Nyok|5 September 2018
Senator John Owan Enoh, the lawmaker representing Cross River Central at the National Assembly (NASS) has confessed to the fact that, following his declaration yesterday, there are sensitive challenges preceding the February 2019 gubernatorial elections NegroidHaven can report authoritatively.
This message was articulated at Federal Government College (FGC) Ikom, Cross River State while he officially declared his intention to run for office of governor of the state to a mammoth crowd comprising political big wigs, party members, supporters, etc.
While acknowledging the ardent task ahead, he agreed to the possibility of realising his political ambition. Owan-Enoh highlighted the trio of God's grace, tremendous commitment and dedication as instruments for his success. The lawmaker sued for the unity of various blocs in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River.
His words, 'I recognize the fact that the task ahead of us won’t be a tea party but I also know that it is achievable –the current administration in our State is vulnerable on all fronts. But I make no pretence that it will take a combination of the grace of God, tremendous commitment and utmost dedication for us to arrive at our set destination. It will entail that the once divided house of the All Progressives Congress in Cross River State should stand together in unity, sincerity of purpose and unwavering faith.
'Against this backdrop therefore, I stand before you with a deep sense of responsibility on this day Wednesday 5th, 2019 to formally declare my candidacy for the governorship of Cross River State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).'
The Chairman Senate Committee on Budget further stated that his decision to vie for the high office wasn't inspired by any form of presumptuousness, preconceived notions and wide consultations, but, what he described as a call to duty. He claimed to have garnered the requisite experience for the state top job. Owan-Enoh who observed that the state is neck deep in a leadership crisis, said he is coming to offer competent and meritorious service.
According to him, 'I’m propelled by a call to duty without preconceived notions and after wide consultations across the length and breadth of the State I arrived at this decision. There is no presumptuousness in my desire to seek to fly our party’s flag in the February, 2019 governorship election in our State. I’ve been long enough and garnered adequate experience in the political terrain of our State to understand the peculiarities in the dynamics of governance and the vacuum of leadership that needs to be filled at this time in our history.
'The audacity in this announcement today is founded on my ever increasing passion to offer competent and meritorious service which our State is in dire need of. We are facing the greatest crisis in leadership in our State today. However, the good news is that I’ve been tested, trusted, well prepared and armed with a well thought-out socioeconomic development blueprint which I’ll be unveiling in the days ahead to fill the void. In the last three and half years, our people have been treated to an orgy of failed promises, empty rhetoric, mere sound bites and a clear lack of policy direction to build our local economy. The brave efforts that were made by the last two administrations to put our State on the path of progress have been drastically eroded by the unprogressive tendencies of the current government. The strides that were made to set our State on the status of a work-in-progress have been roundly degraded. Cross River State has been running on a reverse gear since 29th May, 2015.'
Continuing the gubernatorial hopeful disclosed that his policy and programmes will span education, agriculture, human capacity development, tourism with special emphasis on eco-tourism: 'I will bring our educational needs to the forefront of public concern through a deliberate policy roadmap thereby evolving a new context in which there will be a broader attention on improving the infrastructure of our schools, equipping school libraries and engaging in capacity building of our teachers through a train-the-trainer’s program particularly at the primary and secondary levels.
'I will engage all stakeholders in our educational system and build a renewed culture of commitment and dedication for a dramatic turnaround within two years of the administration. I will place great emphasis on technical education and knowledge-based learning. Our state-owned university and other tertiary institutions will be given adequate attention to ensure the development of our manpower needs and prepare our young people for the challenges of the 21st century and the coming 4th Industrial revolution.
'I have resolved to build, consolidate and enhance our development initiatives on the back of our factor endowment in agriculture, human capacity through skill acquisition and tourism with a good focus on eco-tourism. To this end, we shall group together our socioeconomic development measures into a single model of bottom-up approach which would incorporate each of the focal areas of our concern as a people. The integration of such measures and perspective in our economic drive would ensure a genuine cohesion in government action in the realm of a holistic and inclusive development of our State with the rural areas well captured in our development agenda. I want to run a government that future generations will be proud of what we have. On that note, my administration shall develop an agenda with a clear direction on the sustainable use and management of our forest resources.'
Nyok
Is the Blogger-in-Chief, Editor-in-Chief & Publisher of NegroidHaven
