The need for better governance in Akwa Ibom

 

Greetings from Ikot Ekpene where I and my egg-head colleagues have been building the capacity of state lawmakers from some of the South-East and South-South states in the last 10 days. The induction workshop was organised by the German International Non-Governmental Organisation, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in collaboration with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies. The participants were appreciative as most of them are first-timers in the legislative assembly. Topics that they were taught include “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as altered and the Concept of Separation of Powers”; “Legislative functions, process, power, ethics and privileges”, “Committees in the legislature: Composition essence, power of oversight and limitations in budget racking.”

Other topics include: legislative agenda and benchmarking the activities of state Houses of Assembly, parliamentary protocol – standing orders, motions, debates and resolutions, introduction to budget processes, legislative code of conduct and ethics: A bastion of integrity and good leadership, civil society organisations: representation, constituency relations and public engagement in the legislative process and lastly, implementation considerations: legislative duties, functions and rules of procedure in practice.  Welcome remark was given by the Resident Representative of KAS, Marija Peran, while the opening address was by Director-General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman. The lawmakers were trained in batches of two days each.

It wasn’t my first time in Akwa Ibom State. I have been to the “Land of Promise” as AKS is nicknamed on several occasions. However, it was my first time sleeping over in the ancient city of Ikot Ekpene. For the benefit of those who do not know Akwa Ibom, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, Akwa Ibom is bounded by Cross River State on the east, by the Bight of Biafra of the Atlantic Ocean on the south, by Rivers State on the west, by Abia State on the west and north, and by Ebonyi State on the north. There are extensive saltwater mangrove swamps along the coast and tropical rain forests and oil palms farther inland. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe River which bisects the state before flowing into the Bight of Bonny.

The state is inhabited by various ethnic groups such as Ibibio, Anaang, Oro and Obolo people who raise yams, rice, cowpeas, corn (maize), and cassava for subsistence and oil palms and cocoa as cash crops. Poultry, pigs, sheep, goats, and rabbits are raised. Shrimping along the coast and deep-sea fishing are also economically important. The state’s mineral resources include lignite deposits and offshore oil fields. The inland city of Uyo is the state capital and is the site of a university (founded 1983). Other major communities include Opobo and Oron near the coast and Ikot-Ekpene inland. Oron is the site of a museum of ethnography, founded in 1959. The Oron–Ikot-Ekpene highway and the Cross River are major arteries of transportation.

Akwa Ibom State was created in 1987 and has 31 Local Government Areas, 26 state House of Assembly seats, 10 House of Representatives seats and three senatorial districts. Some of the notable figures from the state include: Senator Godswill Akpabio, former governor, senator and minister who is at present number three citizen as the President of the Senate; Obong Victor Attah, former governor of the state; Clement Isong, second governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; first civilian governor of the former Cross River State; Senator Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant (Niger-Delta) to President Muhammadu Buhari; Etim Inyang, former Inspector-General of Police 1985 to 1986; Hilda Baci who just won  the Guinness World Records for longest cooking marathon; Ini Edo, nollywood actress; Vincent Enyeama, professional footballer (Goalie) and former Super Eagles captain; Samuel Peter, world heavyweight boxing champion and Nathaniel Bassey a Nigerian gospel music artiste.

Compared to other Niger Delta States, Akwa Ibom State has good infrastructures. I have been to Uyo several times and my 10-day stay in Ikot Ekpene corroborated that AKS has a good road network and other social amenities. There is free and compulsory primary and secondary education in the state. The immediate past government of governor, Udom Emmanuel, gave free medical services for children below five years, pregnant women and the aged, apart from upgrading the health facilities across the state. The state also have many successful business enterprises among which is the building of the Uyo Airport and the establishment of Ibom Air which is one of the most reliable airlines in Nigeria. Of great significance is that the state has one of the lowest cases of insecurity across the country. It is peaceful.

However, despite these positive developments, it is believed that Akwa Ibom should have done better in governance and development being the second highest earners among the oil-producing states in the country. According to The Cable of March 9, 2023, “The nine oil-producing states in Nigeria shared N970.20bn from the federation account through the 13 percent derivation formula in 2022. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers were states that received the fund. The 13 percent derivation fund comes from the federation revenue to oil-producing communities through the state governments as enshrined in section 162, sub-section 2 of the Nigerian constitution. Analysis of the report by The Cable Index showed that Delta State received the highest allocation totalling N296.63bn, representing 31 percent of the total revenue from the derivation account. Delta is followed closely by Akwa Ibom, having received N222.52bn, representing 19 percent of the total disbursement during the period.”

Interestingly, despite huge allocation and internally generated revenue by the oil producing states, many of them are still heavily indebted. According to the earlier referenced The Cable report, despite the 13 percent derivation allocations, oil-producing states are still battling with high domestic debt and suffering from massive infrastructure decay. According to the Debt Management Office, Delta leads with a total debt of N272.61bn, followed by Rivers and Akwa Ibom states with N225.51bn and N219.62bn, respectively, at the end of Q3 2022.

Multiple online sources said Akwa Ibom is the highest producer of crude oil in Nigeria.  The state reportedly accounts for about (31.4 percent– 504,000 BPD) of Nigeria’s total crude oil production. Despite its huge earnings from federal allocations, 13 per cent derivation fund and internally generated revenue, the Nigeria Multidimensional Poverty Index Survey 2022 puts unemployment in Akwa Ibom State at 51.0 per cent and underemployment rate at 15.7 per cent. According to Business Day of July 8, 2022, “…..Imo, Adamawa, and Akwa Ibom have been listed among states with more miserable Nigerians. The misery index, an indicator used to determine how economically well off the citizens of a country are, has hit 74.03, 72.9 and 71.3 percent in Imo, Adamawa and Akwa Ibom, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.”

It is a call to action for the new governor of the state, Umo Eno to improve on the performance of his predecessors in office by ensuring that the people’s money is made to work for them. He should see to it that poverty and unemployment are reduced during his tenure. Accountability and transparency as well as zero tolerance for corruption should be his watchword. As a person with disability, given his albinism status, he should ensure social inclusion of PWDs in his government.