The story of AKS is one that is not well known even by the indigenes of the state.
Today AKS is one of the states of the federation to be reckoned with. It has not always been so. In the past, you could, without thinking twice, say "abadie" to any 'okada' rider or newspaper vendor in Lagos or most of the state capitals, and expect a response. You could also guess the name of a househelp in any home, to be "Okon", or "Ekaette" and chances are that you would be right.
Not so today, not so. As a matter of fact, today, if you walked into where goodies being shared are in short supply and you were identified as an AKS man, you are almost sure to be excluded because they will say, "You guys are enjoying in your state!" Our level don change!
That is not exactly my issue here.
To come to the above position, we needed to forcefully register our presence on the national scene. First was Arc. (Obong) Victor Attah, the immediate past
governor of the state, whose name OBJ dreaded to hear. For a very good part of the 8 years that he was in office as the
governor of AKS, he had a rusty relationship with OBJ who was then the President. For as many years, we gained next to nothing with respect to 'Federal Presence' in the state. Instead, Gov Attah had to play the 'nice guy' to the power
brokers. The end result was that our state became known as the 'Pay Master'.
Every note from the Presidency found its way to AKS. Every known traditional ruler, influential politician, everything and
anything that needed financing for and from the party, found the bank in AKS. Like it or not, while the resources were
'flying out', we, as a state, suddenly became very important and relevant.
Then came Gov Akpabio. While Attah and OBJ slept in different rooms (or even houses), Akpabio and GEJ were
quite cozy in the same room (I would have preferred 'on the same bed' but for the risk of being misunderstood).
Nothing's changed!! Rather, to be a good friend of MrvPresident, Gov Akpabio had to continue the kindness and generosity of his predecessor, and became the new 'Pay-Master'. While we were the toast of the nation, internally, we were dying in silence, and enslaved with our resources.
While the notes from VILLA were flying in, our young people were having their eyes soaked with soap right inside the
middle of our financial waters.
Today, all thanks to the APC victory at the centre, 'Change' has come to AKS.
Today, we are free from the stranglehold of the center. Today, the fate of the state will be decided within the state.
Gone are the days when the centre helped us to start trouble so that they can 'help' us to settle it. Gone are the days and
years when every fight between our governor and his people was a national concern. There will no longer be streams of emissaries from VILLA to our Hilltop Mansion.
Free at last, free at last, thank God, we are free at last!!! First, we paid a great price to gain national relevance. Then we paid more price to consolidate. Luckily, while
consolidating our position on the national scene, Gov Akpabio laid massive infrastructure for investments and
industrialization.
Finally, today, we have engaged a first class Investment Expert as CEO. AKS is no longer just a state, it has become a hybrid between a state and a corporation, a 'Staporation', and Udom the new "Governing Director", of the state.
It is in the light of the above that we advise the APC to humbly accept the result of the elections. As it is today,
even if the elections are to be repeated ten times with all the staff of INEC sent to the state, the result will not be any
different with respect to the direction of choice.
We have embraced this "Change" and will not change again to avoid dizziness.
We have been liberated from the "pay-master' role, and will not return to it for anything in the world. We have finally
decided to take our future in our hands, and as a federating unit of a federation, we are ready to do what Lagos has
done in the last 16 years to remain one of the most prosperous states. With Rivers, Delta, and AKS off the pay- masters' list, Kano and Lagos should now take their turns of honoring the stream of 'notes' from the Villa. The result of the just concluded elections is therefore not the
rejection of any candidate, but the embrace of THE REAL 'CHANGE'.
We were 16 Years A Slave, and now 'Change' has come, and we have embraced it with both hands. We are now free. Free to develop our land with our resources, free to keep our
resources within our territories, free to harness the potentials of our land and build our youths, free to look inwards and the centre to let us be. Let us embrace this 'Change' for the next four years and
have a basis for objective comparison.
Free at last, Free at last,
Thank God, We are free at last!!!
Arc NYA-ETOK, Ezekiel.
Nigeria.
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