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2023: Akpabio Declares For President
•••Says Together We Can Change Our Story

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After months of calls from groups, organizations, students, market women and downtrodden that he should contest for the office of the President Federal Republic of Nigeria and having consulted wide with stakeholders across the length and breath of the country, Minister Niger Delta Affairs Ministry, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday formally accepted the call in a speech captioned; TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE OUR STORY

Standing before a mammoth crowd which cut across party divides, inside the main bowl of Ikot Ekpene Township Stadium, Akwa Ibom State, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State said, ” my dear Compatriots, determined to pay the debt of gratitude I owe our nation for the opportunities to serve in high offices of
public trust; determined to let our nation drink from the deep well of experience acquired in these offices, I, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, with great humility, hereby submit myself for
your kind consideration as your next president.

The declaration speech reads:

“A Statement of intent to contest for the Presidency of Nigeria by Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, CON.
My dear Compatriots, determined to pay the debt of gratitude I owe our nation for the opportunities to serve in high offices of public trust; determined to let our nation drink from the deep well of experience acquired in these offices, I, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, with great humility, hereby, submit myself for
your kind consideration as your next President.

“I pay tribute to President Muhammadu Buhari for the patriotic work he has done as our President. He has given hope and
direction to governance, and fought corruption with uncompromising zeal. He has touched lives and empowered
people, he has made great advances in agriculture, human capital development, and indeed, in all sectors of our economy.

“He has uplifted the integrity of the Nigerian nation. A lot can be said about all his amazing successes and achievements, but suffice it to say that I have come to perfect his marvelous
works. Although, Absolute perfection belongs not to man nor to Angels, but to God alone. The labours of our dear President Buhari and our past leaders
shall never be in vain. In line with this expectation in our National Anthem, I have come to build based on their
developmental strides; to serve our country with heart and
might — serve her as a nation bound in freedom, peace and
unity, where the dividends of democracy shall be guaranteed.

“I have come with these key items on my agenda: to secure lives and properties; to make unity the touchstone of our
nationhood; and to invigorate our economy, prosper our citizenry and promote democracy.

“In 2007, I was elected the Governor of a pedestrian state, languishing on the margins of our national life. A couple of
years later, a European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, visited the State and described what he saw, in amazement, as
“transformation extraordinaire.”

“He inadvertently, became the originator of the swansong “Uncommon Transformation” which other amazed visitors and residents of the state still echo till now. In Eight years of Uncommon Transformation, we gave the State one of the best road networks in the country (the roads built by us 14 years ago are still pot-hole free).

“We gave the State free and compulsory education for all children up to
Senior Secondary School; we gave the state free medical treatment for pregnant women and for babies up to the age of five; we delivered to the State world class facilities like the
International Airport, Tropicana Entertainment Centre, E-Library, Ibom Specialty Hospital (rated as one of the best in Africa), Africa’s first ever underground pipe-jacking drainage
system, Ibom Power Plant, Akwa Ibom State University, the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium and many other
projects too numerous to mention.

“We did so much that then serving Presidents and past country leaders wondered where we got money from to do all that we did. The trick was in our
vision, strategic planning, commitment and honest
implementation.

” Together we can do more than this for Nigeria. At the Nile Valley in Egypt, people of different colours,
languages, religion and ethnicity co habited peacefully and
gave the world its first modern civilisation. We are a reflection
of that alluvial Nile Valley and together we can reinvigorate peace, unity and development and become the envy of the world.

“This is why I am seeking to be your President. I have done it before as Governor; my office pursued national unity with great zeal. I sent both Christians and Muslims on pilgrimages. The office reflected Federal Character because of my abiding faith in Nigeria and its diversity. Not only did we win uncountable awards & honours, and
commendations from institutions like the United States Congress, the Nigeria Defence Academy, foreign countries,
prestigious institutions of higher learning, prominent religious and ethnic organizations; even Wikkileaks, referenced myself as a leader to watch due to my infrastructural revolution and
efforts in industrial development.

“We took that pedestrian State
out of the margins of our national life, and made it a cynosure of global interest. It attracted global icons such as the President of the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Ivory Coast; the
Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis; one-time USA presidential aspirant, the Rev Jesse Jackson; diplomats; global sports icons like Don King and Evander Holyfield; and a host of others. I am
offering my humble self for service to our dear Nation, because I believe that together we can make Nigeria the cynosure of global interest and an African economic lion. There is nothing
the Asian tigers have, in terms of human and material resources, that we do not have.

“As a Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, we have completed projects abandoned for decades and thought to be beyond
salvage. We have had key projects commissioned by Mr President. This uncommon feat was achieved through the support of Mr President. We have effectively repositioned NDDC to meet its core mandate. As a first time Senator, after my work as Governor, my distinguished colleagues found me
worthy and elected me as their Minority Leader. This was in recognition of the great equity and value I brought to the
Senate. I pay respect to that Hallowed Chamber for that honour. I praise God for His grace.

“The road to Governorship of Akwa Ibom State was marked by immense value added as the Commissioner of Local
Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Commissioner for Lands and Housing, and Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources. In Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, I left a record in conflict resolution and raised the bar of respect and dignity for the traditional institution in Nigeria, and as your
President we shall give the traditional institution a voice in the functionality and maintenance of peace in our dear country.

“In Lands and Housing, we undertook land reclamation and estate development. In Petroleum and Natural Resources, we connected with Niger Delta issues and maintained peace
among the youth and assisted in bringing militancy to an end in
the Niger Delta Region. All these experiences paid off when I
became the Governor, which led to this commendation by our
eminent patriot and father of this democracy, General
Abdulsalami Abubakar, GCFR, when he visited the State:
“The type of development we are seeing in Akwa Ibom State, if
all of us in this country follow suit… there will be peace in this
country and there will be no need for any misgivings and
terrorism.”
So I declare today conscious that this declaration has raised
the bar of hope for all Nigerians, poor or rich. Christian or
Muslim. I was raised by a poor, loving mother, who lost her
beloved husband six months after my birth. She taught me that
life is not about where you came from, but where you are going.

After primary school, I missed a year of schooling because she
could not afford my school fees. Despite this, my love for education drove me to sneak into a nearby Secondary School.
One day the security of the school chased me through the forest and I fell on a tree trunk and severely injured my leg. That scar left behind a constant reminder that I should always drive children to school, drive people to development, drive goodwill in all my endeavours and be fair to all.

“It is said that a good heart is the key to an open door; I eventually gained admission to Federal Government College, Port Harcourt. This premier Unity school imbued in me my inflexible faith in the Nigerian Nation and connected me to brothers and sisters in all nooks and crannies of Nigeria. Therefore, my declaration is a trumpet call for unity and action.

“May the Fulanis, the Hausas and the Tivs arise to this call with
deeper faith in the Nigerian mission. May the Yorubas, the
Igbos and the Ijaws awake to this call with stronger hope for a greater country.

“May the Efiks, the Ibibios, the Annangs the Kanuris, and indeed, all other ethnic groups in Nigeria hear this call and shout with joy that the clouds of national pains will soon bring forth showers of national gains.

“Fellow Nigerians, when the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Terrence McCulley, visited Akwa Ibom State he noted prophetically, “I have been to Akwa Ibom for the first time, but I have to say that with what I have seen, the future of Nigeria is in Akwa Ibom State.

“The future of the Uncommon
Transformation of Nigeria; The future of making this country an African showpiece; That future that McCulley spoke of, is my dream Nigeria. I share this dream with you because the future
is the property of those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Together we will overcome every challenge.

“Together we will defeat every Goliath. Together we will turn our mourning
into dancing again.
Let God’s will be done in 2023.
God bless our great country.”

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Buhari Govt Sold Nigeria’s Future, Says Governor Mutfwang

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“This government inherited an economy where we simply printed money up to the tune of ₦30 trillion and shared. This government inherited an economy where the crude oil we’re yet to take out of the ground has been sold in advance.

“So when you’re talking about the fall of the naira, it’s not rocket time. We sold our future under the last administration. No wonder you’re hearing of riots today, people intercepting food on the way. We are lucky on the Plateau that perhaps we have more food than many other states.

“And I pray that the time will not come on the Plateau that we will see this kind of riot for food, but it means we must roll over our sleeves and get to work. And that is why, for us as a government, when we announced one of the positions that talked about Food Security, people were laughing but it is a serious issue.” -Governor Caleb Mutfwang, Plateau At Swearing-In Of Special Advisers, Heads Of Govt Agencies

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After Meeting NGF Chairman, Akpabio Apologies To state Governors Over N30bn Claim

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The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has finally apologised to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) under the leadership of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State over his comment on the N30bn allowance allegedly given to them to cushion the effect of inflation in food prices.

This was coming after the Senate President held a meeting with the NGF Chairman and some of his counterparts in Abuja yesterday.

Akpabio had, at a plenary sitting last Tuesday, said an “unverified report” indicated that state governors received N30bn each from the Federation Account to cushion the effect of inflation and the high cost of food prices.

The statement has generated controversies in the public space, with some commentators asking governors to come clean about the money they did not collect.

However, on Monday, Akpabio in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, retracted the statement, saying the SP held the governors in high esteem.

The statement reads below:

“During the session, the President of the Senate commented on the payment of an unverified cumulative sum of about N30bn to the sub-national governments by the Federal Government for various interventions to ameliorate the food situation of our citizens at the sub-national governments.

“The unfortunate conjectures to take away the kernel in the material facts of FAAC payment are rather regretted. In considering the well-intended motive of urging state governments to collaborate with the Federal government of President Bola Tinubu to facilitate strategic interventions to mitigate the prevailing economic situation in the country remains the underpinning motivation in the comment.

“The President of the Senate is not oblivious to the fact that state governments are functional partners in all the efforts of the current administration of President Bola Tinubu and are also valuable stakeholders’ in the various legislative engagements of the legislature in creating the nexus between the legislature and the people.”

Eyiboh added that Akpabio has always demonstrated commitment to team building and shall not do less in the circumstance.

He, therefore, urged the sub-national governments not to be distracted by any misunderstanding of the context and true meaning of the statement.

He added, “The President of the Senate recognises and appreciates the current efforts of the governors at ameliorating the adverse effects of the current inclement socio-economic environment and therefore invites more hands on the plow to complement the renewed hope agenda.”

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“I Discourage Young People From Leaving The Country Because Abroad You Get Only 9-5 Jobs, But In Nigeria You Can Wake Up One Day And Become A Minister” — Rotimi Amaechi

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In his words; ‘’I have always discouraged those who want to leave the country. You can always get a 9-5 job when you leave the country but you can never get the opportunity you will get in Nigeria. You can just wake up one day and become a Minister in Nigeria, a governor. It just happens. I don’t know how this country operates. If you are looking for opportunities, please stay back in Nigeria”

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