“In all of these, to the glory of the One whose season of Birth is the reason we are celebrating today, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, we were able to overcome those terrible headwinds and still, raise the banner of governance across sectors.
“To the glory of the Almighty God, we still remain one of the safest States in the nation, where residents live in peace and harmony; where our people can travel from Uyo to Ikot Ekpene, from Ikot Ekpene to Ibeno, from Ibeno to Ini at any given.”
He said his administration came with a Christian heart and mind to lead the state with love and tolerance, with humility and abiding faith in their capacity to rise to the faith of greatness.
“We came to change the tone and tenor of our engagements and to show that power and all the paraphernalia that come with it, belong to God and not man. We came, not to blow our trumpet, but to let the works of our hands speak for us.
“Today, I can raise my hands to the Heavens and say to the Almighty God, thank you for what you have done for us. Today, in aviation industry, Akwa Ibom State leads the nation with Ibom Air. Thousands of people now flock to our State to live, invest and thrive.
“Over a thousand jobs have been created for our people through Ibom Air and our coordinated aviation development- the Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul (MRO) the smartest international Terminal in the nation are testaments to vision and creativity.
“Today, as generally acknowledged, Akwa Ibom State has about the most sophisticated and world- class road network of economic value. Our State can be seamlessly linked across the three senatorial districts, thus enhancing economic activities. Infrastructural renaissance was one of our cardinal campaign promises. On that, we have delivered for our people.”
Chronicling the array of his achievements in the areas of healthcare delivery, agriculture and human capacity development, the governor said he had fulfilled his promise in ensuring that Akwa Ibom children would remain competitive in a dynamic world of ideas and opportunities through human capacity development.
“Our educational curriculum has been rejigged to accommodate these new realities. Our children are being taught both the conventional approach and entrepreneurial and skills acquisition approach, so as to mold them into employment generating- all -round graduates.
“This is the way of the new world, and I am glad we are not lacking behind. In spite of the flawed statistics obviously produced for political purposes, our enrollment records have quadrupled in the last years. People from neighboring States have tapped into our free education up to secondary school level, which our people enjoy.”
He appealed to the political class and stakeholders to conduct themselves during this period of transition with utmost decency and circumspection since leadership demands of them a certain display of wisdom and tact.
“Leaders, don’t burn down the homes they had built, leaders don’t ignite violence through the words of their mouth.
“Leaders don’t engage in peddling falsehood and misinformation, neither do they deploy violence as a means of getting elected into political offices. Leaders do not attack and insult the very institution and the symbol they aspire to represent.
“Leaders should and must understand that the cords of our unity, of brotherhood and of our common patrimony remain enduring and rock-solid, and that political foes you know today may be allies tomorrow.
“As we get ready to elect our new set of leaders, I urge our people to know that, that same God who granted us a State, 35 years ago, with dusty streets and thatched roofed houses sandwiched between a number of concrete structures, a State where the aspiration of some of our people was to go to Lagos and elsewhere and be domestic workers and gatekeepers, has done Supreme things in our lives. Our narratives have changed, and it can only get better!” The governor said.
