UMO ENO BRINGS REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNANCE
I am of the opinion that it's better and easier to stay within a system and be the change, the revolution that both the people and the system needs than fruitlessly try to change the perceived errors of governance from without. During the campaigns we had the Young Peoples Party(YPP) chanting voters revolution, little did they know that Governance Revolution was already in motion with the emergence of Pst Umo Bassey Eno and the revolution did not start today. From the day His Excellency Deacon Udom Emmanuel took over from Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio and flashing back to When Obong Victor Attah took the reigns of Democratic Governance there has always been a revolution of some sort through the intellectualism of the ballot no matter how faulty it had been till of recent.
Not wanting to sound over patronizing, Pst Umo Eno is the face and the voice of today's revolution and he is doing it from a position of advantage. This we can not thank Governor Udom Emmanuel enough for feeding that revolution to overhaul the Internal corruption that frustrates good governance from where he stops.
When Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) who was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809 said
"The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest. Only aim to do your duty, and mankind will give you credit where you fail." He understood the essence of allowing a bloodless internal revolution based on the honesty of government towards the governed. Ironically those in government often think that those without do not understand how it works and the many undercurrent situations to be covered up or let open for societal peace and coexistence coupled with the recklessness of opposition who also think that the populace does not understand their antics and strategems to power.
As a citizen with a little bit of Common Sense having witnessed the outcry of the masses as it concerns gratuities of civil servants, I am optimistic that Pst Umo Bassey Eno will leave no stone unturned in finding lasting solution to the lingering menace. It's on record that His Excellency Deacon Udom Emmanuel had paid 10 years backlog in his first 100 days in office and up to 2016, that's 12 years of gratuities has been paid while serving 8 years tenure. As wonderful as the achievements of the last 8 years as been, the cry of those yet to be paid gratuities lingers on and this is an area many expect a revolution to start. Those civil servants feeding fat from ghost workers and ghost gratuities should be fetched out and given legal treatment.
More often than not great leaders get frustrated by the system they find themselves especially those who take over power from without, the more reason we are confident that Pst Umo Bassey Eno will not disappoint having understudied the pluses and minuses of different administrations with the attendant advantage of being a successful Entrepreneur whose Businesses bloomed in a challenging environment.
In The words of Mwanandeke Kindembo, a Congolese born in Baraka, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the 11 November 1996. He is a well-built new age philosopher and author,
"If there is such a thing as mental slavery, then we need a mental revolution to get rid of all the corrupt minds who wish to enslave mankind."
On the 18th of March 2023 we took a step further towards that ever evolving emancipation that birthed Pst Umo Bassey Eno as Governor Elect and he knows that we expect so much from him, for the mandate we gave is beyond continuity but Revolutionary and evolutionary where need be.
When I read the piece of advice from Atta Ikideh (repentant opposer of Pst Umo Eno) to the Governor elect and liked it on the Blue App with a follow-up of his call for Support to the Golden era it Dawn on me that the Revolutionary system of governance has hit the ground running. Our lives will never be the same again. Start Z. Davies, an Award-winning author,a Wisconsin native had these touching words penned down to ignite the societal improvement we seek
"I am neither the problem nor the cure. I am simply the voice of the people, the face of their fight. And we’ve reached a tipping point."
Gone are the days of bottling up and groaning under the red-tapism of what is not working. If it's not working, say it responsibly for we are in this together. Akwa Ibom State is our own and we can not and must not let the revolution stop just to fit it. Winning the Election is one thing standing by the man we choose to be our face and voice is another, calling his attention to his campaign promises in the face of distractions from detractors is pertinent, giving him a shoulder to lean on when it's foggy and lonely at the Hill Top mansion because of our overwhelming insatiable cries as humans should never be in short supply.
It took me a while to Garner enough gusto towards putting this piece together simply for not wanting to be misconstrued by any from any quarter but I am done griping over the opinion of others on this revolution. I shall attempt to speak on the appointment of Secretary to The State Government (SSG) and the need for a revolutionary approach in as much as it seems the noise has died down on social media so far.
I personally consider the campaign for who becomes the next SSG an Insult, an affront on the people, the office of the Governor and Governor Elect. Can you imagine your staff, if you are an Entrepreneur campaigning on social media or in real time to become a managing Director in your company when you actually Know who you want to employ and why? Who campaigns for Director of MTN through text , social gatherings in real time or social media even with MTN data bundles?( MTN should pay for this free advert).
Whoever wants to serve as SSG should seek to convince the Governor or Governor elect, not the masses for we hired Pst Umo Eno to hire and fire the rest in his cabinet so he has no one to blame if he does not deliver on our hopes in him. Pst Umo Eno should be able to hire an SSG he can fire if found incompetent, not one that it will take the Unoma style to remove from office.
Scholars have stated that there is no government without a certain degree of corruption and that it's lesser with God fearing and humane leaders who seek to be honest to the mandate of the people in tandem of their best Conscience and ability. While we see a Pastor in Umo Eno, let's not forget that he was also a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Signature by Royalty brand and that being a CEO is a tough decision making position that seeks results beyond friendship nor acquaintance.
"You don't have a revolution in which you love your enemy, and you don't have a revolution in which you are begging the system of exploitation to integrate you into it. Revolutions overturn systems. Revolutions destroy systems." MALCOLM X
In the conclusion, the words of Malcolm X above, original name Malcolm Little Should encourage us to stand with Pastor Umo Eno for a change in the way and manner in which the System was working. Those who fed from the system for years but made the system repugnant to the masses for their persistent complains against the same system just for their greed should allow Pst Umo Eno fix the system for us the village People, so we can also feel the impact of Governance. If the people around you hated Governor Udom Emmanuel though you were with him in the system, that spoke volume against you and reenforcing such failure with more power will not help the new administration.
The enemy of our great future will be the reenforcement of incompetent and non passionate leaders to work with Pst Umo Eno while he takes all the blame till the next election.
#UdomSósóñó
© Micheal Joseph Okon is an Economist and International President Coalition of Youth Leaders In Akwa Ibom State.
