A member of the House of Representatives representing Etinan Federal Constituency, Onofiok Luke, has scaled-up his 2023 governorship ambition in Akwa Ibom State, promising food sufficiency and agricultural development.
That is not all. He is equally promising to shore up the educational, healthcare standard in the state as well as embarked on technology development, entrepreneurial & industrial development, tourism, sports & entertainment, youth, women & social Inclusion, security, environment & infrastructure, good governance and administration.
This former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, announced these programmes in Uyo, the state capital, pointing out that he is seeking the governorship of Akwa Ibom on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to him, “I seek to lead the state in the capacity of the governor with the clear intention of providing sound, purposeful, intentional leadership, a leadership that is devoid of arrogance and show of power.
‘’The communication of our modest achievements will not be boisterous or superfluous. We will be talking with our citizens and not talking down on them. We will magnify the strength of our people and walk with them through their weaknesses. We will amplify their virtues and encourage them to drop their vices.
‘’We will lead from the front with humility, a sense of purpose and inclusiveness, to provide solutions to the myriad challenges facing our people, judiciously using the abundant resources at our disposal, and employing the best of abundant human resources to the glory of God Almighty.’’
Luke, who is the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary declared that his administration will focus on the development of human resources of the state, maintained that Akwa Ibom masses are yet to benefit from the growth of the state rather only the political class have enjoyed the blessings that have accrued to the state.
“Dear Akwa Ibom people, we have built roads and the infrastructure built has opened up our dear state and brought opportunities. It is now time to build our people.
“The clarion call of my campaign is Building Together and Growing Together. If we are going to build together then we must grow together. That was an important lesson that our mother taught us. She never left any of my siblings behind. And what does it mean? It means NO NOBODY WILL BE LEFT BEHIND!
“Today I unveil my social contract with you title building together growing together. I want to assure you that I am fully prepared for the task of serving you and building the Akwa Ibom of our dreams, and I intend to hit the ground running when given the opportunity.’’
On his campaign theme of Building Together Growing Together, Luke explained: “This document contains a summary of my thoughts, the issues that I have identified as the most critical in our State, and my plans to address them.
It outlines the main pillars upon which our administration will run, and I am honoured to be able to share it with you. I do not lay claim to monopoly of knowledge on these issues, I will therefore be ready to welcome your feedback and inputs, all aimed at building our State together and growing together thereof.
This brief document is a summary collection of select policy prescriptions that will be revealed to the Akwa Ibom People. In the coming months, these policies will be explained and discussed widely as the basis for reorganising the governance of our state.
“As the State prepares to elect a new administration, the Amazing Grace Project is pleased to offer this outline of policies that will distinguish it as a credible alternative to the others vying for the position.
“While our vision provides a short-to-long term perspective on the progressive development of our state, all our policies have elements that we can begin to implement immediately upon taking the reins of government.
“Depending on the conditions and characteristics of the various sectors of government that will become clearer to us when we have an insider view as the newly elected administration, the pace of implementation of our policy prescriptions will be pursued with greater precision.
‘’One certainty, however, is that we have the political will, the skills and the commitment to implement all our stated policies rapidly.
“Dear Akwa Ibomites, this is the time to reinvent our economy and society to ensure a rapid progression on economic development and shared prosperity trajectory; to hearken to the yearnings and aspirations of our people; to restore hope and earn the trust of our people in governance; to provide the critical infrastructure that has so easily eluded us; to end the neglect of rural communities; to empower the women and youth; to support our micro, small and medium scale enterprises; to reduce the incidence and severity of poverty in our land’’, Luke stated.
Luke continued, “The most important part of my value proposition is increasing our productivity level to ensure that Akwa Ibom can compete with other emerging economies. We can do this easily if we engender a greater sense of inclusiveness by ensuring that as we build together, we will also partake in the benefits, and grow together.
‘’Akwa Ibom is one of the most peaceful and resource-rich states in Nigeria, blessed with brilliant minds. It is therefore important for us to invest in human capacity development to improve skills and empower our people to build and grow, while improving infrastructure and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the state.”
