AS PRESIDENT Jonathan arrives Uyo on Thursday for a two-day visit to Akwa Ibom state, national attention will shift to Governor Godswill Akpabio’s scorecard in the last three years. Facing formidable political opponents and the prying eyes of the media, Akpabio will have to put up a spectacular show in order to convince the president and Akwa Ibom people that the over N400 billion the government had earned in three years had been well spent. Very few states in the federation have been more endowed. Dr Jonathan will commission two of the five flyovers at Itam junction, the e-library, roads, and formally switch on the Ibom Power plant in Ikot Abasi.

These are a few of the infrastructural facilities and social amenities that the Akpabio administration has funded. I have driven around the state on a few occasions to see many of them: Renovated schools, Ibom Power Plant, roads, flyovers and the new entertainment complex, as well as the Tropicana. It is far easier to encircle and traverse the state now than it was a few years back.  I have also been to the state-owned university (AKUTECH), purpose-built by the Akpabio administration on a reclaimed swamp land in the south western flank of the state.

It is the second university here, coming after a polytechnic and a college of education which were established by previous administrations. The government is also investing heavily in its free and compulsory education which has in the last 18 months increased school enrolment tremendously. For a state that was some years ago tagged educationally disadvantaged, this has been a major leap. There are also hundreds of water and rural electricity projects built in many communities across the state. These amenities do not amount to much to residents of Uyo and other major towns. But to the millions of villagers where they are located, life has become a little more bearable. A government should always be concerned with the human development indices of its citizens: health, education, maternal mortality, jobs, etc.

As the president touches down at the new Akwa Ibom International Airport, he should appreciate the enormity of work that the government has done. Apart from MM2 in Ikeja, Lagos, it is the most beautiful and modern domestic airport in the country. Its full elegance and value will be more visible when the MRO (maintenance, repairs and overhaul) facilities are ready later in the year. Since scheduled flights commenced late last year, the state had been a lot more accessible. The new dual carriage way that leads from the city centre to the airport, cutting through several villages and farming communities has shortened travel time to and from the state capital and opened up a large portion of the state for new development.

In my article (Welcome to Akwa Ibom International Airport, The Guardian, October 15, 2009), I noted that ‘city planners should ensure that the use of this area is planned and demarcated appropriately for residential, commercial, recreational and other uses’. From my office, it takes just about 30 minutes to the airport, a far cry from two hours and long delays we used to endure to Calabar airport. From a cursory observation, Akpabio has done a lot more than he’s been given credit for. Perhaps this visit should offer him an ample opportunity to change his style and refocus his PR strategy.

The Jonathan visit is a good moment for the governor to speak candidly about his challenges and the business opportunity in the state. As the president formally switches on the Ibom Power plant, a paradox would be playing out. The turbines feed the national grid with over 33KVA of power, yet Akwa Ibom is still in darkness mainly due to difficulty in energy distribution and gas supply. The governor will have to explain in details what these problems are and request federal assistance. Vice President Sambo visited Gombe State the other day and promised federal assistance in completion of the Gombe by-pass, a major road project that has been in works for 20 years. The president will have to do more than turning on the switches and cutting the ribbons. It is notable that improved power supply is a key policy thrust of his administration.

Another area of concern is the decay of federal roads in and around this state. The rebuilt Itu-Ekit Itam road which the president is expected to commission is a major part of the federal-owned Calabar-Itu Highway that links Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. Constructed in the mid-1970s, this road had completely broken down, its decay acerbated by the heavy traffic of construction vehicles that go up to quarry sites in Akamkpa, northern part of Cross River State. Other federal roads like Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene and Aba-Ikot Ekpene roads are in similar conditions. The governor should not have any qualms about bringing these to the notice of the president during the state dinner Thursday night.

Equally needed is federal assistance in the development of a seaport and refinery in Ibaka. The president may also need to be informed of the decay of the Nigerian Maritime Academy, the only institution in the country that train seafarers. While federal institutions like the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun-Warri and Yaba Polytechnic are being refurbished and upgraded into universities, the Maritime Academy has been left to rot away.  The people of Akwa Ibom gave the Yar’Adua-Jonathan ticket 1.5 million votes in the 2007 election. Many more people here are rooting for his candidacy next year. This is the time for us to present our bill to him.

Etim is a bank executive in Uyo