2023: We mustn’t destroy our future in A’Ibom, rather move forward – Gov. Emmanuel
by Peregba Jerry
Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel has urged the people of the state not to fritter away or destroy their future in the course of choosing a successor for the state during the next election.
He said the future of the state is already secured in the hands of God, warning that they must not make the mistake of choosing anyone that would reverse the development in the state.
Emmanuel stated this on Thursday in his state-wide address to mark the 34th-anniversary of the creation of the state on September 23, 1987.
According to him as the 2023 elections draw near, the state must be conscious of moving forward and not backward by ensuring that the person whom God would appoint to succeed him would be able to build on the gains that have already been achieved in the last 34-years.
He said “Fellow Akwaibomites, the future of Akwa Ibom State, which our forefathers prayed for and got is assured and in God’s hands. It is safe, it is secure, and it is assured. We cannot gamble it away neither can we put it to risk. This is our collective charge, this is our collective expectation.
“I put it to you my dear Akwaibomites that we need to protect these gains by ensuring that the man, whom God will choose as my successor, would be able to continue from these layers of growth and further expand our developmental strides and growth.
The governor continued, “As the politics of 2023 beckons, we must be conscious of moving the state forward as contained in our state’s anthem ‘forward ever, backward never’.
“This state will never go back on peace and security, this state will never go backward on securing the future for our children, and turning our youths into productive citizens; this state will never go backward in recognising the fact that Jesus Christ is the centre of our governance, this state will never go backward in rewriting and changing the narratives of our development from being a purely civil service state it was 34 years ago to a fast-growing industrial one it has become in the past six years.”
Emmanuel further emphasised that the state will never lack affordable food for its people neither will it lack a good and affordable healthcare system.
“This state will never lack food to feed her people at an affordable price, this State will never go backward in ensuring that we provide healthcare facilities for our people, the young, and the elderly.
“This state will continue to go forward; we the proud heirs and heiresses of our forefather’s hopes and dreams will still ensure that our unity, our development, and our onward movement remain non-negotiable articles of faith,” the governor said.
