SENATOR GODSWILL AKPABIO, THE LIVING LEGEND AND QUINTESSENTIAL MINORITY LEADER

Nigerian Super Eagles qualified for Russia 2018 World Cup on October 7^th 2017, after defeating Zambia National team at the Godswill Akpabio Nest of Champions Uyo. The stadium which is adjudged the best stadium in Nigeria by FIFA and one of the finest in the world was built by no one but the quintessential trailblazer and Senator extraodinaire, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the uncommon minority leader of the red chambers.

In the history of a people or rather a nation, great men of the caliber and mental stature and sagacity like Senator Akpabio who transform their nation and change the dynamics from status quo forever are just very few, and they come once in the history of a nation. The Margret Thatchers, Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yews, President Lincoln of America, Brazilian Lula Da Silva etc are great men and women who have altered the equation by transforming their system and bringing watershed developments to their people against all odds and against the permutations of status quo. These men and women just like Senator Akpabio live forever in the minds of their people and history remains kind to them.

Generational leaders are those who change the status quo of their people and help uplift them from abject poverty and self sustenance. Chief Akpabio did that for the people of Akwa Ibom and posterity will never ignore or diminish his role in history.

Distinguished Senator Akpabio needs no introduction as he has shattered many records especially in Akwa Ibom where he pioneered the state’s affairs for 8 years. I have been his ardent follower and fan for years now. 

The uncommon Senator came into the political space of Akwa Ibom as governor when little was known about the state and the only myth associated with the people of the state was that of house help workers. But he came and changed the trajectory and dynamics about his people.

Infact, it was one of his cardinal messages as a governor to change the myth surrounding his people away from that of mere house help workers to people from a state that is known for some of the greatest infrastructures in Nigeria. 

He went ahead to fulfill this dream and burning desire hence started calling his people to come home, a call that was followed by the popular song that I will never forget Akwa Ibom Ayaya(Akwa Ibom is beautiful).

The then Governor Akpabio set the pace which all governors in Nigeria are now following, especially in the area of building fly over bridges in their states. Hitherto before he came into leadership, the only states associated with fly over bridges and modern roads were Lagos, Abuja and Kano, all built by Federal Govt anyway. But he came in and chattered the narrative by investing so much of the state’s resources to uplift the infrastructure in the areas of modern roads, bridges, Stadium, hospital, hotels and drainage system et al.

He had a burden to change the lives of his people regardless of what it will cost and put their name in world map. He did just that especially with the best Stadium in the country built with similar architectural design and modeled after Allianz Arena in Munich Germany. 

I vividly remember him responding to media question about his motivation to build the best stadium in Nigeria. He attributed it to his fervency to put his state in world map and to contribute immensely towards the future of the youths of Akwa Ibom of which sports is vital. He also said that today, many of the Akwa Ibom youths engaged to work in the construction of such a modern stadium of that magnitude, will remain pace setters in the knowledge of Stadium construction and technology in the entire Nigeria. The knowledge they garnered will remain with them forever he said.

All the projects Distinguished Senator Akpabio built in Akwa Ibom while he was governor are all world class and lead the park in Nigeria when juxtaposed with other states except Abuja and Lagos.

Today Akwa Ibom is cynosure of all eyes and everyone just wants to visit the state for one thing or the other to enjoy the infrastructure and serenity the state brings with beauty.

Having chattered all records in Akwa Ibom and completed the legal ceiling for occupying a governorship position in Nigeria, he was overwhelmingly voted in by his people to represent one of their senatorial district as Senator.

The uncommon man does not go unnoticed and no wonder PDP recognized him immediately at the upper chambers  and gave him one of the principal positions as minority leader of the party at the Senate.

You can vouch for the leadership of Distinguished Senator Akpabio even with your eyes closed, and he is bringing just that to bear at the Senate. His great leadership of the party in Senate is widely commended by party faithfuls. He brings sanity to PDP and makes sure the party speaks in one voice from all issues emanating from the National Assembly.

During the period the party was going through legal challenges with litigations here and there which also orchestrated defections to opposing parties, the insistence of Chief Akpabio to swim together with PDP regardless of the outcome of the myriad of litigations bedeviling the party was what held many party members together. 

There was so much pressure for the uncommon Senator to dump PDP for other rival parties, a situation that would have totally nailed the coffin of PDP with ripple effects of bandwagon effects from many loyalists and party stalwarts across Nigeria to follow him along.

Regardless of all the overtures from other parties and constant pressure on him to dump the party under which he served his state as governor for eight years, with many juicy promises made to him, but he stood his ground and insisted on staying with PDP as a party loyalist to the core regardless of the outcome of Supreme Court decision concerning the fate of the party. 

And as fate will have it, he is one of the heroes of the victory that brought the party back to life at the Supreme Court.

As the race for 2019 inches closer, Chief Akpabio will certainly remain relevant in the scheme of things in PDP and will be among those who will decide which direction the pendulum of the future of the party will swing to.

The uncommon Senator remains a living legend whose ideas and vision for his people should be emulated at the central level for a better Nigeria.

It is without any equivocation that Chief Akpabio will be very influential and relevant in the scheme of things as the plot for who will be the Presidential candidate for PDP come 2019 thickens. Any attempt to ignore the maverick and liberal politician will be to the chagrin of PDP because chief Akpabio is a mover who makes things happen anywhere he goes.

Chief Akpabio is impact driven. His presence changes the dynamics in favour of any camp he belongs to, be it political or social. Any future permutations and alignment that ignores this quintessential Minority Leader of PDP, will obviously be detrimental to the success of PDP in South-South region and Nigeria as a whole.

Anayo Ekeanya (MBA, BSc, DAIT)Writes from Abuja

@getmotivatedng

www.getmotivatedng.com