…prays for good successor for Emmanuel
Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday commissioned a 1kilometre flyover at Ikot Oku Ikono, Uyo, in Akwa Ibom State constructed by the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Obasanjo, who was a special guest of honour at the commissioning ceremony prayed God to give the governor, a good successor who would continue with his development strides in the state.
He commended Emmanuel for initiating and completing the project before the stipulated period of two years, stressing that the completion of a 1kiliometre flyover during the prevailing global economic recession was worth celebrating in any part of the world.
The former president who said that he did not make any mistake in 2019 when he canvassed support for the governor for a second term in office, also described himself as a lucky man to have the flyover built along Olusegun Obasanjo Way, a road previously named after him in 2016 by Victor Attah administration.
His words, ”My performing governor, my action governor, about two and half years ago when I came here and you asked the good people of Akwa Ibom State to give you a second opportunity to lead them and you told me what you have done and what you have in mind to do, I didn’t hesitate to tell Akwa Ibom people to support you.
I am very, very happy that you have not let me down and you have not disappointed the good people of Akwa Ibom State. This Flyover is worth celebrating.
“Your success does not stop with your economic and social development to your people, but it would be measured by your succession because success without a good a succession is hollow.
“I pray and pray again that you would have a good successor. In times of scarcity, that is when you know a good manager of resources”
Speaking earlier, Governor Udom Emmanuel said the execution of the project was not a show of affluence but demonstration of prudence in the management of the increasingly dwindling resources.
According to him, at the last federation account meeting, a little more than $1 billion was shared to more than 200 million Nigerians.
“Today is just for appreciation. What we are celebrating today is God’s wisdom, creativity, and what God can use the human mind to do. When people see us commission projects like this, they think we have money. We don’t. It is even extremely difficult for some state governors to even pay salaries.
“So what God is doing in our state is marvelous. When other States are saying there is a casting down, we are saying there is a lifting up. For some months now we have been commissioning projects. And it is only PDP governors that are commissioning projects in Nigeria today.
“PDP governors did not come to give excuses. And it is time like this that you can Know those governors who can motivate, those that can create We are doing a lot of creative thinking to see how we can stimulate our economy”, Emmanuel said.
He promised to award contracts for the reconstruction of the adjourning roads and bypasses damaged by the diverted vehicular traffic while work on the flyover was ongoing in the past two years.
The governor also said with the advent of the dry season coming, his administration would kickstart the inauguration of several dual carriage roads such as Ikot Ekpene-Uyo Road and Eket remodeling project.
The state commissioner for works, Prof Eno Ibanga explained that the project commenced on July 15, 2019, and since it was billed to be completed in two years, the state had even surpassed the deadline because COVID-19 had disrupted its progress for several months.