Dan Etokidem
If laughter is the music of the soul, Udom Emmanuel, sorry I forgot his prefix, His Excellency, you can add it before his name too, do surely know how to modulate its tempo. After many months of ground breaking ceremonies, the state has started reaping the “fruits” of industrialization, like never before.
Let’s start from Uruan, the new Akwa Ibom Golgotha, previously destined to play host to a 21st century cemetery courtesy of the Udom industrial revolution. By virtue of Udom’s benevolence, the ancient city of Uruan apart from the intention of hosting the ghost of our ancestors as an industrial burial hub (a tourist destination if you ask me if implemented) will now play host to a revised version of state’s economy diversification and industrialization policy. Hear this: Udom, the wonder boy from Lagos, is set to import a whopping 2000 cows from Mexico into Uruan where a ranch will be built. Indeed, Halleluya is a heavenly language. This calls for celebration. At least for now.
The Governor’s philosophy is anchored on the vision that with the fresh cow milk that will emanate from Uruan, “Kunu” will be cheap, available, affordable and accessible to Akwa Ibom people while Unilever and Nestlé products will be out of the market. In simple terms, when the 2000 Mexican cows arrive Uruan either by air or by sea, we can finally say goodbye to Peak Milk, Three Crown, Cowbell, Lola, etc and welcome the high quality fresh Kunu milk, produced from Mexico but packaged in Uruan Agricultural Ranch from human consumption and industrial sales.
Just imagine the multiplier effect on the state economy- Milk vendors, ranchers, vet doctors, Uruan born Mexican genetically modified cow boys who will be employed to patrol the ranges and not forgetting all the Aboki’s who will always be on standby to produce Suya from Mexico beef anytime Onna may need to throw one of those “Owambe” parties and we need to slaughter one of the Mexican survivors to appease the gods. Empowerment will also go to some businessmen whose job it may be to import the grasses these cows will eat if our vet doctors certify Uruan grasses as unfit for the Mexican specimen.
Who says Udom is not creative? He sees beyond tomorrow, a forward looking Governor who conscious of the fact that this Mexico specimen imported for lab experiment in Uruan may some how come with some side effects like some mysterious epidemic due to change of weather in the lives of the cows and knowing fully well that no hospital in Uyo is capable of responding to the impending medical epidemic emanating from the Mexican cows, has, in line with his determination to be proactive, is already building a syringe factory in Onna.
In simple terms any epidemic from the Mexican “Ebola” that may spread from Uruan no matter how contagious it may be, will be contained quickly and decisively as more than enough syringes will be manufactured in Onna so that the injections, sorry, immunization, can go round everybody fast and quick. You see, you have nothing to worry about. The cows are for milk but if the milk goes bad in the human metabolic system of an average Akwa Ibom person, we have syringes on standby for emergency health workers to use. Creativity? Yes! Visionary? “Iyammi”, You cant fault this guy.
You see, there is a unique way some of this Lagos guys who were brought by our former Ukana landlords to seek political asylum in Uyo think, reason and behave. They are a special breed, if you doubt, check out other asylum seekers who came back with the ex Zenith banker from Lagos. They too like the Mexican cows are a special breed. One of them is today the chief foreman of the state. Very unusual and spectacular.
Enter Onna, the new Pentagon of the Post-Akpabio era. The town shall play host to a new Syringe company where the medical device shall be manufactured, supplied and possibly exported. Who says Udom is not working hard to generate more money from IGR than from oil. Forget the location of the company. Ignore the fact that Onna will also play host to the Metering Company. Just imagine an Akwa Ibom who now manufactures pencils in 2017 for local consumption and export? Imagine where we will be with countries like China and Japan soon courtesy of Udom’s industrialization revolution.
Link this up with the Coconut factory that is second to none then you will value why its good to think like an industrialist. Am beginning to envy those that went to Business School.Don’t forget Itu LGA will assemble cars. The plant should either be due for commissioning on May 29,2017 or has started production already. The groundbreaking happened in the not too distant past.
Now that Akwa Ibom and Uruan in particular now have close bilateral ties and cultural relationship with Mexico, it will not be out of place to say oil alone will not be our only source of earning forex. Whichever way you look at it, history is in the making.
