THE UDUNG UKO OF OUR DREAM: OUR NEED OF THE HOUR - EVANS ESIFA

As the November, 11 Local Government election gathers momentum, I find it very necessary to also lend a guiding word to our prospective delegates and electorates. Udung Uko LGA as we all know was created on December, 1996 by the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

More than two decades now, meaning some babies that were born at that material time are either graduates or due for graduation. It is so saddening that at a seemingly adult stage, my dear Local Government is still wallowing in all-round degradation and total underdevelopment.

Udung Uko is the only LG in the state without access roads coupled with complete absence of basic social amenities.

Leaders have come and gone at various stages while our ramshackle status continues. This is not to say the previous leaders didn't try their best, but obviously their best wasn't good enough. This had left me with a very tough task when the trumpet did sound for yet another round of grassroot politicking.

So many of my friends have tried to draw my attention privately to know my stance but I obviously refused a comment simply because a good number of contenders who contacted me were unable to mention a single problem Udung Uko is facing as a people, rather they choose to use words such as," SIFA NDA DOHO EMU EKOÑ ESIHI MI-ESIHI KU NKOÑ MBRE MKPOM MBUK.

(You can ask for the interpretation later). Settlement? I totally disagree with this political philosophy.

Every society is progressing by testing their young and dynamic brains. We can see it for ourselves across Akwa Ibom State. Lo and behold a young man appeared before me, and referred to himself as Engr. Edenseting.

He spoke to me at length but as soon as he mentioned The revenue and job opportunities we've MISSED through the abandonment of The ENIONGO AND USUNG BEACH MARKETS, I quickly noticed there was something special about him.

I went through his manifesto, and it was enriched with people-oriented projects and programs.

My people, let us for once give an opportunity to a tested professional, a fresh hand, a seasoned trained Engineer,an activist and a down to earth gentlemen who has the problems of our area and their solutions at his finger tips. We can't apply the same method everyday and expect a different result.

Without biases, let's Support ENGR ETIM BEN EDENSETING as the next Chairman of Udung Uko LGA.He will sure deliver. As a departmental President of CHEMICAL/PETROLEUM ENGINEERING STUDENTS 2002/2003 he led a delegation of students to PTDF office in Port Harcourt when he noticed that it was only UNIPORT that was benefitting from the Petroleum Technology Development Fund.

That singular agitation is the reason we could boast of the almighty PTDF building popularly known as the Y-BLOCK in the UNIUYO main Campus.

As Secretary of NAAKISS 2002/03, who also doubled as chairman of bursary committee,he spearheaded the most peaceful bursary payment in the state where every NASKISSITE went home smiling. He is a listening guy.

He also opposes politics of recycling and settlement which is the real reason we are where we are today.

He is the best man for the job. Let's leave our sentiments and think Udung Uko first.

IT IS TIME FOR PRACTICAL DEMOCRACY IN THE GRASSROOT.

BY EVANS ESIFA