On 7 June 2019, an aircraft bearing the colours and identity of Akwa Ibom State took off from Uyo, carrying with it more than passengers. It carried an idea that a state could build its own airline, create its own economic connections and project its identity beyond its borders.
That idea became Ibom Air, one of the most visible expressions of then Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel’s vision of an Akwa Ibom that would no longer define itself by any limits.
For Emmanuel, development was not only about building roads, bridges, industries and public institutions. It was also about changing the mindset of the people who would use them.
That philosophy found its clearest expression in Dakkada, the call for Akwa Ibom people to rise above themselves, to believe in their abilities, to reject the limitations of self-doubt and to embrace the possibilities of greatness.
That became the language of the Emmanuel years.
It was a call to a people who had inherited the advantages and challenges of an oil producing state to look beyond oil; to look beyond government employment; to look beyond federal allocations; and to recognise that the greatest resource available to Akwa Ibom was ultimately its people.
Emmanuel sought to turn that philosophy into a physical and economic reality.
The result was an administration that placed unusual emphasis on branding Akwa Ibom, industrialisation, investment attraction, aviation, infrastructure and the creation of new economic gateways.
But the story of Udom Emmanuel did not begin in Government House, Uyo.It began with education, professional training and a long career in Nigeria’s financial services sector.
Udom Gabriel Emmanuel was born on 11 July 1966 in Awa Iman, in present day Onna Local Government Area.
He attended Secondary Commercial School, Ikot Akpan Ishiet, before proceeding to the School of Arts and Science, Uyo, where he obtained his Advanced Certificate of Basic Studies and Higher School Certificate.
He later studied Accounting at the University of Lagos, graduating in 1988 with a Second Class Upper degree. He subsequently undertook advanced management training at INSEAD in France. He is also a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management.
His professional career was built outside politics.
He trained with Price Waterhouse Coopers and worked as an audit manager before moving into banking. He later worked with Diamond Bank, where he became the pioneer manager of its Lagos Central branch.
In 1996, he joined Zenith Bank.
Over the next 17 years, he rose through several senior positions, including General Manager and Chief Financial Officer, before becoming an Executive Director.
His responsibilities covered areas including financial control and strategic planning, income optimisation, corporate financial advisory services, business development, international investors’ relations, oil and gas, infrastructure and power, telecommunications and other strategic sectors.
It was a career that exposed him to the mechanics of capital, corporate management, investment and financial planning long before he entered elective politics.
That experience would later become an important part of the economic philosophy he brought to Akwa Ibom.
In 2013, Governor Godswill Akpabio appointed him Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government.
Two years later, Emmanuel contested the governorship of the state on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, won the elections and was sworn in on 29 May 2015.He was re-elected in 2019 and served two terms until May 2023.
The defining idea of the Emmanuel administration was Dakkada which wss an attempt to create a new psychological vocabulary for Akwa Ibom.
The message was that the people should rise above their limitations.
The philosophy eventually found expression in the state’s public identity through its branding, official messaging, anthem and pledge.
The Akwa Ibom anthem calls on the people to rise to the faith of greatness and build the promise of the state together, while the broader Dakkada philosophy placed responsibility on citizens to recognise and develop their own potential.
Emmanuel’s objective was to make the identity of Akwa Ibom itself an instrument of development.It was to be presented as a place of peace, enterprise, hospitality, talent, investment and possibility.
For Emmanuel, changing the narrative required changing the physical environment.
His administration embarked on an extensive road construction and urban infrastructure programme.
Among the major projects were the dualisation of Ring Road II and Ring Road III in Uyo, alongside numerous rural and inter community roads.
If Dakkada was the philosophy, the 21-storey Dakkada Tower became one of its physical symbols.
Rising in the central business district of Uyo, the building was conceived as a modern office and commercial complex capable of accommodating major corporate organisations.
Industrialisation became one of the most ambitious parts of his administration.
The government pursued investments and partnerships in manufacturing and agro processing, attracting industries including the Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing Company, Metering Solutions Manufacturing Services, Kings Flour Mill and the St. Gabriel Coconut Oil Refinery, among other industrial ventures.
The strategy was to challenge the traditional image of Akwa Ibom as predominantly a civil service economy and build a stronger productive base.
The results, however, have been mixed.
Some of the projects he attracted at first generated substantial investment, generated jobs and economic activity, but subsequently, due to economic challenges, struggled to operate at the scale initially envisaged or became inactive.
Some other investments his administration attracted, however, have continued to operate.
Sterling Global, for example, has maintained an industrial presence in the state.
Then came Ibom Air which became a powerful symbol of the Dakkada philosophy because it represented an idea that seemed audacious before it became reality.
Akwa Ibom could fly.
The airline connected Uyo to other Nigerian cities and, just as importantly, became a travelling advertisement for the state.Its aircraft carried the Akwa Ibom identity across Nigeria.
The state’s aviation ambitions under him included a new modern terminal and maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities.
The Emmanuel years were not limited to physical infrastructure.His administration also invested in education, healthcare and other areas.
In recognition of his contribution to national development, President Muhammadu Buhari awarded him the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON, in 2023.
As Akwa Ibom celebrates 39 years of its existence, Mr Udom Emmanuel is a PRIDE of the people, a leader who believe that nothing was impossible to achieve if the people could rise to their faith of greatness, and take responsibility for their development.
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