Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel at the weekend declared that Nigeria democracy cannot be strong with a weak economy, even as he stated that he has used minimum resources to achieve maximum result in his state.
Gov Udom, who has just won the Leadership Governor of the Year Award said the nation’s democracy can only be strong if the economy is strong.
The governor, while speaking after receiving his award at the International Conference Center (ICC), Abuja at the weekend said a good leader should not be measured by using maximum resources to achieve maximum result but by using minimum resources to achieve maximum result.
He said: “A good leader is not measured by using maximum resources to achieve maximum result but by using minimum resources to achieve maximum results. A person with such trait is a good leader. And that is what it means to make a difference.”
He pointed out that those in leadership were voted for by their people for a reason and that they were not given the mandate for affluence.
He added: “So, I call on Nigerians to know that our democracy will only be strong if our economy is strong. So we need to have a clear paradigm shift and concentrate more on policies that will move us forward and not politics that will draw us backward.
“And this is a time for us to believe in ourselves as Nigerians, this is a time for us to ask ourselves what can we do for our country and not always what can our country do for us. All hands must be on deck, because it is widely known that what we have as a country is all that we need to compete wth any other country in the world.
“Nigerian leaders must be men that are more than what they are seen to be, because that is the message of leadership.”
The award was propelled by his unique five-point agenda of job creation, poverty alleviation, wealth creation, economic and political inclusion, infrastructural consolidation and expansion.
The governor’s free and compulsory education policy, free healthcare service for pregnant women, children from 0-5 years and the aged as well as the numerous welfare packages for the people, including the less privileged people living with disabilities and victims of natural disasters, also demonstrated his accomplishments within the first year in office.