Clement Warrie
The Bible story of creation is exceptionally exciting. It is perhaps the first compelling account of the power of creative visualization and invention. In it, our God, the supreme exemplar of craftsmanship and genius, decided to check out our little, lifeless planet with the intention to empower it.
The Bible's account paints a grim picture of the earth's initial anatomy. "And the earth was without form and void." Says the Bible in KJV. Additionally, it states, "And darkness was upon the face of the deep." To phrase it differently, the earth was a yawning, lifeless ball of blackness and nothingness before God intervened and said, “You know what, Let there be light."
The rest, like they say is history.
The reclamation and transformation of the ravine at Dominic Utuk Street, Uyo, and its environs by governor Umo Eno administration feels much like the Bible’s creationist story. A story where a once desolate landscape has bowed down to the creative and inventive genius of Governor Umo Eno.
I recall the governor’s first visit to the site. Accompanied by government’s officials, he had walked to the edge of the treacherous landscape and after scanning it briefly declared, let there be light. Well, Not exactly in those words. Here is what he said, “We will reclaim this place and channel the water properly to create a beautiful lake, and we will have a very good tourist site here too that will make money for the State. The ROI is very promising," the Governor had said. Those few words captured the power of vision and exemplary leadership.
However, there was a snag. One might have assumed, in the first instance, that the Governor’s intention was to put a halt to the devastating erosion, reclaim the sunk land, build a world-class recreational center that could rival the best globally, then down tools. But it wasn’t so. His vision like the ever evolving cosmos had expanded into multiverses, much like a riveting story, with each chapter deepening the plot.
Not content with just flagging off the Akwa Ibom Security Command Centre (AKSCC), recently, in that wide expanse of land, the governor announced that he will be back on the same location for the ground breaking of three more projects, the Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation, AKBC House, the Headquarters of the Akwa Ibom Investment Corporation, AKICORP, and the Akwa Ibom Geographical Information System, AkwaGIS head office. Does these efforts not hint at the possibility that a brand new city is emerging from the once empty and useless landscape?
“As it stands, said Anietie Usen. “The ravine formerly infamous as a den of thieves is undergoing a stunning metamorphosis”,
Ekomobong Peter, a literary artist, and Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, had described the landscape as a “battleground shared between criminals and nature’s fury”,
“An inscrutable menace”, said Lucy Uwah, a widow, whose husband had unfortunately died of heartbreak as a result of watching his choice property caved in the ravine. “Were it not for the governor’s quick intervention, I would have been dead by now”,
According to Aniekan Umana, the media consultant to Akwa Ibom State Government, “The Command Centre is not just another building; it is a war room against chaos, a sentinel of peace, and a watchtower over the land and sea. It will integrate real-time surveillance, emergency response coordination, cybersecurity, and intelligence gathering. The center will monitor every corner of the state, including its vast 129-kilometer coastline, ensuring that from the bustling streets of Uyo to the quiet creeks of Oron, security is swift, sure, and seamless”. He said.
Said the governor “This center will make our state unwelcoming to crime, a place where safety is not a privilege but a guarantee.”
As one of the fastest growing cities in Nigeria, Governor Umo Eno appears in a hurry to consolidate on infrastructure development to improve our current rating.
“It is a beautifully developing story” said Alfred Charles, Chairman of Nsit Ubium Local Government Area. “I won’t be shocked to wake up and see some other innovative additions to this landscape by tomorrow morning. Governor Umo Eno is a man of vision,”
The success story of governor Umo Eno’s ARISE agenda is his administration’s insistence on investing heavily on infrastructure development, healthcare, education, agriculture and rural development.
His impressive scorecard in just 20 months in office, mirrors the vision of a man who places premium on developing and empowering among other concerns, the environment, as seen in his current transformation of a hitherto uninhabitable part of the city into a thriving development hub.
Clement Warrie is a global citizen residing locally in Nsit Ubium.