Noodles, Akan Udofia and the Akwa Ibom story

I was on a brief stop over in Dubai on my way to London when I saw the picture.

As is the case, I touch base with Akan every other day. He seems to have gone quiet since the announcement by the state governor of his planned successor. Anytime I reached out Akan will talk about other things except the race so I said to myself you cannot cry more than the bereaved.

Yes we want an entrepreneurial leadership for our state and we believe that of all those who have shown very strong indications to via for the post, Akan was best qualified to do the job.

But if he seemed to have chickened out and instead galivant the world, then let me kuku face my Shomolu life and try to make something out of it.

So upon landing Dubai, I reached out and he sent a picture of one magnificent tower that I had just passed in downtown Dubai.

I immediately reacted: “Are u in Dubai?” and he said yes. I said, “brilliant can I come and eat Afang? I don chop Indian food tire”.

He laughed and said I should come over and I said I would in the evening cos I had already paid for a luxury boat ride around the wonderful city.

I was to meet Akan at the exquisite Waldorf Astoria but finding my way from the beautiful Dubai Mall which was just a 10 minute walk was herculean.

I was running late and he kept calling and I kept saying I was close. Finally I met up with him

He was with Scott Tomei. Scott is a mythical figure in Akwa Ibom. I had met him quite early during a business meeting on Abuja about five years earlier.

Last year during my first play in Uyo – Ibiom, he had been a major pillar and we had met once again at the famed Monty Suites in Uyo

We all walked to the sweet Shanghai Me restaurant where between tastefully prepared international cuisine we talked Akwa Ibom.

Akan’s enthusiasm was infectious. His energy levels were very high and his optimism that he would emerge was category five.

Scott was his man friday and he talked very greatly about the immense economic potentials of the state if only we could put people who understood private wealth and International finance in place.

I heard that Scott was one of the biggest if not the biggest private employer of labour in the state hence his dream to push lesser government and more engagement of private sector in the scheme of things.

As they spoke, I could see the synergy between both of them. Their clarity of thought and the clean strategy of engagement as they pushed their agenda.

Akan is a different breed. A fine mix between an extroverted fun loving guy and also a well cultured introverted deep thinker.

He is known to be at his gregarious best and in the next second withdrawn into himself with a faraway look in his eyes

As the four hour dinner winds down with me rushing to leave cos of an early morning flight to London, I ask Akan what drives your optimism

He says, “the people. The people of Akwa Ibom are ready and they are the ones I will ask directly for their mandate”.

I smile as I walk into the dark Arabian night as I say to myself, that is a man