Tides Of Democratization: Why A’ibom Needs Progressivism
By UbongAbasi Ise
“A great democracy has got to be progressive
or it will soon cease to be great or a democracy.”
― Theodore
Roosevelt
Robert Dode, an Associate
Professor and Head of Department of Political Science in the University of Uyo,
in an interaction with this writer, had accentuated political parties as the
pillars of democracy. Stemming from this assertion, it could be extrapolated that
various tastes of democracy are determined by ideological constructs of a given
political party at the helm of power. Often times, parties are adjudged
progressives and conservatives based on the way their policies influence the
lives of the governed. From 1999 to 2018, Nigeria has been ruled under a democratic
setting, but pundits are yet to come out with a common position in proving
whether a certain political party is progressive, or conservative in real sense
of description other than the claims made in their respective constitutions. In
Nigeria, it seems the line dividing the two approaches to democratic governance
is blurred, but is it really so in the last three years?
Let’s say a government is progressive when it bases
its ideology on human progress through education, science, technology,
craftsmanship, economic development, and general improvement of social welfare.
Dr. Dominic Akpan, an associate professor in the Department of History and
International Studies in the University of Uyo told yours truly that all that government
has is social contract with the people, and once that social contract is
violated, and not keeping the terms of the social contract between the people
and the ruling class such a government cannot be said to be progressive. Dr.
Robert Dode, on his side, stressed that experience in Nigerian democracy has
made it rather difficult to identify a government that is actually progressive
in its dealings adding that, “it is left for the governed to assessed and make
such pronouncement after a thorough research might have been undertaken to know
the pulse and the feelings of the individuals vis-à-vis government of the day.”
On the other hand,
conservatives oppose radical and sudden change but would like to create and
maintain environment in which the individuals could achieve their legitimate set
goals. Put succinctly, Dr. Dode
described a conservative government as such that does not want to institute any
major change or major upset in the way things are done, describing it as the
government that prefers to maintain status quo. On his part, Dominic Akpan
enthused that what a conservative government does for the people is something
people have to fight for, according to him, “they must fight for it before they
get it; they would never get it if they never fought to get it.
Looking at
Akwa Ibom State, in the first 16 years since democracy returned in 1999, the
state has, unarguably, experienced a tremendous turnaround in the
infrastructural development while human development pales in a very pathetic
way. Joblessness amongst the youths becomes an intractable problem in the state.
Despite industrialization mantra by the PDP-led state government under the
leadership of Mr. Udom Emmanuel, unemployment amongst productive age still
assumes endemic proportions. Given this quandary,
is it not time for Akwa Ibom to consider progressivism?
All
Progressives Congress, APC, is one major political party in Nigeria today whose
ideals are founded on pure progressivism in spite of the long history of
ideological bankruptcy in the country. The party drew inspiration from Chief
Obafemi Awolowo’s Action Group, AG, which aimed at building a democratic
socialist society founded on the three principles of national greatness,
wellbeing of the individual and international brotherhood. It is this welfarist
posture that endeared AG and Chief Awolowo to Nigerian irrespective of region
or ethnic affiliation. In fact, Awo’s free primary education for all pupils and
free health care for children in the Western Region became a reference point in
the history of progressivism in Nigeria. But has APC toe the path of Awolowo’s
AG in the last three years in power?
With no
pretense, APC has shown some attributes of a progressive government. Muhammadu
Buhari’s APC-led federal government came into power in 2015 identifying
challenges of poverty and unemployment in the country. The government expressed
the need to evolve measures in cushioning the effects of the social squalor of
the vast majority of our people. In this regards, the Federal Government rolled
out a comprehensive Social Safety Net Programme, to address the issue of
unemployment with the attempt to better the condition of living of the
extremely poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Funds were
approved to finance this social intervention programmes. Some schemes under
this programme include the creation of N-Power programme with the capacity to
accomodate 500,000 teaching assistance for qualified teachers for a period of
12 to 24 months in the first instance; the training of 100,000 artisans and the
provision of credit facility for them to start up their enterprises. Education
support grant was established for 100,000 students in tertiary institutions who
are undergoing courses in Science Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and
Education.
Another key
component of this programme is the National Home Grown School Feeding Scheme. Federal
Government sourced the food for the programme from local farmers, and pushes it
for preparation by qualified cooks within the host communities. This scheme was
intended to benefit the pupils, the farmers and the local communities. About 1.4 million people were targeted by the
scheme which largely accommodates caterers and small house-hold farmers across the
country.
In his address to commemorate the 2018
Democracy Day celebration President Muhammadu Buhari said on the Economic
Recovery and Growth Plan, ERGP, 2017 – 2020 thus:
“The broad
strategic objectives of the ERGP were to; Restore and sustain economic growth;
Build a globally competitive economy; and Invest in our people.
“Under the Government
Enterprise Empowerment Programme - About 264,269 loans had been disbursed to
4,822 societies in the 36 States and FCT, while another 370,635 are awaiting
release of funds.
“N-Power Job
creation Scheme - is targeted at providing jobs for unemployed young graduates
and has so far recruited 200,000 youths while the next batch of 300,000 have
been selected, verified and would soon be deployed across the 36 States and the
FCT. Furthermore, 20,000 non-graduate volunteers have also been selected to
kick off the N-Build programme in collaboration with the National Automotive
Design and Development Council and the Council of Registered Builders of
Nigeria.
“Over the
last three years, Government has approved the establishment of 1 new Federal
Polytechnic, granted licenses for the establishment of 4 State and 14
private-owned Universities as well as 12 private Polytechnics.
“In few days
to come, I will be joined by many promising young Nigerians to sign into law
the “Not Too Young to Run Bill.”
Why most of the lofty programmes initiated by the
federal government seem not to have significant influence on the lives of Akwa
Ibom citizenry hinges fundamentally on the rivalry existing between the APC and
PDP. There are allegations of deliberate attempts by the PDP to thwart the
programmes of the APC-controlled federal government from creating solid impact
on the state’s development so as to make APC unpopular in Akwa Ibom. Therefore this situation could be helped if the
state joins the same political party operating at the centre.
As I wrote
sometimes ago, Akwa Ibom State, for 16 years since 1999, was not used to
affiliating to a political party parallel to the one controlling the centre.
The initial fear, when APC-led government emerged in 2015, was that Akwa Ibom
would lose out in the scheme of things at the federal level since it did not
support President Muhammadu Buhari’s elections. But today, it is surprising
that APC-led federal government has brought the state closer to the centre than
in the past years when PDP was at the centre.
From strategic projects to
appointment of officials, Akwa has not fared badly under APC government. The
Buhari administration, in a bid to increase local refining capacity and to
generate employment opportunities, is proposing 10 modular refineries to be
located in five out of the nine states in the Niger Delta region; and Akwa
Ibom’s Amakpe Refinery with 300,000 barrels refining capacity, is said to have
their modules already fabricated, assembled and containerized overseas, and
ready for shipment to the state for installation. In fact the presence of
refinery in an oil bearing state like Akwa Ibom means a lot to the growth of
the state’s economy. This can tremendously revolutionize the economy, banish
pedestrian economy for ever, and make Akwa Ibom that economic destination the
citizens crave for.
APC-controlled
Niger-Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has also brought succour to the state
in terms of infrastructural and manpower development. According to statistics as at September 2017,
the NDDC under Obong Nsima Ekere was handling 890 projects and 62 emergency
repair works across Akwa Ibom State while also implementing human capacity
development programmes in the area of employment, women and youth empowerments,
vocational trainings, investment in agriculture including free medical care to
indigenes of the state.
There would
still be enough to write about APC when a trunk road traversing Cross River and
Akwa Ibom as were as coastal railway projects are completed by Buhari’s
government.
For about 16
years when PDP was luxuriating in power, all Akwa Ibom had was trifling
presence at the centre. But today, APC has made Akwa Ibom know that she deserve
the federal presence more than a mere presence of the policemen in the streets
as a PDP linchpin, Senator Godswill Akpabio, would jocularly say. Today
President Muhammadu Buhari despite being branded clannish and bigot by bitter
political rivals, has intensified the federal presence in the state. Recently Mr. Patty Etete has been appointed
into the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund and Nigerian Content
Development and Monitoring Board; Mr. Emma Bassey appointed Chairman the
Nigerian Geological Survey Agency.
Other appointments include Dr.
Maurice Ebong ( National Atomic Energy Commission.); Obong Rita Akpan (
National Boundary Commission); Mr. Emma Ekpenyong ( Nigeria Institute for Oil
Palm Research, Benin.); Mr. Dan Akpan ( National Animal Product Research
Institute, Zaria); Engr Perry Ntuk (Institute of Agricultural Research and
Training, Ibadan); Senator J. J. Akpanudoedehe (Nigeria Information Technology
Development Agency);Dr. John Harry ( National Inland Waterways Authority); Mr.
Abom Tony Esu ( Chairman Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization);
Dr. Udoma Bob Ekarika ( the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano);Mrs. Alice
Ekpenyong (FMC, Yenagoa); Mr. Eseme Eyibo (Chairman Cross River Basin
Development Authority); Keppy Ekpenyong ( Film and Video Censor Board); Dr Emem
Wills (Umuahia Federal Medical Institute); Mr. Bernard Udo ( Museum
Commission); Chief Edet Mkpubre (National Civil Aviation Authority).
Akwa
Ibom can boast at the federal level of
Senator Udo Udoma, Minister, Budget and National Planning; Obong Nsima Ekere,
the Managing Director of Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC); Obong Umana
Okon Umana; Managing Director of Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone; Senator Ita
Ennang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters;
Engr. Ita Awak, Director, Air-Worthiness Standard.
Corruption
has been the hindrance to people’s welfare in Akwa Ibom. The wealth of the
state has not reflected in the lives of the majority. With Akwa Ibom moving to
the centre, there could have been more transparency in the governance of the
state thus freeing the state for rapid progressivism. Whichever way, should
Akwa Ibom share the same political platform with the one at centre come 2019,
it would be a rekindling of history; should the party at the centre be the APC,
it would be a new dawn of progressivism in the state.
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