Praise, Not Strokes For Gov. Eno

Praise, Not Strokes For Gov. Eno

By Otobong Sampson

The season is closing in and alarms are loud enough. Time rarely matters in our corner of the world. For politicians here, the time for the next election begins effectively after election results have been announced. Lately, a section of the media space in Akwa Ibom has proved itself rich in eerie contents. There are sufficient reasons to conclude that more of such episodes are simmering; and of course, the media is the efficient platform upon which political wars — both proxy and direct — are executed.

The last few months, and particularly weeks, have seen Governor Umo Eno dressed in a false robe by this group as a common enemy; the object of their undeserved indignation. This is scarcely surprising, politics is a rich source of the illogical. It is fair that the Governor has come under not unexpected scrutiny. Leadership in democratic societies are held and made accountable in its service to the people. But it is unfair when criticisms are masked in personal disappointment and bitterness is parceled as appraisal.

Two years after, gusts of verdicts have flurried in assessment of Governor Eno’s service to the State and its people. Many are thumbing up his honest efforts, satisfied that he is working his heart out to re-create an Akwa Ibom where opportunities are equal for all.

While there are past events that offer proof that the administration is determined to entrench an egalitarian society where the son of a peasant can compete with equal advantage for the same economic opportunity with the son of a noble, this fact has been reinforced with the public declaration that the 3000 new recruits to be absorbed into the state civil service will be selected on merit, and without any godfatherly influence.

The few who do not agree with the majority numbers are not disagreeing because the numbers are wrong; it is because they love the echoes of their own voice. They are not necessarily voices of dissent, and not at all — of reason. The minority who acknowledge that real progress has been made, but at intervals differ genuinely on conviction, the government listens.

Governor Eno’s ambitions for the state have not waned. This can be seen in the energies he exudes in the pursuit of those ambitions. It is present in his all-inclusive relations. Both, which have promoted greater collaborations and inspired many young persons with brave ambitions.

The mischievously weaved narrative by a rabble of antagonists that the government is slow in performance can be excused in the understanding that there are those that will always stay loyal to their prejudices. There is no evidence that what they assume is true. The clamour for “more” should not be misconstrued for underperformance. It is instead an acknowledgement of the governor’s capacity to match heightening expectations. A price he is willing to pay having set his own template of governance so high from early days.

With every leadership begins the immersion in an unending process, and not a quest for final destination. So far, Governor Eno’s time has been a surefootedness in blending together a new model with parts of the old order that work. If anyone appreciates big-picture thinking, his leadership model should win a fair prize.

An old system that has bought us a third-class seat for so long on the national economic flight should be discouraged and substituted for a new culture of diligence, prudence, and inventiveness, as championed by the State Chief Executive; one that will secure the future of the economic and social structure of Akwa Ibom State.