Eno: Why I practice inclusive politics
Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, is not only practicing inclusive politics but making efforts to ensure that Ibom Air is one of the best airlines in the country. In this interview monitored on Channels Television monitored by TONY ANICHEBE, he gives insights into these and more.
As governor of Akwa Ibom State, your government is the owner of Ibom Air. What lessons is the state taking from the challenges of DANA Air which overran the runway recently?
Thank you. For us in Ibom Air, we do all our checks and secure all necessary approvals before our aircraft takes off. I don’t have full details here but we don’t allow our aircraft to depart without following all necessary procedures by ensuring that all necessary authorities sign off before making its departure.
You have plans to get new aircrafts and also expand your operations further in the country. How much of those plans can you tell us?
The Honourable Minister of Aviation visited Akwa Ibom recently and he knows our plans. We have gotten all approvals from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for our aircrafts to fly and so we are on the wings to go higher. We are expanding our International Airport which is completed. The Minister talked about the MRO, Akwa Ibom has a very good one which is 90 per cent completed. We have an aviation hub around Akwa Ibom and we are prepared to partner with the Federal Government to ensure that we operate maximally and earn the dollars. We have the support of the Hon. Minister of Aviation.
For those who doubt if the airline business is lucrative, I want to ask if Ibom Air is making money and how much is the company bring into the coffers of the state from this business?
I think the first and foremost thing is that the government has no plans to run the business directly but can partner with the people to help our people. Before now we travel to other states to fly to our different destinations but the government saw the need for an airport and built one and also the need for an airline and floated one. The Airline is privately managed and the government does not interfere in the management of Ibom Airline; you cannot even call to stop any of our aircrafts when they are about to depart. Not even the governor can do that. If you must fly Ibom Air, you must come on time and to join the airline. Ibom Air is making profit but they have to plough it back to the development of the business. The aviation industry is a very large one; you have to invest and keep investing. Whatever profit they make, we put it back to the business, they are doing very well.
What we are saying is that any public business one is doing can either declare profit or loss and can you give us in figures how much Ibom air has declared and put into the coffers of the state?
You have to know that Ibom Air keeps expanding. The state government is not yet out to get the profit, because we keep ploughing it back for the expansion of the business. What is paramount is that the money they make is being returned to fund their expansion and operations. That is why you keep seeing the expansion and new development around Ibom Air.
You recently commissioned a 1.3km underground tunnel for channeling flood water out of Atiku Abubakar Way, in Uyo. The rainy season is here, how prepared are you to tackle flooding?
Akwa Ibom is one of the states hit by flood during rainy seasons and what we have done is to set up a committee led by the Deputy Governor to begin to tackle the menace. We have started desilting our drains which are blocked. The committee is working round the clock to clean up the water ways. We have recently commissioned the drainage way which has helped recover dry land for people to stay. We are working ahead of time and will surmount the pending challenges.
Tell us more about human capital development, we are also aware that Akwa Ibom is known for its hospitality and good business. How do you blend all these with your administrations declared happy hour for the people?
Akwa Ibom people are happy people and we are in a happy state. The truth is that we train our people for leadership, hence we have Ibom leadership Training where people in every craft are given all necessary support to take off and develop their businesses. We are also opening up our Dakadaa Skill Acquisition Centre which is a world-class facility to train our youths in various trades including Agriculture, Welding, Carpentry, Tailoring and many others. The Dakadaa Skills Acquisition Centre is very huge and I visited it the other day to ensure that everything was in place for official take off. We are partnering with the University of Lagos to help us drive the school. It is expected that the school will absorb about 5000 people at one fell swoop.
Is your ongoing political inclusion of opposition party members in the affairs of the state, a deliberate action or your true nature because of your ecclesiastic calling as a pastor of the Most High God?
It is said that united we stand and divided we fall. For me, the role of the pastor is to be a peacemaker. We will not gain anything using a political platform to fight each other. Politics is gone and now we are on governance and need everyone on board. Akwa Ibom is blessed with great people who have so much to contribute to the development and progress of the state. The Senate President is there, the minister is there and what we can do is to synergise and help our people to benefit from the dividends of democracy. Our people did not send us to go fight each other or abuse one another. Yes, we belong to different political parties but what is most important is to unite, harness our ideas and give our people the best.
You are doing that in Akwa Ibom but not doing much for your party at the national level which appears to be in serious disarray. You are so quiet at that level?
You are looking at it from the outside. We had our national caucus meeting recently and everything went smoothly. Therefore, I don’t know where the disarray is coming from. At the national level, the party to me, is very okay. We are planning to go to congresses. The major stakeholders and others were all there and we deliberated and reached resolutions. We are intact.
The President Tinubu-led government is sending more monies to the state now and I want to ask, how far has your government and other governors used this funds to enhance the economic potentials of the people?
Yes, we agree that more fundings is coming to the states and in Akwa Ibom State. You can see several infrastructures going on in rural areas of the state which includes rural roads, we pay gratuities regularly; we are building hospitals one per local government area, we are building schools and we are ensuring that the coming funds are allocated to projects that touch lives. Akwa Ibom is now a construction site. There is no local government that doesn’t have a road passing through it and one or two projects going on right now. That is what we are using the money for and we are very deliberate and intentional about it.
