Governor Victor Attah

By Kevin M. Baerson

If you traveled to Uyo, the capital of Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom state a few years back, you would have found one of Nigeria’s most backward states, replete with broken roads, erratic power supply and a pervasive sense of malaise.

But today’s Akwa Ibom state is undergoing a transformation not unlike the rebuilding of East Berlin after the fall of communism. Virtually every aspect of the once-decrepit infrastructure is under repair or has been scrapped and rebuilt. The projects span from roads and housing to an international airport, and an oil refinery to an independent power plant. The state even invested in a cell-phone network, radically changing the nature of commerce and every day life for the once down-trodden populace.

Why this transformation had not happened before in Akwa Ibom might be puzzling to an uninformed outsider. The state has long possessed enough oil to finance such projects, but never did. The long and short of the real answer is that Governor Victor Attah has proved to be incorruptible – he already achieved wealth as one of Nigeria’s premier architects –and was willing to stare down the federal government quite publicly to see that his state, and the whole of Nigeria’s southern states, received a higher percentage of revenue from Nigeria’s federal government oil revenues.

To be sure, he ruffled some feathers along the way, but he never backed down. Observers say that Attah’s tenacity in fighting for what he believes in actually has economic value.

"He has been willing to fight big oil and his own federal government to do what he thinks is best for his state," said Barry Witz, an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, who has done business in many developing nations. "His actions give potential investors confidence that he will fight for them too if they invest in his state.

"Africa does not have a real successful model to follow in this regard. I really think this governor can be a catalyst to bring Africa into the 21st Century," Witz said

When Governor Attah first took office in 1999, he refused to fall into the stereotype of a newly elected Nigerian governor and build a new soccer stadium in the first 100 days. Instead, he quietly planned. And then he planned some more, and some more. What the American-educated governor was working on was a radical makeover for the state, one that would transform his economy into a knowledge-based economy that would lift the fortunes of the people, lessen the state’s reliance on fluctuating oil revenues, and enable Akwa Ibom to join the global economy.

"After my first 100 days in office, many people turned against my administration," Governor Attah said "They were saying, ‘This man is doing nothing.’ I had to tune out the criticism and keep focused on the master plan for developing Akwa Ibom into a modern state. Those were some very tough times, but I knew what I was doing was the right thing to do, even if not everyone understood it. I was saying to myself, ‘Let the next governor build a soccer stadium. We have more pressing needs.’"

Some six years later, Governor Attah has gone from the State House, to the political dog house, and back again. He has been elected as the head of the Nigerian Governor’s Association – a very powerful post -- and has gained fame throughout Nigeria and beyond for the wholesale changes underway in his state. Today, stop any local resident in Akwa Ibom state and ask them, "What do you think of your governor?" Uniformly, they will respond by lamenting the fact that their governor is limited to two terms.

"You don’t need a personal tour from the governor to see the radical improvements in Akwa Ibom state," said Governor Ahmadu Adamu Mu'azufrom of Nigeria’s Bauchi state, after Governor Attah took him on a personal tour of the state. "Not only has he done an excellent job in his own state, but he has really embraced his role as head of the governor’s association. He is the governor of governors."
When Governor Mu’azu made that comment, he might not have realized that his observations were being echoed clear across Africa. Next Month in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela himself will award Governor Attah with perhaps Africa’s highest honor in politics: The African Governor of the Year award. That such an award would be given to a Nigerian governor is itself the greatest validation of a vision that the Governor’s opponents once dismissed as pipe-dream governance.

"Now, the same people who cursed him are saying he is God-given. They say he is a messiah," said the governor’s brother, Essein Attah. "I respect his strength to the marrow of my bone. He has made me walk with my head in the clouds, but not with any conceit."

Now, word is traveling around Nigeria to the many residents of Akwa Ibom who left the state for lack of economic opportunity, that there is hope again in the homeland. And they are starting to come back. They have heard of the mega-projects underway, the new façade, the sense of hope. And they have come to recognize that, while their state may be rich in oil, it has become rich in a new commodity: leadership.

"As a governor in Nigeria, he is peerless," said Richard T. Hines, a Washington-based lobbyist who represents Akwa Ibom state in the United States, as well as other African nations. "His emphasis on infrastructure – new and better roads, drainage systems, an international airport, the science and technology park, and the five-star resort with a pro-level golf course – these all have been ground-breaking achievements. As the premier architect in Nigeria, he has brought a whole new level of professionalism in governance that has been lacking."

Now, with accolades pouring in, and international recognition reaching a ground swell, Governor Attah wakes up every day with a laser-like focus on implementing his revival plan. He is quick to solicit opinions, and listens as earnestly as he did as a student at New York’s Columbia University. And he is very keen to hear what people think about his desire to create a knowledge-based economy in Akwa Ibom, and integrate his state into the global economy.

So far, so good.

"The tech park is a very solid foundation to raise the caliber of jobs for his people, and enable his state to participate in the global economy," said Antonio Turgeon, CEO of California-based TechnoConcepts, which currently is considering establishing facilities in Akwa Ibom’s technology village. "And the governor’s approach to providing seed money to jump start strategic industries is the way to do it. That’s what the U.S. did, although through venture capital. It is a very wise way to proceed."