During the campaigns for the 2023 general elections, Senator Akpabio mentioned in one of his interviews that the Ibom Deep Seaport dream cannot be actualized by playing opposition to the APC-led federal government. The elections came, and the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, with the trust and love they have for him, massively voted him a second time to red chambers even when his senatorial bid was an afterthought interest due to his withdrawal from the presidential race in support of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is now president.
The 13th day of June 2023, the day of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, was a joyous daybreak to many Akwa Ibomites as Senator Godswill Akpabio was elected President of the Senate, Leader of the 10th National Assembly/Legislative Arm of government, and Number three man in Nigeria’s governmental structure. Akpabio’s election as Senate President, was perceived by many, especially Akwa Ibomites, as a great beacon light of hope to the actualization of the Ibom Deep Seaport Project – a project that will change the fortune of the entire state and reposition the youths of Akwa Ibom state for total greatness and prosperity with the vast opportunities that will come with the seaport.
As Senate President, Sen. Akpabio shares and has maintained an extraordinary relationship with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He has led the 10th National Assembly/Legislative Arm of Government to maintain a cordial relationship with the Executive Arm of Government, as is expected of a typical Nigerian democratic system. Akpabio has supported President Tinubu’s administration in the most tremendous ways imaginable. His romance with the President over the last almost two years can be seen even by the blind. His loyalty to President Tinubu’s led administration is undiluted and firm, which explains why the President sees Sen. Akpabio as a key man in this present government.
At the state level, Senator Akpabio is revered by his governor, Pastor Umo Eno, who has clearly shown, in many instances, that he respects and is willing to work with Akpabio for the progress of the state and growth of the Akwa Ibom people. The excitement that accompanied the governor’s embrace of the Senate President as his father, elder brother, and leader, despite the fallout of Former Governor Udom Emmanuel, Governor Umo Eno’s predecessor, with the Senate President, who was Udom’s boss, predecessor, and political maker, sparked a fresh sense of hope for the future of the state, as the people expected this synergy to yield positive results.
However, two years into Akpabio’s Senate Presidency, with his wonderful romance with the President and his cordial relationship with his state governor, the Ibom Deep Seaport Project still suffers untold setbacks. Two years down the line, there have been no efforts made by Akpabio, using his elevated office and closeness to the President, to push for the approval and speedy actualization of the Ibom Deep Seaport Project. Two years down the line, there have been no news of Akpabio’s plan with Governor Umo Eno to bring the Ibom Deep Seaport to life. Two years down the line, there have been no intentional and no desperate efforts by both Umo Eno and Senator Godswill Akpabio to seize the moment of Akpabio’s Senate Presidency, to liberate the people of Akwa Ibom state from economic bondage, poverty, and lack of employment by simply pulling the big strings – the seaport. Two years later, we still find these two only attending state functions together, laughing and playing, while whiling away the most important moment history has granted them to set the state on the path of prosperity.
Need I remind the Senate President of the urgency of the time? Need I remind Senator Akpabio that political power is transient and that he should make hay while the sun shines? Need I remind Senator Akpabio that the history of Akwa Ibom State will be unkind to him if he doesn’t utilize every legislative power at his disposal as Senate President to ensure the actualization of the Ibom Deep Seaport? Need I remind Senator Akpabio that the urgency of this moment calls for a total neglect of personal ambition in order to pursue the progress of the people of the entire state? Need I remind Senator Akpabio that the actualization of the seaport is a sacred obligation and that he must convene a roundtable with Pastor Umo to strategize on how to deliver the seaport to the people of Akwa Ibom State? This has now become a mandate bestowed upon Akpabio not just by the people of Akwa Ibom State, but by God Almighty, to lift the people of the state out of poverty and untold hardship. If Senator Akpabio truly cares about his people, he must take up this mandate and be willing to leave no stone unturned to ensure the seaport’s immediate existence.
It was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr who once observed that, the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
This is that time of challenge. Can Senator Akpabio stake everything political, to ensure the actualization of the Ibom Deep Seaport Project for the very progress and prosperity of the Akwa Ibom state? Can he?
Time is running,
power is transient,
there is no better time,
now is the time.
© Dan Ok.
