By Senator Godswill AKPABIO
There are three kinds of people. In the first category you have those who make things happen. In the second category you have those who talk about those who make things happen. And in the third category you have those who do not know what is happening. God has ordained for me to make things happen, and I am grateful to Him. That is my ministry.
Those who talk about the people who make things happen also have this as their ministry. They constitute the Gossip League. If I have been a major gossip commodity in their “enterprise”, I bless the name of the Lord. There is one thing worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about. But when they take their trade (gossip) to embarrassing heights of absurdity, one painfully has to undertake the task of reining them in and ensuring that lies and falsehood do not flourish in our State and invoke God’s wrath. It is not about me, but about the law of sowing and reaping. Rest assured that every idle and malicious talk would be judged by God Almighty.
My decamping to the APC overshadowed every discussion in Akwa Ibom State and cast a spell of fear over the Peoples Democratic Party. In their desperation, they told many lies against me and I would not bother to talk about all of them. I, however, would want to refer, for now, to three of these false claims and a few other things. One, that I said I was god or carried on like God. Two, that I said, “Where was God when I made Udom Emmanuel Governor.” Three, that I contrived to sell the state to Moslems for the establishment of cattle colonies.
My story is the story of grace. My father died when I was quite young. But my mother made me to believe that my FATHER left for HEAVEN because he was sure that I am not only strong but have the strength of character to take care of her and my SIBLINGS as well as generations of people. I am a working person’s person. I became the governor of Akwa Ibom State in actualization of prophecies to that effect. God made me governor. The forces I faced in that election were daunting and no pundit gave me a chance. God lifted me from grass to Grace to send the message to all Akwa Ibom people and Nigerians that whether you travel by bus or by bicycle, whether you were born in poverty or in affliction, God’s will would certainly and without fail be done in your life.
As a governor I appreciated God at every opportunity and will continue to do so as long as I live. My love for God and reverence of Him led to my partnership with the Church as a governor, and why one of my first acts in office was the donation of a N100 million (one hundred million Naira) grant to the Church community to use as a revolving loan scheme for the poor in the church. I also extended a grant of N10 million (Ten million naira) to the Muslim community in the State equally as revolving loan to its poor but enterprising members whose businesses confronted financial hindrances. I did this because of my conviction that we all worship the same GOD.This I did not only because I have always been pro-poor but because of God’s injunction in James 2:15-16. I like it better in the Message Bible: “For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, ‘Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!’ and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you?’
It was because of my fear of God, love of God and gratitude to Him for all He has done for me that I brought down the old chapel and I built the current Chapel in Government House – an architectural masterpiece in honor of God. It was because of my love of God, fear of Him and gratitude to HIM that Government started the monthly prayer meeting at the said chapel and this held throughout my tenure, and I am happy that the tradition is still continued by the present administration. It was for the afore-stated reasons that I started the award-winning Christmas Carol Festival which has become a global Christmas event and is still being continued by the present administration. It is also my reverence to GOD and love for Him that made us to work hard to make the GUINNESS BOOKS OF RECORD through the convocation of the largest choir group on planet earth, the Godswill Akpabio Unity Choir to sing to the glory of God.
In 2015 my wife, was in a coma for months and the best doctors in the world with the help of the best life-support equipment gave her less than five percent chance of making it. Doctors and science gave up on her. The press wrote that she had died. But we held on to God and God brought her back to life. Science could not explain this awesome testimony.
In 2015, I was involved in an accident, which details are still suspect. I survived against all odds, because God showed up for me.
Can a man who has seen so much favour from God, turn around to blaspheme him? Can such a man seek to play God or seek to share His glory with Him? Such a man can never say “where was God when I made Udom Emmanuel governor?” and I never said that blasphemous nonsense and never conceived it in my heart. I met Udom Emmanuel performing the duties of a deacon in Qua Iboe Church, Surulere. I immediately adjudged that as a deacon, he would superintend over the affairs of the State with the FEAR of God. Whether I was right or wrong is for history to judge. Nevertheless I picked him to succeed me and by the grace of God and the votes of Akwa Ibom electorates, he won the election. So God made him governor.
Yes. I met enemies out of 28 other aspirants who desired that same office. That remains my cross.
So for anyone to have believed that I would say such arrant nonsense means that the walls of logic are broken down in our clime and some of our people could believe in Santa Claus. Of course God used me to make Udom Emmanuel Governor, just as He used Samuel to make Saul king. When God rejected Saul, Samuel communicated the message to Saul and that was not playing God. I love God and reverence Him.
I am happy that God is not like some of His priests. Ever since I decamped to APC, they have been praying against me and they have joined in peddling the lies about me. Very well known Church prelates and Bishops that dined with me for 8 years while I was governor, despite my benevolence to them and their families joined the fray calling me killer herdsman for joining APC. But some of these “men of God” were in this same Country in 2012 when the farmers/herdsmen clashes claimed the lives of over 1000 people in the Benue/Plateau/Mambilla axis. At that time, a Christian was the President but was not accused of being a killer of Christians. The farmers/herdsmen clashes predate Nigeria’s Independence. The clashes have occurred under various leadership.Yet the “men of God” have been unconscionable in accusing the current President of masterminding genocide against Christians because he is a Muslim. I am happy that God does not condemn a man based on one man’s testimony, but He sees the heart and judges our motives and intentions. Whether one is a Christian or Muslim, we all worship the same God WHO will at the appointed time judge us from our deeds in words and actions.
That I would seek to undo the transformational work I did in Akwa Ibom by mortgaging Akwa Ibom interest or entering into an alliance with anyone to compromise our collective interest and my children’s future is another wicked lie from the pit of hell.
In the course of this election, I had been photo-shopped by the same propaganda merchants who told the lies about me. My letterhead and signature had been forged by the same propaganda merchants to write falsehood as if I wrote them. They conscripted certain women from South Africa who claimed to be foreign observers and paid them to lie that I detained them using thugs even when such incident never occurred. One can go on and on. But in all these, I have often reflected on what happened to our Lord and Savior when some of the multitude who celebrated Him in the triumphant entry into Jerusalem were fooled by the Pharisees to shout, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” at his trial. Yes they crucified him. But because the Bible says in Job 20:4-7 “Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?” .
When Matthew Henry was robbed, he said “Let me be thankful because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.” Let me say, I am thankful because it was I who was lied against, not I who lied. My dream for Akwa Ibom lives on. My love for Akwa Ibom and Nigeria waxes stronger. I call on those who have been sucked into this axis of evil to stop the lies, the smear campaigns, the propaganda and the deliberate falsehood. I wish to serve notice that I would remain undaunted and focused in serving humanity. For the people of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom State and Nigerians,continue to pray for my best is yet to come.
Senator Akpabio is a former Governor of Akea Ibom State and Senator representing Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District
