Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has been lauded for his industrialisation drive by his Abia State counterpart, Mr. Okezie Ikpeazu, who was in the State to condole with the government and people over the demise of some of their prominent citizens including the former military governor, Otuekong Idongesit Nakanga, and the State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Obong Udo Ekpenyong.
While receiving the Abia governor at the Government House, Uyo, Governor Udom Emmanuel expressed the gratitude of the government and people of his state for the kind gesture and words of the Abia State Chief Executive and to PDP family in Abia.
He revealed that Akwa Ibom people have been thrown into intense grief following recent passing of their great sons, affirming that death remains an inevitable destiny and a mystery.
He prayed for equivalent replacements for the ones lost and appealed to citizens to take responsibility and be more cautious in view of the present situation in the world.
“The worst mystery that God created that no man can understand is the mystery of death. Everyone that is born is bound to die. We really cannot question God. We just hope that God will help us and God does not lack a substitute ever in life, when he removes, he replaces, so our prayer is that those that he has removed, he may replaces with another that will be a 100 fold.
“This is also a message to so many of us, that as we are alive, nothing is worth losing your soul for; that’s an event nobody can control”.
Earlier, Governor Ikpeazu, who communicated the deep feeling of the government and people of Abia state to the Akwa Ibom governor, said despite the sadness occasioned by the events, it remains incumbent on God’s people to accept the events as God’s deed and share love at such times, hence his visit.
“It is with heavy heart that I bring this message of condolence from the people of Abia State on the occasion of the demise of some of your great people. It’s a very sad event but as a child of God ours is to love those that God has blessed us with in this life and stay together, but it is God’s probity in time to harvest his own. He owns every person and he knows about everything”.
The Abia Governor however lauded Governor Emmanuel’s giant strides in the areas of industrialization and job creation. These, he described as sustainable and trans-generational development and encouraged him, Emmanuel, to stay focus on his completion agenda.
“I wish to also commend you for your great strides especially in the areas of job creation and industrialization. It is my prayer and desire that our people will begin to see gradually, some of the trans-generational projects you have embarked upon. Unfortunately for us in this country, we are very short-sighted and tend to celebrate palliative measures rather than sustainable development, but as a child of God I will encourage to continue to stick to your agenda”, Ikpeazu said.
Decrying the difficulty he encountered in moving from the neighbouring Abia to Akwa Ibom State by road, Governor Ikpeazu sued for complementary interventions by the federal government to enhance easy transportation among sister states for purpose of trade and off-taking of products from cottage industries, while praying for more grace from God for the Akwa Ibom governor in line with his sincerity of purpose.
” I want to pray that our country will see the good works that you are doing and complement it just by helping us to have access to one another. It took me nearly three hours to get to this place. This is unfortunate. I don’t know what will happen when it starts raining. We are pleading and we are appealing. All that our people ask for is to be able to move from one location to another so that products from those many factories you are building will find their ways to the people in the cities”, said Governor Ikpeazu.
