Mr. Moses Ekpo, Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor, is a seasoned journalist and an orator par excellent. He recently shared his thought with Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Nelson Nse-Abasi on the politics of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State and sundry matters. Excerpts:
There is notion in some quarters that projects by this administration is concentrated in the homestead of the its principal officers like the governor, commissioners and yourself?
I wouldn’t tell you to come to Abak and see what is happening; rather I will tell you go around the state as much as you can. Look at what is happening. That’s the template that we are having for every part of this state. I’m not saying that the previous administration didn’t do things. They did things. You give credit to (former governor) Godswill Akpabio for what he did. He did a lot, but the intention is that we should be building on that. And that is what this administration is doing. Most of the projects that were initiated at that time are being completed by this competition. My personal view is that the zoning system for the governorship of this state is meant to be able to provide, at the end of the day, a holistic development in every part of the state.
If you have governors or leaders take development to their own areas, by the time they take development to their own areas, you will discover that the entire state would have been developed. If you look at Uyo, anybody who knows it from the beginning, the real Uyo has no semblance of what you knew yesterday. The reason is that we think that the state capital should be the first port of call to anybody. Let development radiate from there to other places and that’s what is happening in this state. I believe that if the tempo continues, if there’s anything to learn from this administration by others who will follow, within a short time, Akwa Ibom would be unique. Even in terms of economic development, there’s a lot of things on ground. By the time everything is unfolded by our completion time, we will have a lot to show.
Some believe that your choice as deputy to Governor Udom Emmanuel was for stability. You were expected to bring your experience in government to bear. Again, considering your age, the thinking was that you will not be driven by ambition into a conflict with the governor. In what ways are you doing this?
This is the most peaceful place you can have in this country, inside government and outside. It’s only good governance that can modulate this kind of a thing. In my little way, I think to provide that stability, there should be peace even within governance. For me, I have a dictionary that defines loyalty and when I interpret it, loyalty has no percentage. If you’re 90 percent loyal to your boss, then it’s not complete, it doesn’t help. It should be 100 percent loyalty. Governor Udom Emmanuel shares opinion. There’s no better way to govern. This state is the most peaceful state, even in government. Once the government is in factions, then the entire state will be in factions. We don’t want to create divide and rule. Governor Emmanuel listens to everyone. He listens to his colleagues in the cabinet and when decisions are taken it’s a wholesome decision.
There’s a move to review the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will you advocate for a constitutional role for deputy governors?
If it’s a constitution, must everything be written down, to say, ‘the deputy governor must or must not do this and that? Even if they are written down, are they not turning them overboard? For me, if you have a constitutional role for a deputy to say he should do this or that, it becomes a bit selfish. When you take on a job with the governor, it not as if we sat down and said this is what we will divide. It’s a mutual understanding, so I key into what his focus is. If I do, I follow him, if I don’t, I don’t follow him. It’s very clear. What are we going to propose to be included in the new constitution as a role for the deputy governor? It’s very clear, you deputize for him. You are to do those things the principal does when he’s not available.
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