Polls: Topfaith Schools Board Chairman Cautions Politicians against Personality based Campaigns.

Akaiso Eyo, Uyo.

As the major actors in the forthcoming general elections, especially the presidential candidates of the main political parties are criss crossing the thirty six states of the federation, including the federal capital territory canvassing for votes, a top notch economist and educationist has cautioned against the use of abusive words on perceived opponents.

The board of trustees chairman of Topfaith Schools, comprising Montessori, Secondary and University, all located at Mkpatak in Essien Udim local government area, Akwa Ibom state, Dr. Emmanuel Abraham gave the advice even before the sad comment made on Monday by the presidential candidate of All Progressive Congress, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu at Godswill Obot Akpabio international stadium describing Governor Udom Emmanuel as a small boy that lived at his back yard in Lagos before becoming a Governor.

Dr. Abraham who opined that politicians should be principled enough to see politics as a game that should be played by the rules and also following due process and work within due process, also advised the electorate to be able to exercise their rights and resist things outside due process, like vote selling and buying for pecuniary benefits.

“The political class should follow due process, go through due process and work within due process. If they do that there will be sanity.

And of course, the electorate should also support due process. They should be able to exercise their rights and resist things outside due process, like vote selling and buying for pecuniary benefits.

They should be principled enough to be guided by expectations of a better tomorrow.”

“Those canvassing for votes should base their campaigns on what I choose to call the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people. In other words, programs that are marketed to the electorate should be very socially digressed such that there is assurance that politics go on and electorate benefit after making their choices.”

He scored Governor Udom Emmanuel high for the peace that has prevailed  for the past seven and a half years in the state, and the infrastructural renaissance the state has witnessed since he came to power and industrial revolution that has catapulted the state that, hitherto,  was a civil service state to an industrial hub in the gulf of Guinea.

“This is a government that has been able to maintain wonderful peace thoughout its tenure securing lives and property. When there’s peace there is development and growth. When people are living in tension and insecurity you hardly achieve anything.

“The peace that is prevailing under HE Udom Emmanuel is something that has given rise to progress in various sectors of economy. It’s something to remember as an administration that is people oriented.”

For those whose stock in trade is to criticise everything the Governor has done or not done, he has this advice for them: “When people notice that a particular contract is not done well they have a responsibility to investigate and fine out why it is so.

Nigerians are in habit of abdicating responsibilities to some one else and think it is only the President, Governor or Commissioner that  have total responsibility to do things right.

“We as citizens should also contribute quotas, when we see that a job is not done well we should and raise an alarm. There is a need for a collaborative philosophy when it comes to development of an economy in every dimension.”

On the redesign of N200, N500 and N1000 notes and the resultant liquidity squeeze in the system, he believed those in charge are driven by intellectual fertility to have embarked on such economic venture at this time of Nigeria’s economic situation and declined to comment, either in favour or against on the ground that he was yet to collate adequate data to enable him contribute intellectually.

However, he cautioned those saying that the purpose for which the mission was embarked upon does seem accomplished because of hardship Nigerians are passing through, to exercise restraint and give it a chance to work.