By Edet Okon
For about three years now, the incumbent chairman of Okobo Local Governme
By his scorecard of stellar performance, Rt. Hon. Ubuo has not only lifted the bar of grassroots governance so high, but the strides come with the assurances that as opportunity beckons once again, the people will not hesitate or have options in returning to office the man they have tested and now can trust to manage the commonwealth of Okobo people.
Yet, this fine gentleman of nobility, great vision and pragmatic ideas which can clearly be seen in the impact he so far has created since coming into office, believes that only his work should speak for him, while he focuses on his assignment of redeeming his agenda for Okobo People. This awareness had informed his integrated 8-Point Agenda for holistic transformation and actualization of his goals. This includes capacity building, infrastructure, education, agriculture, security, youth and women empowerment, development through sports and culture, and general sense of belonging.
Ubuo Ubuo is celebrated today by Okobo people because his chairmanship tenure has touched lives, given Okobo people a sense of belonging, and therefore changed narratives. On coming into office, Hon. Ubuo unarguably belongs to the first batch of Chairmen of his kind in Akwa Ibom State who clearly demonstrated that he knew why he was saddled with the responsibility of driving the ship of Okobo local government area to the desired destination, taking into practical consideration critical areas of needs that have hindered staff productivity and effectiveness as well as the general growth of the local government.
One of the first steps he took on assumption of office was the effective application of some principles of economics and ergonomics to staff productivity. Hence, it was necessary that the Okobo Local Government Area Secretariat be given a facelift through renovation of legislative blocks, replacement of dilapidated furniture, cleaning up of the entire premises and inculcating new approaches and attitude to work by staff. This inaugural step sent strong signals to staff of the local government that the incoming chairman is a man of vision and capacity.
Long before other local government chairmen in the State could later imitate his example, Hon. Ubuo Ubuo deemed it necessary to buy some exotic cars to principal officers of the local government council. Although this may have come at a price considering the lean resources of the local government, the chairman proved that he clearly understood factors that could affect staff effectiveness and efficiency in driving corporate objectives. The story today is that, apart from the principal and senior staff of the local government area, others in different categories have benefitted from the series of incentives created by the Chairman, deliberately aimed at boosting productivity.
As someone who has lived and grown with his people, a situation that clearly exposed him to the status of education and the perennial challenges faced by indigenes of the area, Hon. Ubuo Ubuo turned practical attention to this area of need. This he did by Payment of bursary and Special grant to Okobo indigenes in tertiary institutions across the country; provision of scholarships for others through a diligent process of fairness and accountability; and rebirth of student organization that sustains the spirit of cultural consciousness and unity.
The Executive Chairman has not only touched lives of students in tertiary institutions, but has taken the sweeping changes into other levels. The Council has made provision for desks to primary school pupils in the local government, purchased over 100 JAMB forms for indigent students seeking admission into tertiary institutions, and thus created an atmosphere of healthy competition among the students who have come to believe that they have such a pillar behind them.
In the area of infrastructure, the Chairman has not lacked behind. Serious attention has been given to grading of more rural roads that have remained impassable for years prior to the emergence of the present leadership of the local government. There has also been intervention in electrification of rural communities through servicing of transformers, poles and other accessories, which before used to be a burden on the people. The timely replacement of broken electricity poles with conductors in Ebighi Edu, which used to be a death-trap to pedestrians and motorists is one of the tall testimonies of the commitment of the incumbent Chairman to impact on lives.
Considerable percentage of Okobo people are successful farmers in allied areas, whether for subsistent or commercial purposes. However, keying into the Federal and State Governments’ calls for a return to agriculture, Hon Ubuo Ubuo has made sure that the call for revival of agriculture in Okobo is not treated with casualness. In fact, what is happening in Okobo is a complete revolution towards sustenance by agriculture.
It is for this reason that the Chairman specially wishes to thank His Excellency, Gov. Udom Emmanuel and his wife, Her Excellency, Dr. Martha Udom Emmanuel, for their foresightedness and benevolence to site Cassava Farm in Okobo Local Government Area. This indeed was a decision taken upon the belief that Okobo people are drivers of agriculture in the State.
For the emphasis, there can be no argument to the fact that Okobo is made up of industrious and enterprising youths and women who if given the needed support can form the base for development in their respective areas. Knowing of this endowment, Hon. Ubuo has also given pragmatic attention to the youth and women empowerment for self-reliance and meaningful existence.
Apart from organizing occasional pep talks on the need for massive engagement in sustainable small scale business enterprises, the Honourable Chairman has made it a duty to ensure that modalities towards realisation of that goal have been effectively followed and translated. It can be said that the rapid increase in small scale businesses that today litter the length and breadth of Okobo, with resultant positive effect on the people, have been motivated by the Chairman’s commitment to that possibility.
Worthy of mention too is the unprecedented level of diplomacy amongst stakeholders that the Honourable Ubuo Ubuo administration has brought into Okobo. Sociologists believe that there is a strong correlation between the nature of leadership and how peaceful or rancorous a society could be at a given time. The veritable theory is that good leadership engenders peace and progress; while bad governance predisposes disputes and underdevelopment. Today, Hon. Ubuo has not only built strong bridges of robust diplomacy between the traditional rulers and the council but has also given them a sense of belonging in the scheme of things. This must be one of the reasons for the ongoing construction of the Paramount Ruler’s Palace.
Hon. Ubuo’s infectious diplomacy and peaceful disposition can also easily be seen in the enduring peace between the party structure at the local government area. Apart from serving nexus between the centre and the grassroots, the Chairman’s ability to interface and influence positively is equally obvious in the kind of peaceful elections that Okobo as whole is known for throughout the state. Having created such an atmosphere of coexistence, it was naturally easy for Okobo to vote en masse for Governor Udom Emmanuel both in the 2015 and 2019 governship elections as was majorly championed by Rt. Hon. Princess Felicia Bassey, the Political Leader of the Local Government Area.
Against this backdrop of verifiable towering performance, Okobo people even across demography and political divides are of the consensus stance that Hon. Ubuo Ubuo is best positioned to carry on with the foundations he already has laid for the continuous growth and development of the Local Government Council. While some have pointed to the corporate growth of Okobo that has been enhanced by the robust understanding and synergy between Hon. Ubuo and the Deputy Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Princess Felicia Bassey, others have maintained that the existing zoning arrangement in Okobo, which has accounted for the peace and equity over the years, still favours Hon. Ubuo.
It is on this premise that Okobo people are calling for the maintenance of the status quo, in addition to Hon. Ubuo Ubuo’s stellar performance that has launched him as a voice in the comity of Local Government chairmen in Akwa Ibom State. There is no need to sponsor media attacks against the sitting Chairman who has performed creditably.
As Okobo people have vowed to continue to keep faith with His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel, they have taken a decision to give Hon. Ubuo Ubuo a second stint in office, to further strengthen foundations and build upon the experiences he has gathered. Hon. Ubuo, an alumnus of University of Uyo, holds a Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Micro Biology and Industrial Chemistry respectively.
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