During an informal chat with select senior journalists from the Nigerian media in Lagos in December 2010, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State said his greatest concern and worry, among others, was how to change the perception about the state as a place perpetually doomed to be the producer of the nation's domestic hands, popularly known as house-helps. Lamenting the social stigma attached to the state in this wise, the governor said; 'If there is anything I would like to be remembered for at the end of my tenure as the governor of Akwa Ibom State, it is that never would people from other states across the country be coming to my state to look for and employ the Akpans and the Ekaettes as their domestic hands. Rather, I would want to leave a legacy whereby our Akpans and Ekaettes, after becoming successful in all spheres of human endeavours, would be employing people from neighbouring states as their maid and male servants.'Akpabio's statement was however sceptically received, even by the journalists who felt that it would be a yeoman's job for the governor to change the way of life of his people. People seen as a set of lazy human species who were contended with unproductive ventures and were averse to an enhanced human development as encompassed in attaining the best possible in education and thereafter become gainful employees and possibly employers.The scepticism notwithstanding, Governor Akpabio remained undaunted in the task of achieving the seemingly impossible and, a little over five years later, that is, half way into his second term as the state helmsman, he has succeeded in turning Akwa Ibom into a Mecca of sort, putting his Midas touch on almost every sector in the state. Like every other sector, the governor has made his critics to swallow their pride with his innovative programmes for the education and the health sectors in the state two key areas that are germane to attaining optimum human development in any society.Unperturbed by critics, Akpabio, on being sworn into office on May 29, 2007, aggressively moved forward with an agenda aimed at evolving a turning point for the state. Five years in the saddle, he has remarkably turned the state into an enviable model and pacesetter in the education sector. Since assuming office, the governor has progressively demonstrated a relentless effort to improve the education sector in the state. He embarked on massive employment of teachers, training and re-training of the teaching personnel to meet the challenges of a growing number of students and renovation of rundown classroom blocks in primary and post-primary schools. Other efforts included furnishing educational institutions with essential equipment as well as learning and teaching materials; offer of free and compulsory public education to every student for the first nine years and ensuring the accreditation of courses in higher institutions in the state.Notably, the Akpabio administration has built and reconstructed over 1, 500 classroom blocks in primary and post-primary schools across the state; procured and distributed science equipment, chemicals, computers and books valued at over N500 million to schools; provided laptops to law students in the 2008/2009 batch of the Nigerian Law School; paid SSCE fees for all students in public secondary schools; paid NABTEB fees for all students in public technical colleges; granted automatic employment in 2009 to 1, 000 primary school teachers whose one-year contract with the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) had expired the previous year; paid grants to Law, Medical and Bio-medical students; sponsored Akwa Ibom youths abroad for acquisition of locally unavailable skills as well as post-graduate training and renovated several libraries.The administration has also reconstructed internal roads and has built 10 classrooms blocks and a multipurpose hall at the University of Uyo; commenced academic activities at the Akwa Ibom State University; established an Exams Ethics and Monitoring Coommittee, which has so far checked examination malpractice as well as illegal loitering and hawking during school hours by students and teachers; provided scholarships to qualified Akwa Ibom State indigents in tertiary institutions; implemented the 27.5 per cent Teachers' Salary Structure (TSS) for teachers in public schools in the state and, in addition to free education, the state pays a subvention of N100 per primary school pupil and N300 per secondary school student to cater for logistics and expenses.With several innovations introduced by the Akpabio administration, there has been a marked increase in student enrolment in public post-primary schools in the state from 147, 000 in March 2008 to 246, 775 in July 2009. For his efforts, the governor had received several recognitions, including his declaration in 2009 by the National Parent-Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) as Nigeria's 'Most Education Friendly Governor (2008)'. The Exam Ethics International, in the same year, named him 'Exam Ethics Chief Master Marshall' for 'pioneering leadership and promoting best practices in education' and also published a book, Free, Qualitative Education: Understanding the Award Winning Akwa Ibom Model. Further demonstrating his commitment to an all-round educational development, Governor Akpabio built a Police Secondary School at Ukana Ikot Ideh in Essien Local Government Area. The school, which was inaugurated in June 2011 by the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Mr Hafiz Ringim, was to encourage children of police personnel and also welcome enrolment from all qualified students from various parts of the country. Another innovative step taken by the Akpabio administration was the construction of the state-of-the-art e-library project which, when it is completed, has been described as the leading physical symbol of the administration's educational policy. Said to be the first of its kind in West Africa, the library would be an academic storehouse holding a number of multifaceted resources, among which are conference halls and meeting rooms, boardrooms, offices, open reading areas and private adult and children's reading area, all of which have been completed. Various sections of the library, it was said, would also store books, periodicals, catalogues and other reference materials. There would also be areas marked for internet accessibility and for the circulation of materials. Governor Akpabio had once said that he would be happy seeing e-library project undertaken by his administration to complement free, compulsory education policy which, according to him, was knowledge-basedSpeaking with Nigerian Tribune in a telephone chat on the achievements of the governor in the education sector, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Anierkan Umannah, said his principal 'is a man of vision who is totally committed to the eradication of poverty in the state through educational development. Rather than being the destination of menial jobs and house-helps, Akwa Ibom State, with the developmental efforts of the present administration, is increasingly becoming a prized outlet for physicians, intellectuals, writers, entrepreneurs, lawyers and a vast range of professionals.'Knowing the importance and significance of good health to the optimum performance of members of any society cannot be over-emphasised, the present administration in the state understands that quality health care is essential to driving a healthy economy. Rather than assume the position of the ultimate benefactor over the people, the government has continued to pursue an agenda that provides an enabling environment for the people to excel by exploiting their talents to the fullest.The government has ensured that children, pregnant women and senior citizens (70 years and above), being the most susceptible to ill-health, enjoyed free medical services since the inception of the Akpabio administration in 2007. This was aimed at reducing and eventually eliminating notorious killer diseases like polio, measles, tuberculosis and malaria. The result of the effort has indicated that maternal and infant mortality has been greatly reduced by about 75 per cent. Also seeking to provide the necessary infrastructure for the medical needs of the people, the state government included in the improvement process in the health sector massive construction and rehabilitation work on several public-owned hospitals and related healthcare institutions. Obsolete equipment has been replaced by sophisticated ones, while steps have been taken to provide vital resources like state-of-the-art ambulances and surgical equipment, as well as training opportunities for healthcare personnel, both at home and abroad.The drug supply chain in the state has seen a remarkable improvement while effective immunisation programmes are constantly being implemented, primarily targeting diseases to which children are susceptible. For instance, the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) has been the recipient of a children's ward and a renal dialysis centre with 12 units of dialysis machines. The government also donated 50 million to UUTH to help improve its amenities and assist with the completion of its obstetrics and gynecology building, among others. It is estimated that over 100 primary health centres in the state have been renovated and outfitted with upgraded medical equipment by the present administration.Beyond rehabilitation and upgrading, a number of construction projects have also been carried out in the healthcare sector, including the construction of an oxygen plant to serve the state and neighbouring states and the construction of new cottage hospitals, each outfitted with an accident and emergency unit, an ambulance bay, a maternal and childcare unit, two theaters and a mortuary. The cottage hospitals are located at Essien Udim, Ibeno, Ukanafun, Eastern Obolo and Ika.To combat the threat of HIV/AIDS, intensive and aggressive intervention projects are being carried out, focusing heavily but not limited to the most vulnerable population in the state. eight Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) centres have been activated and expanded, including 15 prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) centres and 37 HIV counseling and testing centres (all rendering free services). To match and sustain the growing healthcare sector, there has been significant increase in the recruitment of medical doctors and consultants, as well as enhanced welfare packages for doctors and other healthcare personnel that are estimated to surpass those of federal institutions. Utility vehicles were also procured for 159 doctors in the state to facilitate their transportation. The state government has also provided counterpart funding for all health programmes by donor organisations like UNICEF and UNFPA, including Operation Roll Back Malaria and the HIV/AIDS World Bank Assisted Programme.A summary of the healthcare system under the present administration in the state reflects thus- infrastructural development; training and skills enhancement; provision of drugs and equipment; HIV/AIDS prevention and control; Roll Back Malaria; aggressive immunisation campaigns for infants and mothers; integrated maternal, new born and child health; free medical treatment for pregnant women, children under five years and the elderly (70 years and above); improved staff welfare scheme and effective service delivery.New cottage hospitals started and completed by the Akpabio administration included the one built at Ukana in Essien Udim Local Government Area and another one at Ibeno which was commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan. But what stands to be the most outstanding achievement of the state government is the on-going construction of the 20th Anniversary Specialist Hospital at Ekit Itam. When completed, it would be equipped to offer both preventive and curative services in all areas of medicine. It would also serve as a training centre for health interns and other paramedics, while expectedly providing services that would go beyond Akwa Ibom State and serve the entire Niger Delta Region.For President Jonathan, the governor 'is a man of proven integrity who has made Nigeria and entire Africa proud. He has established love and selfless service to the people.' Former President Olusegun Obasanjo sees 'Akpabio's free education as the most important legacy because without education, none of us can develop our innate abilities and ideas to a level of being useful to ourselves, community, state, country and the whole world.' In the same vein, while General Ibrahim Babangida says; 'Akpabio has aggregated the will of the people. He is really God's will for Akwa Ibom', General Abdulsalami Abubakar says of the governor, 'Certainly, and without any iota of doubt, even your enemies would accept that you have brought development to Akwa Ibom State.'Perhaps, the greatest commendation for the governor came from the least expected quarter. The Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, an unrepentant critic of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led administration at all levels in the country, was in Uyo in July at the behest of Governor Akpabio to see for himself the efforts of the governor in the state. According to media report, Soyinka, at the end of the visit, described Akwa Ibom as a modern state in the country, adding that the state had indeed been transformed and swept away by modernisation.Mesmerised by the transformation programmes in the state, the world-acclaimed Professor of Literature was said to have changed his perception that democracy was not working in the state and in the country, recalling that he was in the state 12 years ago and lamented that the state then showed signs of decayed physical environment. He was reported to have congratulated Akwa Ibom people for the development strides experienced in the state, saluting and commending the governor for the vision in developing the state.
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