The Nsima Ekere Manifesto, by Etim Etime

No economic blueprint has resonated so well with Akwa Ibom people like the one presented by Nsima Ekere, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, last Monday. Appropriately titled: “The New Vision for our Collective Prosperity,” the plan recognises the need to return the state to the path of planned growth, which was enunciated by a former Governor of the state, Obong Victor Attah. Feedback from a cross section of our people indicates that the programme is well thought out and addresses major deficiencies of our socioeconomic life.
The plan is anchored on five major areas called: “The Five Pillars of Change.” They are: Economic Prosperity; Infrastructure and Rural Development; Education, Health and Social Protection; Security; and Governance and Institutional Reforms.
Under these five broad areas, Ekere proposes to tackle the twin problems of poverty and unemployment through several initiatives like a N20 billion fund to create a new generation of entrepreneurs and another N20 billion fund to revive the comatose education, especially renovating and upgrading the school buildings and facilities. The Transformative Entrepreneurs Fund will finance businessmen and women in manufacturing, distributive and retail trade and services through revolving credit facilities. There are also financial support in farming and agriculture for graduates and young persons who want to make a career in this very important sector.
Akwa Ibom people have been particularly excited by such fresh ideas in the manifesto like the pledge of N25,000 bursary for each of our tertiary students and allowing all local government areas to access all their federally-allocated funds. Such financial grants will help a whole lot of our students, especially the indigent ones, to go through their education with relative ease. Currently, the Udom Emmanuel administration has promised, on paper, to pay N5,000 bursary to each student, but none has received it since this governor came into office. This is not the only sin of this administration. By unjustly and illegally holding onto Local Government funds in the Joint Account, the administration has been cheating the rural communities of basic amenities and project. Each Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom receives between N20 million and N60 million in a month. This means over N3 billion to each LGA in four years. Ekere’s pledge to let the LGAs have these funds and apply them judiciously is not only revolutionary; it is unprecedented in the history of our state. The impact on the rural economy would be huge. Of course, payments of all outstanding salaries, gratuities and pensions to deserving beneficiaries are important components of the Ekere proposal.
I encourage all Akwa Ibom people to read this document and appreciate the thinking, ideas and logic therein (nsimauekere.com/manifesto). This manifesto contains the most creative ways of addressing our major problems.
Akwa Ibom people should should rise and support Nsima Ekere and be ready to hold him to it.
. Etime writes from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.