By Godwin Benson
In journalism or communication studies, it is said that God was the first journalist in the world. History records in Genesis 1:3 that the first communication experiment was conducted by God when He said, “Let there be light.”
The conclusion of that statement reads: “And there was light.”
The light that sprang forth from that communicative action “illuminated the earth that was filled with darkness and void.”
Rt. Hon Unyime Idem, the chairman of the House Committee on Public Procurement, has embraced this lighting phenomenon. For the past five years, he has been a source of light to many families, communities, and his federal constituency, Ukanafun/Oruk Anam.
He has inspired many young men and women to aspire for greatness, and has clothed and fed many elderly persons across the length and breadth of the federal constituency. His empowerment vision has been massive, and he does not appear tired of spreading light.
Through Idem, many primary school pupils and secondary school students in Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency have come to learn, know, and use Information and Communication Technology (ICT). More than 5,000 people have become employers of labor through the various skills programs he initiated, complete with the provision of equipment such as sewing machines, hairdressing machines and accessories, barbering clippers with generators, tables and mirrors, motorcycles, tricycles, and motorcars. To some, he gave business grants; to students, he granted scholarships and bursaries. More than 50 indigenes of the federal constituency are on the employment payroll of the federal government, courtesy of this focused, dependable, visionary, and sacrificial leader.
It is the first time in the history of representation in Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency that many roads have been tarred, school blocks built, water projects constructed, and entrepreneurship, business, and agriculture enhanced. The people are happy and at home with him.
Last week, yours truly took a trip to the village, and what I saw in each of the villages that lead to my community was akin to Aniekpeno Mkpanang’s popular radio program, “Something to Remember.”
Idem has flooded the roads with solar panel street lights. At night, all the communities are illuminated. Activities that were once synonymous with darkness, including those of the men of the underworld, have become third-rated in the communities. I learned that no fewer than 200 communities are beneficiaries in the first phase of this lighting project. Schools, local council secretariats, health centers, and other government institutions are beneficiaries of this noble gesture.
The constituents are very happy. A family head in Ikot Akpa Nkuk, Chief Udo Fred, said that in his over seven decades on earth, this is the first time a representative has been people-centric and made the welfare and growth of his constituents a great priority in his scheme of things.
Fred noted that Idem has brought superlative and salvaging infrastructure and amenities, which were previously only seen on television or heard over the radio.
“I can say without an iota of boastfulness that almost all the villages in the federal constituency have been touched directly by Idem, one way or the other,” the royal father said.
A woman leader from Nkek in Ukanafun Local Government Area, Obonganwan Iniobong Okongko, described Idem’s representation as “unique, action-packed, incomparable, result-oriented, and visionary.”
Okongko maintained that she thanks God every day for giving the constituency a selfless, patriotic, purposeful, and excellent representative who makes their welfare and well-being top on his agenda.
For the past five years, she observed, “there’s no time that you hear that Unyime Idem is around without hearing that he came to hand over a completed project or to lay a foundation for another. Ukanafun/Oruk Anam is blessed this time. My prayer is that God should continue to protect, guide, and strengthen him to do more for us.”
A youth leader from Oruk Anam Local Government Area, Mr. Idorenyin Udom, said the youth of the constituency are proud to identify with Idem as most of his projects and programs are youth-friendly.
Udom said that apart from the numerous bills and motions Idem has sponsored in the National Assembly, he was thrilled with his commitment to providing Ukanafun/Oruk Anam youth with the tools to succeed.
“When I saw the number of youth he (Idem) has facilitated employment for in the federal civil service, I doff my cap to him. He’s a man that thinks about the future. God bless him,” he stated.
Indeed, the story of Idem’s representation is surrounded by the metaphor of light. The importance of light to people, even plants, is well-known. Light is life and has been brought to Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency.
Unyime Idem’s style of leadership is legendary. In fact, he has illuminated the body, soul, and spirit of Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency. Even our ancestors are walking on newly tarred roads with fanfare, enjoying a gaudy ambience.
Benson is a Uyo-based journalist.
