2023: As Umo Eno/ Eyakenyi Campaign Train Goes on a Political Expedition in Itu

By Uwemedimoh Umanah

Today, December 03, 2022 will be of monumental significance to the people of Itu, as the campaign train of Pastor Umo Eno and Senator Akon Eyakenyi goes on political expedition there. The PDP rally in Itu is expected to be colourful because the local government has been consistent with the party since 1999 till date, and has a huge support base, both in the urban centers and in the grassroots.

Again, the rally will afford the largest political party in Nigeria, the PDP and its gubernatorial candidate, Pastor Umo Eno an ample opportunity to articulate plans for the over 91,000 people in Itu (including 77,052 registered voters- which is one of the highest in Uyo Senatorial District.

Itu LGA is situated in the North East part of Akwa Ibom State, covers a total area of 606 square kilometres and has an average temperature of 25 degrees centigrade. The economy of Itu is largely governed by the environment and obtains elements of inventiveness. In this regard, farming is an important economic venture in Itu LGA, with a number of crops such as gmelina, raffia palm, oil palm, and plantain grown in the area.

Another economic venture among Itu people- which has far reaching impact on the entire State and beyond is fishing: Itu has many rivers, being rich in seafood. The mineral deposits found in Itu include crude oil, salt, limestone, and gravel. Other important enterprises undertaken by people of Itu LGA include lumbering and trading at the three major markets- Etaha Itam, Itu/ Itam Model Market in Ntiat Itam and the Itu bridgehead market in Ayadehe.

A cursory look at the economy of Itu reveals that it stands to benefit tremendously from Pastor Umo Eno’s development plan. What should the people of Itu be expecting to hear from the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP, Pastor Umo Eno as he campaigns in the area?

First, Nigeria is the third largest producer of fish in Africa. According to data made available by the World Bank, Nigeria produced about 1,169,478 in 2018, which is about 40% of Nigeria’s total annual fish demand of about 3.4 million metric tons; the rest of 60% of demand is met through fish importation, hence, the need for more production. PUE is expected to tell the people of Itu how he would transform the fishing industry in Itu by providing fishermen with modern equipment such as boats to assist them in large scale production. PUE has repeatedly said that his administration will be big on entrepreneurial development. Therefore, he’s expected to tell Itu people, how his policy on entrepreneurship will benefit the fishing industry in Itu.

Second, sea pirates constitute an obstacle to the growth of the fishing industry in Itu and Akwa Ibom in general. An October 2022 report by Daily Post, an online news medium revealed that hundreds of engine boats have been lost to pirates within four months and each engine boat costs a minimum of three million Naira. Therefore PUE is expected to tell the people of Itu how his administration will collaborate with relevant security agencies to protect fishermen in and around Itu from sea pirates.

Third, Itu people will expect to hear from PUE how he would promote peace between Itu and boundary communities in neighboring States. Research has revealed that highly peaceful societies like Switzerland, Portugal and Denmark, among others, registered per capita gross domestic product (GDP) growth nearly three times higher than that of low peace countries between 1960 and 2016. Average GDP per capita grew annually by 2.8 per cent in the highly peaceful countries, while the rate was only one percent in the least peaceful countries. Therefore, Umo Eno is expected to tell Itu people how he would use his personality to encourage inter group relations between Itu and her neighbors.

Fourth, as a seasoned entrepreneur with topnotch experience in growing institutions, PUE is expected to tell the people of Itu how he intends to encourage the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in consonance with Jack Welch’s opinion that “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”

Finally, Itu people are expecting to hear from PUE how he would engender rural development through infrastructure, education, healthcare and enterprise. Suffice it to say that sustainable rural development is vital to the economic, social and environmental viability of societies. Again, most of the agro- based industries in Itu are in rural communities. Therefore, PUE’s rural transformation policy will help in poverty eradication since global poverty is overwhelmingly rural. According to the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Pst. Umo Eno: ‘We have a rural development programme in place. All we want you to do is to learn a skill and engage in business. I am assuring you that government's work will be targeted at training our youths and organizing skill acquisition programmes for them so they can have a source of livelihood.’

In conclusion, PUE has demonstrated his readiness to be used as a tool by God to advance humanity as encapsulated in his ARISE AGENDA. In this regard, let’s join the rest of the State to celebrate the people of Itu LGA as they troop out in their numbers to receive the man of the moment, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno and wife, Pastor Patience Eno, the Deputy Governorship Candidate, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, the entire PDP Campaign Organization, State Working Committee of the PDP and candidates of the party and the entire State.

Uwemedimoh Umanah, a Development Scholar made this contribution from Abak