Jim A. Igem
It is clear Professor Chinua Achebe was right on point. He hit the bulls’ eye in one of his classic and best regarded novels. According to the canonical novelist, the world is like a masquerade. And for one to have a complete view of her, one must not stand in a place. One has to move around.
The point is that if one failed to move around and about, he or she will likely fall into the ‘’danger of a single story.’’ And that phrase, the danger of a single story is borrowed from Ms. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, an iconic author of Nigerian origin. In a sense, both the now deceased Achebe and the living Adichie are saying one and the same thing. To know in full, we must observe and report in full.
And Nigeria is more than a big masquerade. In fact, Nigeria is a world in its own corner. Nigeria is so varied and sprawled out that to have a complete view of her, one must move around. It is true that happenings in the big capitals often make the news, but out there in the other corners of Nigeria, things, sometimes greater things happen and are happening.
I can say this because I was superlatively impressed by what I witnessed in a two week tour of Akwa Ibom State. I encountered, not just massive infrastructural and industrial developments scattered all over the state. More importantly, there was palpably in the air, a certain entrepreneurial halo for innovations. And this was evident both at the open market places and in rarefied precincts of governance. Space may not permit, but let us remark this much, even if in passing. Akwa Ibom under the PDP easily has the best choreographed and most poetic political rallies in Nigeria. The organizational genius that they display will rank at par with any American Disney Flagship Shows.
But what concerns us today is the explanation to this relentless pursuit of excellence in all matters as an article of faith. To give you an insight, then this. I was around, accompanying a client to a Comfort 95.1 FM Radio interview. And there was an entrepreneurial contest anchored Akwa Ibom-wide for the most innovative products. The one we encountered was Season 10. And the Enterprise contest was sponsored by Akwa Ibom PDP as a party.
So I sought out explanations. That was how I got introduced to one of the sharpest minds you can get anywhere. Ini Ememeobong, a barrister, is a bespoke Publicity Secretary of the State PDP. Bright as a surgeon’s scalpel, Ememeobong brought me up to speed, on not just what is going on but the operating philosophy behind it.
In his words: ‘’I have been in politics for a considerable while. I can tell without any hint of exaggeration that his Excellency, Udom Emmanuel, has brought a concept of development that ranks as one of the finest anywhere in the world. Akwa Ibomites, we will remain eternally thankful. Before him there was infrastructure here and there, but there was no operating philosophy, no framework to sustainability.’’
‘’Emmanuel’s praxis of Dakkada is comparable to a legal framework, to borrow from my profession. It is the framework that gives the inspirations and directions by which the subject matter may be further developed. Dakkada, which is vernacular, is a call to all Akwa Ibomites. The call is to ‘Rise to enterprise and fate of greatness.’’
‘’And Dakkada operating philosophy is designed in such a manner that the state is like a huge symphony. His Excellency, Emmanuel, is the conductor and I can tell, a maestro at it. Drawing from his genius for development, His Excellency, grants all arms and parts of governance the entrepreneurial space to be. So while the state PDP sponsors and organizes the all Akwa Ibom Entrepreneurial Radio Show, the inspiration and guidance is from Emmanuel. And it is not just about the prize money. More importantly, the idea is to awaken Akwa Ibom citizens. The Governor is for an open and prosperous society which is competitively driven and thus efficient.’’
‘’And Akwa Ibomites are buying in to His Excellency’s vision. Today’s episode, as you can see was won by Oladimeji Stephen. Stephen came here for his NYSC and has found Akwa Ibom a home. And he won, by beating the home boys, as it were. This is the Emmanuel vision made flesh. In the words of the governor ‘the pursuit of excellence is like a rising tide, it lifts all boats.’ For His Excellency, it is not just Mr Stephen that wins. It is really all Akwa Ibom. And the fact of this comes from the expected growth of Mr Stephen’s business. Already Stephen is something of a business celebrity and publicity is the oxygen for business growth.’’
‘’That is for the governor it is best to be the helmsman of a million and more successful citizens, who are out there doing their own things. And Emmanuel delivers this on the background of all pervasive infrastructural and industrial developments. In His Excellency’s words again, ‘by the time we are through with our mandate, Akwa Ibom will be like mini-Israel.’ That is Akwa Ibomites, whether man or woman, in the capital or provinces, will each be a source and centre of innovations, of entrepreneurship. And this is not just in business but in scholarship, in sports and culture.’ For His Excellency, ‘it’s our Akwa Ibom youth, not the stock exchange, that is our greatest investment and wealth. Our finest strength as a state is to awaken citizens to their ultimate greatness, competitive greatness.’
For His Excellency, that is the way forward for Akwa Ibom, just as it is with the Jews and the Israeli nation. In other words, his vision is of a state and its citizens, both of whom are innovators, producing world class thinkers, entrepreneurs, culture workers and governance. And the most interesting fact of Akwa Ibom State is that the evidences of the massive infrastructural and industrial growth are not just being stated. They are there, even for the blind to see. In fact, we advise anyone who wants to see a new entrepreneurial Nigeria emerging, to visit Akwa Ibom.
Igem, a public policy expert, writes from Lagos.