HIS EXCELENCY UDOM EMMANUEL IS THE HEROE OF AKWA IBOM STATE

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way-John C. Maxwell Lord James Robin in his celebrated book, The Ancient Book of Romans government opined that when you know the curator of power, you can foreknow the grandeur of a better future or the ruse of a doomed reign. Leaders hold the greatness and the ruin of their domain, as a merchant who has the franchise of a product. For the survival of the brand depends on his virtues. These words of fine counsel has over the years has helped groups and states to fashion out clear cut parameters in assessing anyone who intends to become their leader. First is to know who your would be leader is. The man Udom Emmanuel, is the son of Ete Teacher Gabriel Emmanuel Nkenang a native of Awa Iman in Onna Local Government in present day Akwa Ibom State. He (Udom) rose from being a Sunday school leaderat the Qua Iboe church to become a bank director and his greatness is propelled my humility, honesty, prudence and hard work. Again i ask, Do know Udom Emmanuel? He means different things to different people. He is a man of goodwill with good works, a who man who values others' plight more than his. A leader who believes in team work, a financial manager who can translate a little income to collective fortunes. His work experience reveals that he is an excellent developer.At Zenith Bank, he was always sent to develop new branches across the globe for his employers knew his capabilities of making a dead stream an ocean. He developed the Zenith Bank in United Kingdom; Zenith Bank – Gambia; Zenith Bank – Sierra Leone; Zenith Insurance; Zenith Pensions and Custodian; Zenith Securities; Zenith Trustees , Zenith Registrars and turned all these positions to the treasure base of the Zenith Bank group. It was his uncommon performance that earned him the position of a director in a Bank that he is never a shareholder. His loyalty, humility and honesty are unequalled and this makes every man that comes in contact with him to accept him without any sense of doubt about his personality and capability. Again i ask, Who is Udom Emmanuel? He is a man of honesty, this why the Zenith Group could commit the entire loan unit for his management and he did justice to the department. He did leave the section with EFCC on his prowl but with promotion to international units. So having an honest man like Deacon Udom Emmanuel as a leader in Akwa Ibom State means state funds will not be laundered and there will no misuse of funds. Leaders are always encouraged to exhibit confidence, competence and omniscience but Mr Udom Emmanuel is not such a leader as he already has these virtues as part of his being , and what is in you is not borrowed . The cognate experience and competence of Udom Emmanuel in the international business world means he will make Akwa Ibom State an investors hub being a trusted hand within the private and the public sectors . The seemingly difficult task of turning Akwa Ibom from a civil service state to a private sector-industrial driven economy will be made possible in months of his leadership . Do you know Udom Emmanuel was part of the Agro-Allied Economists Group who were saddled with the responsibility of building internationally accepted Agro –Allied concerns across the globe through world Bank initiative of eradication of food shortages in the world. With this Agro-Allied experience, Udom Emmanuel will turn around the agricultural sector from a mere primitive and subsistence farming to a mechanised farming where the right agricultural machines will be imported for farmers in the State and they will also be trained on how to use them. There will be Agro-Allied industries whose production would be food based. They will purchase the farm produce from farmers and turn them to food products both for local use and for export. The living Standards of the rural dwellers will certainly be upgraded as the vast majority of them are farmers. It will also stall the migration of the dwellers to the urban centers for greener pastures. Who Udom Emmanuel ? He is a detribalised gentleman who isn't interested in your tribe, language or ethnic group. As long as you can render the service(s) needed he will avail you the opportunity and he does not also use tribal sentiments whenever he wants to render help to a person. What are the benefits of this detribalized leader? He will be able to unite all the ethnic groupings in the State devoid of segregation, and it is only through unity Nigeria and Akwa Ibom State can develop rapidly. Where there is war, there is no development but destruction. Where there is, crises there is restiveness and where you have restiveness , there is no room for development as development is only made possible by unity and peace . Udom will be able to provide development equally to all sections of the State with no marginalization of any ethnic group . Deacon Udom Emmanuel knows that Education plays a key role in the progress of every nation. Going down history lane, it is proven that only those nations that place education in their first line of priority and make it a national target survive in the world. That is why in his private capacity, he has awarded scholarships to hundreds of youths. The absence or the poor quality of basic education not only becomes visible in illiteracy but also shows its effects among people who do finalize secondary school and university. Ministries, factories, hospitals and farms in developing countries often work inefficiently, not because the people working there are not capable but because they lack the right knowledge and skills. Primary school teaching is the single most important profession in the world. Teachers pass on knowledge and values to children, prepare them for further education and for working life and are main contributors to good education. This most important profession however does not get the recognition it deserves. In the developed world, young people don’t want to become primary school teachers anymore. In most developing countries the profession does not attract qualified and ambitious people because it is poorly remunerated. The Awa Iman Son knows the value of education and knows it is through education that he rose from a common position of a no man to whom he is toda

A MAN OF GOOD WILL

y. As a loyal and faithful follower of Chief Dr Godswill Akpabio, he will sustain the free education policy and improve upon it by extending it to the higher institutions of learning and also build more educational facilities in the State. There can be no escape from poverty without a vast expansion of education. This is a minimum entitlement for equipping the youths with the knowledge and skills they need to secure decent livelihoods in today's globalized world. This is who Udom Emmanuel is Udom Emmanuel's days at Zenith Bank saw the emergence of over 200 Akwa Ibom people as staffers in the Zenith group. He met 3 staffers of Akwa Ibom origin but his passion to empower and develop Akwa ibom persons drove him. Passion is the energy that comes from within, bringing more of you into what you do. Simply put, it's being who you are and doing what comes naturally. This is the fuel that drives Deacon Udom . When what you do is in alignment with who you are, you get energy from doing it. It's like water flowing along its natural riverbed. It actually gains energy from the path it's taking (compare that to what most people experience in their work, which is more like trying to force it up and over a mountain). Gathering the resulting insights in one place gives you a passion-focused decision tool. Think of it as an internal compass that takes the heart-based passion decision and puts it in the realm that the analytical mind can understand as well. Passion is the essence of commitment, Passion is that which deeply stirs us. It's the fire from within and that which motivates us. When passion is missing, our actions lack meaning and we don't get the results we want. Without passion, our actions are obligatory and lack velocity. Commitment emanates from passion. Passion is the seed from which commitment blossoms , so the fire that burns within Udom Emmanuel is how he can turn around the fortunes of Akwa Ibom State and importantly , that of the citizens and he is willing to do anything in support of this commitment. Udom’s Commitment is conscious , with insight and self-awareness and then he is ready to make conscious decisions in visions that will benefit the people. Udom knows that Finding opportunities for young people and women is a critical challenge for Akwa Ibom State, where 40 percent of the population which is more than two million, are youths and women. With no signs that population growth will slow in the decades to come, it is imperative that Akwa Ibom State Government leverages the talent and energy of its youth and women to create dramatically higher levels of prosperity and equality and avoid the latent risks of unemployment and social instability. Udom Emmanuel who a strong supporter of empowering of the women, advocates at all times, that When women are supported and empowered, all of society benefits. Their families are healthier, more children go to school, agricultural productivity improves and incomes increases. In short, communities become more resilient. Udom a great mixer with the youths, is committed to serving our youth hesitated by his belief that if we can facilitate the empowerment of youth, we can make an exponential impact on social justice and environmental issues. Our young people are our future leaders, one of the best places to invest our time and resources. Young people who do not have adequate support around them are often considered “at risk.” They are at risk of engaging in criminal activities, drugs, joining gangs, violent behaviour, or being victims of violence. Psychologically they are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and mental illness. I will lead you more to who is Udom Emmanuel. The future of Akwa Ibom State will be better secured if Deacon Udom Gabriel Emmanuel Nkenang stepped into the saddle.