By Uwemedimoh Umanah
It was Gil Courtemancheis who noted that, "propaganda is as powerful as heroin; It surreptitiously dissolves all capacity to think”.
The unparalleled strides of His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel's administration in Oron in the area of road and infrastructure development is of monumental interest to development Experts and pundits.
The Governor's approach which seeks to create 'growth poles' aligns with the Dubai example under Sheik Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, under whose reign Dubai became the shopping hub of the Middle East. He simply got the basic right by having the passion which resulted in sound policies.
The Governor has to a great extent exuded passion in his leadership style. It must be noted that passion in Leadership and Politics means 'the central energy which drives meaningful development'. It is also the strength invested by a leader in the process of achieving his goals and mandate. A leader who has passion is driven forward from the energy it produces. When it comes to leading yourself and others, passion and energy are essential. An American leader once said, “Without passion, you don’t have energy; without energy, you have nothing.” Leaders who have passion also bring energy into what they do.
Back to the main. In my usual way, When I arrived Oron Local Government Area, my friend and the Special Assistant to the Governor on Project Monitoring, Ekpenyong Atte was in on hand to show me round the very thoughtful life -touching projects executed by Governor Udom Emmanuel.
We headed straight to some very strategic road project like the Post Office Road, Efiat Lane, Bassey Lane, with an underground outfall drainage project specific feature of Oron urban road projects is that there are thoroughly constructed and connects with others.
Before the intervention of His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel in Oron which led to the construction of these spectacular urban roads, most homes in the area were threatened by terrible flood and untold ecological challenges. 'Before this road was constructed, I only slept in my house during the dry season because this area becomes a river whenever it rained heavily,' said Mrs Eyedung, a resident of Bassey Street, Oron.
Thus, the urban road would save thousands of lives and property worth billions of Naira from being destroyed by the the menace of unchecked flood. This is better appreciated when one takes a closer look at the 3 kilometer underground outfall drain which empties most of the rain water in the newly constructed urban roads.
The depth of the outfall equates that of a storey -building and gives hope to the area which accommodates some the best facilities in Oron. A Highway Engineer, Celestine Udoh noted excitingly that the area in which the outfall services 'should be free from any flood- related problem and for the next 30-50 years, if properly maintained'.
The economy of Oron would after a very long time experience an economic boost; as sea food traders would have unhindered access to and from the market and sea shores. Of course, this would impact on the prices of commodities like fish, crayfish, shrimps etc, which hitherto were beyond the reach of common people, but the exclusive preserve of Igbo businessmen and the rich.
Ikechukwu Ude, a crayfish trader who comes from Aba in Abia states said that the with quality road which have dotted Oron, he and others would no longer experience difficulty in transporting their goods from the beaches.
These commodities are the mainstay of the economy of Oron and accounts for the heavy vehicular movements to the ancient city. What this implies is that, this great leap in urban infrastructure in Oron would engender migration from both the rural areas and from other major cities into Oron for commercial purposes.
In economic parlance, this would impact on the livelihood and income level of the people as more people will be gainfully engaged. 'Governor Udom Emmanuel is indeed, a very sincere and honest person who doesn't eat back his words. For me, he has the support of Oron people' noted Chief Victor Ini Okon, a frontline politician and stakeholder from Oron.
This aligns with the 'wealth creation and poverty reduction items on Governor Emmanuel's 5-point Agenda.
With these live touching remodeling projects and many more in the offing for Oron by Governor Udom Emmanuel, it is clear that Oron is on the verge of being seen on the global infrastructure map.
Governor Emmanuel's Urban remodeling project in Oron is aimed at giving the area a sense of place, providing an avenue for 'psychological escape'.
Above all, these life-touching projects negate the 'neglect- theory' propagated by the opposition elements in the state.
Uwemedimoh Umanah, a Public Relations Expert, Crisis Communications and Diplomatic Scholar, writes in from Uyo
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