allAfrica.com: Nigeria: We Won't Be Distracted By Petitions, Says Akpabio (Page 1 of 3)

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state recently held an interactive session with newsmen on the activities of his administration and how it has impacted positively on the people in the last one and half years. He also used the forum to comment on his relationship with his predecessor, Obong Victor Attah and vows to forge ahead despite the myriad of petitions already written against his government. Deji Elumoye was at the session.

How would you describe your relationship with your predecessor in office?

Well I thank you for that question because the relationship with predecessor in office has been of concern all over the country, not just in Akwa Ibom State. People are really concerned about it. But I don't think that should be the focus. The focus should be that new governors have come into office, how do they perform?

People expect a lot of things from governors. Their performance would not be measured on how well they related with their predecessors? There would always be predecessors. They, in their time, had predecessors and that did not stop them from carrying out their assignments..

My relationship with my predecessor, Obong Victor Attah, I believe, is cordial. However, there are still a lot of people who believe that for them to remain relevant, they must continue to rake up all these rumours of disaffection. Having said that you have to remember that sometimes it is difficult for an incumbent to totally please his predecessor because there are certain policies of his predecessor that he must change.

The change may even be as little as changing personnel of parastatal, or by way of changing policy direction or altering what is on ground. If you have to bring your own initiative to bear on trying to actualise your own vision for the people, such steps may not be to the liking of your predecessor.

The fact remains that predecessors must realize that government has changed. And with such change, policy direction must also change, government personnel must change, etc.

What is important in the whole thing is that you have to employ political maturity in relating with the predecessor, two of you must not agree on all issues but efforts must be made to maintain peace and cordial relationship. For me, like I said earlier, my relationship with Obong Attah is cordial.

Despite that I reiterate that there are certain decisions, on a daily basis, I am bound to take, which I know that my predecessor might not like.. For instance, when we came on board, my predecessor left behind a drawing which was meant to be the renovation of the existing government lodge that he was staying in, the place had become dilapidated. The estimate for the renovation was N1.8billion. I said that I will not renovate it, when I can build a new lodge with N2.2billion. Opposition came from left, right and centre. But I know that I have a mandate in my hand, and the mandate is to take good decision on behalf of Akwa Ibom people.

So when somebody comes to say Oh! You should have renovated it, it does not matter whether it collapses tomorrow ,I said no.

Do you have instances when you sought the input of the former governor in the course of taking certain decisions?

I have had private audience with him on three occasions. In those instances, I sought his views on some programmes of my administration. He obliged me some answers. The reason why in Akwa Ibom, it looked like a seamless transition is because I was also part of his government for about five and a half years. I was one of the commissioners. I served in three different ministries- Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Lands and Housing. I knew in a nutshell all the projects that were initiated. When I came on board, I resolved that those projects must be continued because I believe they were in the best interest of the people of Akwa Ibom. Because I was part of the administration, it was easy to quickly move in and ensure the completion of those projects. I did not just continue with the projects, I continued with the contractors handling them, the contractors on site.

For instance, the Independent Power Plant, the major contractors from South Africa are still the ones working there now. The project has reached almost 35 per cent completion.

And of course, there was no need seeking his opinion on that. The scenario in Akwa Ibom is unlike some other states where new governors came in, who probably were not part of the former administration, and tried to change what was on ground. Such governors who were not part of the former government need to, from time to time, seek the views and input of their predecessors. In my own case ,I served in the former government for five and a half years.

Apart from continuing with the projects of the former administration, I retained most of the commissioners. I retained about five members of the cabinet. Even the commissioner of Finance of that administration is the current Secretary to the State Government (SSG). The commissioner for Economic Development became my pioneer commissioner for Education. I just changed him few weeks ago.

The then Head of Civil Service is my Special Adviser on Public Service matters. So it was almost like a seamless transition. Almost the same players were brought in because there was need for continuity.

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