Udom Emmanuel - a failed governor Every governor always has a crowd anytime they are giving a speech.

 But there are two types of crowds - the crowd that come because they love the governor, and the crowds that are paid to be there.

Anytime you see Governor Udom with a crowd of people, you will notice that they are all wearing a matching uniform. All wearing the same colours. Because they are a paid crowd. A crowd of people being transported to praise a Governor that cannot even find enough people to fill a small hall and praise him.

Udom is probably the worst Governor in Nigeria. And sadly, I do not even think he realises it.

What makes this so painful is that Udom directly followed Akpabio - an unusually effective Governor. Akpabio, within 8 years, took Akwa Ibom from a small backwater state, to a state with the best infrastructure in the country. Massive roads everywhere, streetlights, entertainment complexes, airports. Akpabio built them all.
Akpabio left for last just one road - the road linking his home town - Ikot Ekpene with Uyo, the state capital. This same road also links Akwa Ibom with the rest of the country through Umuahia and Aba. A single road.

For 4 years, Udom has been unable to complete that single road. He says he is working on it, apparently the will is there. He is even spending a huge amount of money, trying to complete that one road, and still he cannot.

This is an example of how he fails - just like a schoolboy who reads all day and night and still fails the exam, Udom works constantly, but achieves nothing. They say that Udom is working, but the work is not showing.

Akwa Ibomites say nowadays - we have nothing to eat, but Udom is building a toothpick factory. And this toothpick factory that is supposedly one of the highlights of his administration is nothing but a bare hall with a few machines, and some employees idly lounging about.

If you read online what his greatest achievements are, it mostly lists that he paid salaries. This is a state with the highest federal allocation in the country, with one of the smallest populations. Paying salaries is not something you should be proud of! It’s like a man being proud that he can breath - it is simply expected.

Akpabio designed a beautiful state. Waterfalls in the capital. Trees lining the roads. Streetlights. A well working and efficient airport. Since Udom came on, he cannot even do basic maintenance - the waterfalls are turned off. The grass is overgrowing on the highways. The trees are dying. No streetlights are working. The relaxation park in Uyo has turned into a car park for Keke Napep.

During Akpabio’s time, people became proud to come from Akwa Ibom. Akwa Ibomites were standing up, and had respect. Udom has bent our backs again. Once more, poverty has bitten the land. Cult wars happening across the state because the youth have no money and no industry. And Udom, instead of fixing the security situation, wasted so much time that it became common to see cultist gunmen strolling the streets.

We only voted for Udom because Akpabio told us to. But as they say, when a even a father warns you about his son, take the warning seriously.

Nationally, those who remained in PDP are those that are so known to be corrupt that even the APC will not accept them. Udom is hanging out with Wike, Fayose, Saraki, Dino Melaye. Are these the type of people we would be proud to say are our leaders? People that are well known for their corruption?

Is the life of the average Akwa Ibomite better under Udom than before? Udom that is building roads that lead nowhere, building industries that are employing nobody, and giving us toothpicks when we have nothing to eat?

While things are falling apart in Akwa Ibom, and the average man is praying for his daily bread, Udom set out to build the biggest church cross in the world, just like people in the past wanted to build a tower that can touch the heavens. And people spoke out against his foolishness, because a man of God only needs his bible and his mat to feed spiritually. We do not need idle edifices for our spiritual nourishment, we rather that the money be used for our physical nourishment.

Udom spent hundreds of millions on AKEES. Money we can kiss goodbye, with nothing to show. Udom spent huge money on Oracle training. The people who collected the money must have gone back to their village to consult Oracles, because we cannot find them anywhere.

Udom is a great big failure. You are requesting to come for second term? We do not want you, sir. We know you love Lagos, after all, do you not use our state money to fly to Lagos almost every weekend? Why not spend your second term relaxing in Lagos?

We are tired, sir! One term of incompetence is enough. These last four years, you have eaten well. Please go home and relax - we know where you can get some toothpicks you can use!