Ace architect, Ezekiel Nya-Etok, has declared his intention to run for the office of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State on the platform of Young Democratic Party (YDP) in 2019.
According to a statement, Nya-Etok, popularly known as Mr. Housing, he said “I wish to formally communicate my decision to run for the office of the Governor of Akwa ibom state under the platform of Young Democratic Party (YDP).”
“Having been privileged to co-found the party, and served as its Pioneer National Chairman, I was pleasantly surprised when, on learning of my intention to run for the said office, the NEC of YDP unanimously opted to buy my form, from where I eventually emerged as the party’s standard bearer, as show of appreciation -not withstanding that I had effectively step aside from the party. To them, long after the music stopped, the melody lingered. I owe them a debt of gratitude.”
The Conviction:
It is my personal conviction that we will never make any meaningful progress as a nation until the governors, by personal decision, or compulsion, stop acting like Monarchs and Emperors, and start to act like Chief Executive Officers.
BACKGROUND:
This night, thousands of families across the nooks and crannies of our dear state will go to bed without as much as a cup of garri to drink -even with salt. This is a state where display of affluence, including the use official private jet, has become second nature to our people in government. This is insensitive, and completely unacceptable.
MY MISSION
As in housing where LUXURY HOUSING is housing for the rich and the privileged, and SOCIAL HOUSING being Housing for the less privileged, we seem to be practicing LUXURY GOVERNANCE in Nigeria generally. It is my mission to bring in SOCIAL GOVERNANCE.
I have come to champion the practice of SOCIAL GOVERNANCE which will be governance that must primarily benefit the No-Income and Low-Income earners predominantly found in the rural areas, and the Lower Medium Income earner that litter our urban areas.
I am on a mission to rescue and protect the poor, the aged, the physically and otherwise challenged, the women, and the children. These constitute the most vulnerable in our society, and they constitute my primary focus of calling.
This mission fits the spirit of our constitution that states explicitly that…”The SECURITY and WELFARE of THE PEOPLE SHALL BE the PRIMARY PURPOSE of GOVERNMENT”.
THE GAME PLAN
To address the above, I have four simple hashtags, these are :
1. #ChangeTheMusic: This simply means stop and change direction. It’s here that the disruptive thinking begins.
2. #GoLowProfile: This defines the general governance style that speaks for itself.
3. #ShutDownAndShutOut: It is here that we have our operational  guidelines. We must SHUT DOWN all the wastage and drain pipes. These including the wasteful concept of GOVERNMENT HOUSE which must be replaced with GOVERNOR’S HOME. All government business will henceforth be conducted in the office during the day and the night is for families to spend time together in their HOMES with their families -starting with the Governor.
We must SHUT DOWN the distracting and absolutely irrelevant and most wasteful practice of government houses. A look at the government house budget is infuriating. The vanity of private jet, the convoy of twenty to forty cars with outriders and the likes must be done away with. Then, we must SHUT OUT the external often parasitic patronages of the men from the ‘Presidency’, and all other personalities, agencies and influences to whom plump contracts -often outrageously inflated- are awarded, leading to capital flight and lack of patronage of the indigenes to whom the crumbs are dispersed. These practices account for lack of a single private corporate edifice in the state not withstanding the whooping over N400- 600 billion annual budget of the state over the past ten years.
4. #ItIsPossible: It is possible from facts and available data, to literally double the salaries and wages of our junior workers in particular, with substantial upward review on others. It is possible to guarantee every senior worker a home either during service or at retirement. It is possible to pay every Akwa Ibom indigenous student scholarship or bursary. It is possible to guarantee every citizen in the state Universal Health Coverage. It is possible to allocate 15%-25% of our budget to education to the end that:
A. Teachers are placed on special salary scale that will attract the very best to the noble profession.
B. Facilities and Curriculum provided that will makes Public Schools preferred to the private. Ultimately it is possible, and it is my prime commitment, TO RESTORE THE DIGNITY OF ALL AKWA IBOM SONS AND DAUGHTERS.
THIS IS MY MISSION.
This is why I am running for the office of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
God bless you, and God bless Akwa-Abasi Ibom State.
