Productivity, according to Paul Meyer “is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” This has been the kind of commitment that has dotted the lines of Gov. Emmanuel’s administration, especially in his avowed determination to see to the speedy completion of projects in the state.

Recently the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade Ini Ememobong in a chat with newsmen assured Akwa Ibom people of “Gov. Udom Emmanuel’s commitment to the timely completion of all the ongoing projects in the state.”

He equally explained that torrential rainfall has been one of the major setbacks suffered by construction companies handling various projects in the state, especially projects involving the movement of earth and soil excavation. However, he assured that once the rain begins to rescind, government would intensify pressure on the constructors handling the affected projects in order to actualize their timely completion.

This has been the expectation of Akwa Ibom people, and it’s their right to do so as there is no government without the people. It is the people’s right to ensure that their leaders serve them better, and this can be advocated in so many ways. However, criticism should be constructive.

When people criticise destructively, it appears as if the government is not doing anything, which is very far from the truth. There is a touch of the state government’s developmental strides in all sectors of the economy and in every Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

It is important to understand that projects are funded with money, and as resources come in, those projects are pushed to the next phase and subsequently the completion phase. This is exactly what is going on.

People should jettison the idea of tagging projects abandoned when the government is still targeting the completion of such projects. There is no project under the present administration that has been discontinued, and so it is out of place for the word abandonment to come in. There’s an assurance from the Governor as amplified by the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy that at the end of this administration, all projects initiated shall be completed. It shall indeed be a harvest of completed projects.

It is equally imperative to note that governance is not all about construction of roads. It includes security, payment of salary, education, agriculture, job creation, welfare, and many other activities that will culminate to the well-being of the people. And the state government is committed to ensuring that no sector is left behind in the massive developmental strides touring the state, even with the little resources at its disposal.

There’s no gainsaying the fact that the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic has affected in no small measure the speed with which the administration of Gov. Emmanuel started with in terms of infrastructural development and economic initiatives. From the Federal to the state government, budgets were reviewed downward as a result of the dwindling prices of crude oil which almost paralyzed global economy. But then, with his wealth of experience in financial matters, Gov. Emmanuel was able to keep the economy of the state afloat.

Now that the price of crude oil is gradually rising, there is no doubt whatsoever that the projects initiated by this administration will be completed and in time.

Gov. Emmanuel that we all know and can attest of, is not the type that would sleep and allow the state to be littered with abandoned projects. No, not while he is alive. He is a serious minded person who has always been successful in all his business endeavours, and so he is succeeding on all sides, even in governance.

With a steady rise in the price of crude oil and gradual exit of the rainy season, there’s greater hope that all ongoing projects and those that were temporary stopped as a result of lack of funds will receive a financial boost for their timely completion. It is a commitment that the governor wouldn’t joke with, and sooner than expected, we shall all witness a harvest of completed projects.

Written by: Rev Richard Peters