Emmanuel, the state of Akwa Ibom has grown from grace to greater grace.
Each of its political pathfinders have their eyes on the ball, rebuilding and spreading prosperity and development. I won’t pretend that all who would read this piece would agree with me, and that is not my message, but I would rather cause a challenge on contemporary Nigerian political delivery ecosystem to help evaluate and assess the dividends of democracy as seen here and possibly hardly interpreted.
A people, a nation needs leaders who have charisma to pull the weak out of the gully of self-pity and low self-esteem. Leaders with eyes on the ball, not mere star gazers, but great mobilizers, imaginative innovators, and legacy champions.
Governor Umo Eno is of a different hue, a gladiator, and an evangelist with a special call to interpret the value chains of development. He builds and commission projects with the communities as willing partners and his commissioners as servants of the people.
Governor Umo Eno trades his transformative milestones with a consultative strategy, the people in focus, and critical owners of the massive socioeconomic revival mission daily ongoing here in Akwa Ibom.
Akwa Ibom is not just a construction site of critical infrastructure but a telling destination where abandoned projects are taboos. From the airport where a new international airport is on the tarmac of record finishings , bearing a focal enabler of cultural tourism movement into and out of the state, the facility a beautiful export gateway for the state’s abundant perishable agriculture products waiting for export to the world. This airport is being tailored and ranked as a hub in Nigeria to give the state’s investment in air transportation, Ibom Air additional wing to showcase the rise and rise of a people once erroneously regarded as wood and water fetches.
Our team of tourism experts, media and marketers were silenced into exciting stupor, mouth agape, and hearts pounding at the site a strategically influenced Ibom Arise Park, a multi complex culture tourism, hospitality, green ecosystem, and Sports tourism haven, bigger in size than a national stadium.
Indeed, this stadium incubated as a tourism masterpiece by governor umo Eno bears the Arise Akwa Ibom mantra of this governor who has come to wake up the people from simplistic plaudit merchants to owners and influencers of prosperity.
If you are deep in this business and how it easily transforms people and community into champions of caregivers and destinations for wellness and human comfort, the gains, the smiles, and the love it breads and wealth it spreads across the borders, certainly finds expression in governor umo Eno kingdom of Akwa Ibom.
I was transported to surreal heights at the sites of critical infrastructure being developed or restructured by the enigmatic governor of Akwa Ibom. The first golf resort hotel, Ibom Hotel, is being shut down as this piece goes to bed to re-emerge as part of the Arise Akwa Ibom tourism vehicle. I saw a ” carefully constructed Ibom ” trade centre” towering in glitz in the exclusive banking arena, inviting international organisations and corporations to the highly secured business environment of the state.
A five thousand sitting conference centre with a dedicated luxury hotel was unveiled on Saturday, and governor umo Eno is not pretending about his mission to bring the world and Nigerians to Akwa Ibom not just for conferences, meetings and diplomatic gatherings, but his body language speaks of a leader who wants his people to shape their destinies and hold the flag of a tourism capital of Nigeria and Africa.
Are the people responding and in sync with his bullish ‘Arise mantra’? I saw happy people, jobs, and investments from hospitality, logistics, transportation, trading, and love for state and desire to be part of Change, a champion spirit spreading on the wings of evocative evangelism an exceptional , highly creative governor to mind.
In the oron maritime tourism complex, governor Umo Eno wants to use the waterways to bring joy back to the people and reinvent the century old town as hub of a new economic investment in fisheries and aquatic splendour.
There are so many exciting opportunities coming up here in Akwa Ibom, and the message is hitting the targets and the tourism and business community smiling to the banks.
The roads here are different interpretative statements, running interconnecting webs designed to empty traffic and make the city centre and hinter lands partners of comfort to visitors and trade operators.
I couldn’t get an opportunity to speak with the new Ghandi of Akwa Ibom, and if I ever do get the opportunity, I will look him straight in the face and ask what actually goes behind the mask of smiles and joy in waking up his people to rise and shine. Though I had a ride in his official project inspection bus, and possibly may have sat for free on his seat by the door of the coaster bus, this governor whose official daily administrative regime is on the field inspecting Arise projects, will make my day as Nigeria’s champion of tourism.
And if you have ever been here and possibly not returned on a repeat visit, you don’t know what this state of diverse cultures and exciting culinary offerings got on showcase. From fisherman soup to Atama or Afang delicacies and with my new take snack discovery, pomo, prewinlke stewed in oily potassium extract dipped in herbs and droppings of oil bean, there is no finger chops ever so alluring.
Again, I will ask the governor Umo Eno about some recipes to some special delicious offerings unknown to street foodies and visitors to Akwa Ibom. Fact, check me. Governor Umo Eno was /is a hospitality and catering professional before coming to ” cook” Akwa Ibom into a global tourism destination. Experience Ibom is a dream on the wings of resilience and imagination. It is magical and inspiring. I shall return, yes, I will be back again!
