- By Uduak Umo|#AkeesSoFar kicked off with a press conference on Monday, and I was invited. I sat close enough to hear these words by Elder Ufot Ebong; “I want to make Akwa Ibom youths too busy to attend political rallies.
When I’m asked, I’d say they’re too busy working”. This would have sounded like one more statement by a politician, except for the fact that AKEES under Elder Ebong, one year from flag off, have proof of work done to show. Secondly, Elder Ebong is one of the no-politicians in Government recently.
Naysayers better read this, and bring on their debates. Which government scheme has labored as intensively, depoliticized recruitment and registration, and given an assessment report to the public like AKEES in the history of Akwa Ibom?
You see, this could be the first administration of Governance in Akwa Ibom where leadership is actually given to professionals instead of politicians. I do not believe a politician would have been comfortable to make such a statement as Ufot Ebong did. And certainly not to the public.
But, I think we’ve begun to tell ourselves the truth. Akwa Ibom youths, men, women attend political rallies for reasons ranging from political to foolishness - but majorly because they’re too idle to stay away. More than 90% of us attend those rallies for an occupation.
That is, rally no dey, food no go dey. Very few attend them in order to render a service in exchange for money.
Civil servants escape from their offices to go struggle for #2000 at a party rally. Farmers abscond from their measly farms and even students shun school on such days. It’s a shame this has been our story.
Now, imagine a state with 50% youths going home with say #2,000,000 in minimum earnings yearly. That’s #166,700 monthly. That’s AKEES’ aim targeted at 2020.
Waxxup is a business used by Mr. Ufot as an example on this day.
Imagine that Waxxup, have 100,000 Akwa Ibom shoes to polish. And, like we heard, those guys charge a ridiculous #3,000 YEARLY for polishing a pair of shoes for you. I said #3000 for 365 days of their lives.
I have verified this, dear reader. I’ve spoken with the owner of the business.
Question is, do we have up to 100,000 shoes in Uyo or not? They can limit their operations to Uyo, from Ekom Iman to Itam Junction, Barracks Road to Shelter Afrique; and in one year, they have made more than #300,000,000.
Look at that.
Trust me, even if they employ a hand for every 100 shoes, working 8 times a week, they would have employed 1000 people who work 2 days a week, and are free to keep other jobs. If these 1000 earn #15,000 per month; owner of business would still have 120,000,000 naira to play with by December.
What would make a person who is earning 15000 from 3 different business initiatives of this nature, working 6 days a week, 3 hours every day, to ever attend a political rally for #2000 to be garnished with insult, multi-human spittle, body-odour and a chance to die from suffocation?
There are many such businesses with exciting possibilities growing out from under the umbrella of AKEES.
The Government of Udom Emmanuel has met our people with the message of Dakkadda; a call to seize your destiny, hold yourself responsible for your own financial welfare and for your future; wake up and discover latent potentials within you and your environment. AKEES, so far, has been a practical demo of this ideology.
This is one government that has not been talking; but has talking, acting, and ignoring distractions. These days, those who wailed out against the Governor’s ground breaking have begun to be muffled. Why? By now, they’ve seen some of the roads that were ground-broken really take shape. Have they not? And in a time of national economic recession.
My advice would come from the Bible: “And let him that is in the on the housetop not go down. And let him that is in the field not turn back again” (Mark 13: 15 and 16). That is where we are. The age of actual bottom-up industrialisation has commenced.
Let the doubters be, so there can be labour for menial jobs tomorrow. And for those on track, stay where you are till you have more proof for your spectators. You it is who will prove that you were not deceived.
Meanwhile, as part of the #AkeesSoFar programme, there will be a flag off of a special free ICT training scheme by Akees for 3000 Akwa Ibom people, with Mark Essien – CEO of Hotels.ng – bringing Google officials to the event on October 31. Following that will be a special fair to exhibit Akees businesses at Onyema Ugochukwu hall at Uniuyo. Keep a date.
Uduak Umo is a Chartered PR practitioner and Public Interest Researcher, Writes from Uyo. Follow him on Twitter @UdyUmo
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