Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Special Duties, Rt. Hon. Okpolupm Etteh, has urged the people of the state to rise up to their responsibility and own government for development to thrive, saying “development will thrive and remain sustainable when we see government and governance as our individual responsibility.”
Rt. Hon. Etteh, a Fellow of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) and former member of the State House of Assembly, gave the charge as part of his New Year message to youths of the state in his country home, Upenekang, Ibeno, on Wednesday.
He said “respect for constituted authority, participation in governance and protection of government infrastructure should be our civic responsibility. It is not enough for us to elect leaders; we need to guide the leaders through our participation in governance. We need to sustain those leaders with prayers. And we must also protect what leadership has put in place for our good and progress.”
The Special Duties Commissioner further urged the people to “strive at all time to exude the true virtues of hard work, commitment, dedication, hospitality, sincerity, trust and love to one another,” which according to him, are imbedded in the Dakkada philosophy of Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Rt. Hon. Etteh thanked Akwa Ibom people for their tireless support, commitment, dedication and encouragement to the present administration.
He attributed the success story of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration to the fact that God Almighty has the final say in the affairs of men, saying “the growth so far experienced has beats our imaginations. Only God could have made it.”
While appealing to the people to shun social vices and negative criticism, Rt. Hon. Etteh urged the people to endeavour to be instruments of peace, encouragement, development and progress in the year 2020.
