*Mission : To peacefully and democratically cultivate the spirit of self-reliance among the constituents of Uruan Inyang Atakpo by advocating against factors that bring underdevelopment. Activism remains a core value in improving many lives and with the right leadership in place.
*Vision : My vision as envisaged in the Governor Udom Emmanuel's five (5) point agenada and I will also twigged in the following pilars: Advocacy in the equitable distribution of resources; economically, socially and politically with an aim to reducing the culture of clanism as well as fighting tribalism and nepotism on the grassroots.
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| EMMANUEL NICHOLAS |
*Bullet Points
1. Creation of job opportunities proportionately to the number of job seekers.
2. Introduction of small scale farming projects and turning Uruan to be a safe haven for food and peace.
3. Industrialization.
4. Developments of Tourism through our ecosystem that will provide beaches for fun seekers.
5. Encouraging youths to embrace technology
6. Providing grants for Uruan students to acquire qualitative education world over.
7. Providing our fishermen with trolley to improve fishing, while providing storage facility to enable process the fishes into cartons exports and local markets.
8. Working closely with Governor Udom Emmanuel in lobbying for the establishment of a modern weather station at Essiet Uruan to help our teaming fishermen to know when to go on fishing and when to stay back to avoid boat capsize and lost of lives.
9. Lobbying for the construction of new Essiet Beach market (with provision of Cold Room and Smoke centres) and Ekpene Ukim Market (with Modern Abattoir)
10. Lobbying for a modern bridge at Anakpa to Adik -Ikpa and Anakpa - Idu.
11. Lobbying for Extensive rural-electrification program also to villages without electricity.
12. Exploration of the natural resources in Uruan Local Government Area.
13. Talents exploration for youths in various sports and helping them gain international exposure.
14. For the next five years, I will pick at least (minimum) of twenty youths for scholarship abroad to be sponsored through Nicholas Okokon scholarship foundation.
15. Staging a memorandum of understanding between communities to peacefully co-exist with one another.
16. Lobbying for en establishment of modern Health centres across all the 11 wards of Uruan Local Government Area.
17. Lobbying for the creation of more polling Units, Clans and legalizing of Uruan gazetted villages.
MY ACTION PROGRAM 2019 – 2027
The importance of a clean and professionally effective government is essential for any society to prosper. But even such a government – left by it – cannot give the people all they want. People themselves led by their MP and other elites in their society must take their share in revitalizing their lives.
Uruan Local Government Area needs an MP who would be active both at the State and National while remaining engaged practically in the constituency, in other words; a pragmatic and effective member of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
Uruan requires an MP with a reform agenda and liberator for its constituents beyond “Headline politics”. As an MP, I shall take politics back to the basics. The basic of politics is to improve the lives of the people by empowering them. Therefore everything I shall do in politics will be directly or indirectly linked to empowering the people of Uruan Inyang Atakpo.
It is with this belief my fellow constituents that I present to you my program; a program which I pledge to implement if you elect me as your next MP. It covers the following areas that I believe are essential to the development of our society:
Poverty Eradication
Current governments no longer create ample jobs anywhere in the world. What they presumably do is to create successful conditions that favors co-oporations and private individuals. The trend in Europe and other developed countries is that the government is becoming smaller and smaller by employing less people every year. And that is what is going to happen in Kenya, no matter which political party or independently elected individual takes power.
And let nobody cheat you. Every year, we – like any other poor countries – mostly depend on begging and borrowing heavily from the developed countries to balance our budget. There are very strict conditions set for us for borrowing and begging. There is no way they will give us the money to employ more people in the government while themselves are employing less people in their own governments.
What the people need is creativity to start up their own enterprises. 2005 was United Nations year for micro credit; the concept implies that people are given chance and help to start their own small business as a way of finding their way out of poverty and regaining control over their lives.
There are thousands of organizations and institutions in the world whose objectives are to provide micro loans and other microfinance services to the poor and low income people in developing countries such as Nigeria .
The biggest networks include; Opportunity International, Women’s World Banking, Pro-Credit, FINCA, Freedom from Hunger, ACCION, Grameen etc. Most of these organizations and institutions offer lenient repayment terms and interest rates.
Akwa Ibom State needs an executable sound economic policy and effective strategy for poverty reduction and job creation. As an MP, I will do among other things the followings to help the people of improve their lives:
First and foremost, our best brains are needed to develop our society. I will find out all the resourceful persons from Uruan in Akwa Ibom and abroad to involve them actively to develop our constituency.
Many of our sons and daughters abroad are willing to do so as long as an effective and transparent plan of action is set.
In Europe, Asia and America, I have started doing so and many of them have been very instrumental in endorsing me and my campaign strategies.
I have a plan that will make these elites of our society contribute to the development of their constituency, whether they live in Nigeria Europe, America or elsewhere..
Assist people – especially women/youth-groups or individuals with viable business concepts – get micro (small) loans and other microfinance services. Encourage entrepreneurship by guarantying small loans to small business-starters and help groups initiate business concepts through seminars carried by professionals.
Provide those that get these micro loans with a compulsory basic business training or course to help them manage their businesses well.
Provide job-training opportunities: In return, sign a contract with them to train a number of young people in their trade every year.
Boosting Agriculture: Boost the agricultural production in constituency by providing the small-scale farmers with subsidized fertilizers or means to practise agro-pastoralism for the next five years.
Find ways and means to initiate and develop businesses locally, e.g. help provide a youth group or women groups with materials to set up viable projects like sewing clothes for schools.
Last but not least, form a committee made of strong resourceful persons and chaired personally by myself to monitor, register and guide both the youths and women from Uruan on means and ways of furthering their ambitions on jobs, training, business, and education.
Education
For the future success of our beloved constituency, we must continue to invest in education. The performance of our schools in national examinations, both at primary and secondary schools must improve tremendously. My plan is to make the general performance in our schools in Uruan , build more class Room blocks across Public schools in Uruan and reconstruct deplorable ones .
Good education is much more than passing national examinations. It means also preparing the pupils/students for responsibilities ahead as adults. Our present educational 6-6-3 4 system is very much inadequate. Therefore, the formation and the fight for legislation of a new education system in the parliament would be one of priorities if elected.
Whereas in the mean time we can do nothing about that, we can make the best out of it by strategizing and planning well so that our pupils and students can excel. With inputs here and there, we can enormously improve education in our constituency.
I intend among other things do the following to achieve good performance in our schools:
Teachers, pupils & schools are three fundamentals in any educational system. To encourage better performance, excellence should be rewarded. I will introduce various annual awards in Uruan to recognize outstanding teachers, pupils, schools, sports & cultural performance.
Retraining teachers through organizing various seminars where particular subject heads in schools can meet and discuss or exchange experiences and ideas. Guest speakers could be invited from e.g. schools that excel nationally in particular subjects.
Introduce (in collaboration with divisional educational offices) constituency annual mock exams for classes 4,5, 6, in secondary and primary schools set by the best teachers in top schools.
To be the best, we have to benchmark (copy) the best. These exams should be given in conditions resembling those of the real national exams in order to give our pupils adequate psychological preparations for national examinations.
Develop a dynamic & sustainable Uruan Local Government Bursary Initiative scholarship payment in collaboration with the Local Government Administration.
Provide major secondary schools in Uruan with Internet connections and website. That would expand the schools capabilities to be exposed to the outside world.(in conjunction with international service providers).
Exchanging programs among schools in different parts of the world can be very educational by exposing students to new ideas.
Establish a constituency public library where the public can read books, use internet and read magazines or newspapers. Most of the books will come from donations abroad or my local and international network.
The library will also keep a collection of studying opportunities from as many countries abroad as possible. In addition it will keep a list of organizations worldwide that can offer scholarships.
I will consult with representatives of all educationists in Uruan schools i.e. teachers, educational officers, pupils/students or any interested parties to find out other ways of improving the education in our constituency.
Establish both Masters and PHD scholarships under Nicholas Okokon foundation programs for those who wish to study abroad. This applies only to those who are qualified Uruan constituents from poor families.
Welfare
I will organise a quarterly welfare for the widows, widowers, less privileged of Uruan state constituency.
Improve Basic Healthcare
To increase our productivity level, we must be healthy. My policy towards health is that prevention is better than cure; especially when it comes to Aids/HIV which is devastating Africa
even diseases such as malaria and other preventable diseases, prevention must be stressed repeatedly throughout the constituency.
The political leadership in the constituency must work closely with NGOs such as World Health Organisation etc. to attain needed attention.
I will Canvass for medical equipments and drugs abroad for community based health centers and lobby for building of Health centers across the 11 wards.
Lobby for provision of one General Hospital for our Coastal communities.
Periodically, I will arrange for free medical treatment for our constituents.
Culture and Values
If there is something that we must protect at all cost is the best of our culture and values. In the 12years that I lived, and worked in Lagos, I witnessed both the best of cultural values of western Nigeria.
I will Support our cultural values through artists and activities; especially those aspects of our values that are progressive and helps strengthen the traditional values of fellowship such as extended family, respect for our Royal fathers , Make the Nnsom stool a powerful kingdom that will be respected world-over .
Respect elders, care of the disadvantaged etc. Organized cultural festivals annually focusing these important values to the youths.
Initiate a foundation whose sole aim would be to support activities that can make us accept to retain the best of our values.
At the same time, we all must understand that culture is dynamic; change has to come. There are some aspects of our culture that have gone out of date. We must formulate better ways of persuading people (those who still follow them) to discard some invaluable aspects of our cultural values like Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) that are in conflict with modern times and our own survival. However, our language and culture ought not to be compromised to the extinction. That’s why i will lobby for an establishment of Uruan Inyang Atakpo cultural archive.
Sports & Entertainment
As an MP, I will strive for introduction, promotion and support for sports at all levels in the constituency, be it community based or school based.
Whether you are actively involved in sports yourself, an exerciser, a referee, organizer or just an enthusiastic armchair spectator, sports has an important role in people’s life.
Sports are both entertainment and recreational activity; they help promote good health and create meeting for people of different backgrounds.
Millions are making a living in sports. Let there be no doubt, Uruan has enormous potential that is not exploited well in sports. To exploit this potential, here are some undertaking we should start:
Establish sporting and recreational centers, first at each location then sub-location's level. These centers will provide facilities & equipment for both outdoor games such as football, volleyball, and athletics etc. as well as indoor games e.g Drafts, Ping pong etc.
Set up a committee in-charge of organizing various annual sporting competitions in the constituency, arranging coaching seminars and follow up young talents.
I will lobby and establish a simple constituency stadium and hall for hosting important constituency sporting and social events.
I will start Uruan Inyang Atakpo Football League (UIAFL) comprising of 11, football teams, each from one ward.
Faith & Religion
Faith irrespective of denomination, Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal, African, Islam, Hindu, Judaism or other, is very important to our society.
It is essential for our spiritual needs and moral values. Moreover the church or a mosque helps strengthen values of fellowship by its exemplary work in charity, care for disadvantaged, schools, hospitals etc.
We must therefore, work closely with all denominations. It is necessary to find ways of making the faith attractive especially to the youths and with mutual respect.
Encourage inter-denominational meetings & services to enhance understanding and solidarity among faiths.
Leadership Accessibility
A leader must listen to the people who elected him or her. For that to happen, a leader must be accessible to the electorate. To enhance accessibility to the people of Uruan State Constituency I shall:
I will establish a constituency office at each Geopolitical zone where people can get in touch with me on fixed days in a month.
Lobby for the establishment of Uruan archive foundation center at Local Government headquarters that will act as a tourist attraction centre for studying the history of Uruan Nation.
Security
The people’s need for security, law and order must be met. Security is more than freedom from assault. It is also freedom from fear. Crimes must be fought through crime prevention and rapid reaction to criminal acts.
As a MP, I intend to combine private initiatives and the county government provisions to better enhance security in Uruan Rural Community and coastal villages.
I will work with the Governor, Law enforcement agency and community leaders in establishing community policing.
Set up committee composed of Uruan indigenes with security experience to chart the way forward towards better security network.
I would both shape and advocate policies and programs of my party the PDP and that of my own constituents.
Advocate for sound economic policies and strategy that can fight poverty and unemployment.
We need parties to understand that democracy entails more than just the possibility to vote in elections and be represented.
Taking democracy to the next level must be a priority of the next parliament or senate. This should include finding better ways that civil society and other voluntary groups can have direct influence on the development of the society.
With these few remarks, my fellow Uruan constituents, if elected, I will listen to your vital voices, I will think about your grievances, I will reflect on your requests, I will try and understand the issues put forth, and I will act on all the challenges at the time of the appropriate choosing.
May God bless our Constituency and may God bless our beloved State, Akwa Abasi Ibom.
May God bless Nigeria
May God bless EnoAbasi2019
No one is greater Than God.
EMMANUEL NICHOLAS is an
Aspirant For Uruan State Constituency
(2019-2027)
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