Mr Albert Inyang is the managing director and chief executive officer of Bertola Machine Tools, a pioneer machine manufacturing and equipment company in Nigeria. A native of Nkwot in Ikono Local Government Area, Inyang is a successful industrialist who supports Governor Udom Emmanuel’s industrialisation policy in Akwa Ibom. In this interview with The Pioneer team, Inyang bares his mind on the choice of Pastor Umo Eno as the PDP governorship candidate for Saturday’s governorship election, stressing that Akwa Ibom needs an entrepreneur of proven capacity at this time to bring his knowledge to bear on industrial promotion and job creation. Having worked with Umo Eno both within and outside the country, Inyang says Akwa Ibom stands to benefit from his wealth of experience.
Q: Why the sudden interest in politics that you were not known for?
Well, I can say that Pastor Umo Eno is the one that made me to have the sudden interest in politics. I met him in the early part of my company and that was in the church. He was a wonderful young man who devoted himself to the service of God in Lagos in the Apostolic Church. So I approached him when he had already gotten a job and he accepted to come and worked with me. He was very obedient, supportive and intelligent. For that reason, I changed the hierarchy of the department and made him the commercial director, while others were always sales manager. He was the first worker in my company, apart from my siblings, that I have travelled with to England.
So, when I heard that such a man has grown up to the level of thinking about being a governor of this God’s own state, I could not stay to work in Lagos again, I had to come and support him. Being here in Akwa Ibom State, I am very thankful to God and I also thank him for deciding to sacrifice to serve the state. I know that with someone like him, Akwa Ibom will continue to be number one in Nigeria because he is intelligent, God fearing, a pastor, and a general overseer of a church.
I have passion for my state, and I’ve been doing a lot for my state. I have trained a lot of people and sponsored a lot of people. In my village, I am like begging people to go to school so that I can sponsor them.
Talking about Umo Eno, I have seen every sign that God has appointed him as the David of our time. But, it is very funny to see some human beings wanting to overtake him. Trying to do that is trying to fight against God. When you see somebody God has appointed, it is better you support him. When you read the story of David in the Bible, you will see where Prophet Samuel thought that Eliab, with his stature, should be the one to be anointed as the king. But, God says His ways are different from the ways of man. God choose Pastor Umo Eno to be the governor and when you see his track records, the way he behaves, in fact the way he treats an elder, a king, is the way he treats a small child. When you go to his church, you will see that he has time for small children and cares for them up. He has respect for everybody. He is very humble and attentive.
Q: From what you have said, it seems your testimony of Umo Enois more of a businessman, a character you can vouch for when it comes to business, but this is politics. Do you think he will be able to cope in this space that has to do with a lot of compromises at times against ethical beliefs?
When I came here, I heard Governor Udom Emmanuel say if you cannot manage a kiosk, you cannot manage the people. That is why Umo Eno is a good manager of people, a good manager of resources, a good manager of environment, a good manager of a church and he has good psychology. But, more importantly, he depends on God’s wisdom. So, when he prays to God, He will give him wisdom to be able to do it.
Pastor Umo Eno joined my company when I was somewhere in Ikeja and with his assistance my company, within a short period of time, was able to compete with the British American Company I worked with. When I recall the way he performed, it gives me the confidence that God is really interested in Akwa Ibom State. We have not seen anything yet, there is much God will do if we allow Umo Eno, whom God has chosen to be governor, we will see much that God will do because he has all it takes.
Q: Can you lead us into these projections of what God will do for Akwa Ibom if Umo Eno becomes the next governor?
Number one is employment, because that is the problem we have and Governor Emmanuel has solved that to a large extent. When Umo Eno comes in, he has a technique and he is focusing on young people who have nothing to do and will ensure they are gainfully engaged. So, employment will not be a problem. I see a situation in the time of Umo Eno where unemployment will not be up to 10 per cent in this state and many people will be coming in to enjoy the good things of this state.
I believe the state is being cheated by the Federal Government by giving Akwa Ibom 13 per cent derivation. With him, as the prophet of God, when we pray the Federal Government will treat our state properly in the way it should be treated. Former Governor Victor Attah was the one who fought for the resource control but when Umo Eno comes, he will continue from what Attah did to the extent that he will be a blessing to the whole South South.
Another thing is that Umo Eno will encourage Christianity which is why we have peace here compared to other states in the country. If we encourage our people to worship God in spirit and in truth, God will bless them. Sometimes, I do not know why God loves me so much. Not that I am perfect, but one of the things I try to do is to be honest. What made me to rise up from the lowest position to that of a manager where I was given a car to drive at a very young age was because of God. When I go to church I devote myself to the things of God and to practice what I hear from the preacher. That is what is going to happen here. There is going to be improvement in the church and we will witness the blessings of God. For instance, Akwa Ibom as the number one oil bearing state is not given sufficient funds befitting its status, yet look at the development that we are having here. I travel a lot, but when I compare our state with other states, Akwa Ibom has gone so far.
Q: You said Umo Eno will generate employment when he comes, where will the employment opportunities come from because successive administrations tried to put in place infrastructures to generate employment but at the end Akwa Ibom is still rated as one of the poverty capital in Nigeria. And, from the Bureau of Statistics unemployment is always very high. What is really wrong and what do you think Pastor Umo Eno will do to perform this magic?
Well, in Christianity we don’t call it magic, we call it miracle. So, it is going to be number one by miracle, number two by intelligence. I can see him being surrounded by men of God, and with prayer, they will advise him on what to do. Already he speaks intelligently and courageously with faith in God. He talks much about agriculture and we are blessed with a vast and fertile land. Akwa Ibom is bigger than some countries of the world, so with Umo Eno on the saddle, the resources of the state will be well managed and Akwa Ibom will be number one in the country. He said he had gained enough knowledge and principles from me when he was in my company. I have principles that helped me manage my company, such as preparation, principle, policy, prayer, planning and productivity. He is a man that will generate great productivity and make the people wake up, not by his own power but he has the power and favour of God such that whatever he lays his hands to do he does it with all his might, and that has brought about the progress he is experiencing as seen in his hospitality business situated in Eket and Uyo.
Q: What are those things you know about Pastor Umo Enothat we may not know, especially those moments you used to share together?
As a director, when you get a manager that you can sleep well, he handles the subordinates professionally, you feel happy. But if you are an international businessman, like I was that time, you travel out and come back to meet everything in order. When you have a manager that always calls you and says come and see I have discovered this customer, you will be happy. When you have a manager that when he is there other workers sit up, you can go for conferences and learning. If you don’t have a good worker like Umo Eno you cannot make much progress. When you have somebody like that you will want to travel with him. I remember traveling with him to Kaduna and Kano where I had a storey building and a branch. The progress was much though I’m still making progress now and I’m thankful to God, but I had to remember the beginning. Just like Umo Eno who does not forget the beginning. Like I said, he invited me, he said my former boss come and give me support, and I was impressed when he talked about being a governor. I had to leave my work and come down here to support him. I am very happy to be Akwa Ibom person because God has really blessed Akwa Ibom with good leaders like Victor Attah, Godswill Akpabio and Udom Emmanuel who all tried their best in turning the state to a very good place. See, other places are not as developed like here. Akwa Ibom is the only state that when you drive around the roundabout you see a fountain bringing water. Even in Lagos, you don’t see it anywhere. It was in the early years in Tinubu Square that we saw a fountain but now the whole place has been messed up. But, here in Akwa Ibom, the whole place is so clean and tidy and if you look at Akwa Ibom people God has lifted us to great heights from that lowly place where we used to be tested as servants. We need to know that Akwa Ibom people like good things. Akwa Ibom people are special. They take time to do their things well. The way we dress is so neat. We need to understand that the hand of God is upon us. And, the earlier we understand and prepare our minds, God will bless us the more.
Q: Let us know those projects Governor Emmanuel has done that excites you?
You know, before the regime of Governor Udom Emmanuel, this road leading to the airport was a narrow road. It did not look befitting for an international airport. Now, you can see the expansion done by this administration. Last December you could see the decoration of our streets which made them very beautiful to behold. Go to our schools, you will see the renovations done on classrooms with good environment for the children to play and learn. Talking about the 21-storey building, I used to see such a thing in America and Japan but we have it here too. Very recently, a former President of this country came here and commissioned the longest bridge in the South South. Akwa Ibom has pedestrian bridges and what we have here is more beautiful and well designed than those elsewhere.
These are few of the things Governor Emmanuel has done, though some people refuse to see. In this world no matter what you do, people will still say you have not done anything at all. The same thing happened during the time of Jesus, some people didn’t see what He was doing, even when He was making the blind to see, the lame to walk. Governor Emmanuel has tried and God will bless him for the good works he has done for the state.
Q: We would like you to highlight on the infrastructure he has put in place to support the economy?
In the area of Tourism, Ibom Air stands out tall. This is the only state in the whole of Nigeria that has a standard airline of its own. And, because of this, people can travel and we see many people trooping into the state. Very soon, Akwa Ibom is going to be a Tourism centre not only for Nigeria, but for the whole world.
More so, the new terminal building and the MRO at the airport are something that will bring money to the state. The 21-storey smart building will attract international organisations to the state to invest on something that will benefit us first before them.
For Ibom Deep Seaport, when completed, it will benefit thousands of Akwa Ibom people and the state is going to be without hunger when we know how to utilise all the things God has put in place for us.
Pastor Umo Eno has also placed priority on education of our people, this is so because education is very key to development. When people are educated, it is a plus because such people and place will be respected internationally. So it surprises me that up to this moment somebody is still fighting against Umo Eno, whereas people ought to know that he was not the one that chose himself but was anointed by God. If for any reason another person succeeds as the governor, Akwa Ibom people will be in trouble. You can check from the Bible, when God chose somebody and the people rejected him, it stalled their progress.
We know that God has chosen Umo Eno from the manner he was introduced to us, which shows that it was not ordinary. God spoke to the governor and Obong Victor Attah confirmed it by supporting the governor’s choice. Right from that time, everyone needed to pray for God’s will to come to pass in the state rather than opposing the God’s choice for us.
Q: Pastor Umo Eno has chosen a woman as his running mate. Do you think the choice is a plus to his ticket or a disservice?
In fact, I was thinking few days ago that it is a double plus. He is going to run inclusive government. There are two genders in the world, male and female, so he has done one of the best things. Look at the woman he has chosen, she is a woman with good track records – a senator, intelligent and well loaded with ideas. So, it is a very good choice for Akwa Ibom people.
Q: On March 18, 2023 everyone will cast their votes. If you were given the opportunity to address Akwa Ibom people, what will be your advice?
In fact, any right thinking person in this state should vote Pastor Umo Eno. If for any reason whatever, someone refuses to vote him, then we can call such individual hater of good and lover of evil.
God has made the announcement very clear to everyone that Umo Eno is the chosen one and just like God said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, please hear him. We need to start to listen to Pastor Umo Eno. Those fighting him are wasting their time because they cannot succeed in their fight because he is protected and was appointed by God.
This time around, God has chosen a man after His own heart, we only have to support and pray for him to emerge as the next governor of the state.
Q: What is your take about the litigations against the candidature of Pastor Umo Eno in view of the fact that March 18 is closer?
That is why I am saying that it is very wrong for anyone to be against the one God has chosen to come and lead us. But, one thing is sure, whether they support him or not, he is the next governor. Come to think of it, have you ever witnessed this kind of campaign rally? The crowd is unprecedented even when he goes to the territory of his opponent in the race. He has a lot of supporters everywhere he goes and this is not ordinary. And I think those fighting him need to be advised to be careful because it could be dangerous for them if they continue to fight this man of God.
Q: You have not mentioned the party in which Pastor UmoEno is contesting under?
Pastor Umo Eno is the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). And, as we always say during the campaign, “wherever you see the umbrella, thumb print there.”
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