Governor Emmanuel to Visit 2021 Rain Maker and the Beautiful Hills
Fellow Akwa Ibomites, on January 31, 2022, the man on the Hilltop Mansion will descend to climb the green beautiful hills of Ibiaku Uruan to meet the 2021 Rain Maker of the year in Akwa Ibom State.
The visit of Governor Udom Emmanuel is billed to commission the first ever privately owned television in the Akwa-Cross region, Spectrum Television – the Chairman of TAF Media Group, Tony Afia reveals. The television is an offshoot of the nine-year-old Planet Radio 101.1FM. Broadcasting live on Startimes Channel 136, the station will on the same day turn three months since its first commercial operation on November 1, 2021. Within the period, the station has gained serious traction within Akwa Ibom and beyond.
To many, it will be the first time knowing that while millions of Nigerians were still grappling with the surging effect of the post COVID-19 pandemic on both businesses and private lives; one fine gentleman with great sense of humour, an adaptive disruptor, unpredicted economic engineer and a business mogul, was somewhere in the city part of a habitable forest putting up another first-in-history in the Akwa-Cross belt. He was the first to bring a private radio station in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States. Now, he marks another first.
Afia is one man too many and a distinguished community builder. His stations put the people first with the top two flagship programmes such as Reach Out – aired on both the TV and radio; People’s Parliament – aired on the radio. Simplicity defines him, but that is advisable with his few words of “Don’t mess it up”. These few words deeply define Afia as a balanced personality, who wouldn’t want his simplicity, business or anything to be taken for granted. You can hardly spend a moment with Afia without having to laugh all your sorrows away. That’s how fun he is. He would have made a successful career as a comedian, but for his high intellect and most sought-after knowledge, which became very useful to the fourth largest bank in the United States of America. There, he rose to the rank of the assistant vice president of the bank and served for seven years.
So much can be drawn from the new baby television that is focused on changing the narrative of the state. Recalled that in December 2021, during a special annual Thanksgiving Service of TAF Media Group held at Destiny International Mission, Afia announced that Spectrum Television had taken 50 Akwa Ibomites from the streets and gave them employment. Many would have doubted the possibility of such news on the basis that, it came in a year when many firms were folding up, giving rise to a high unemployment rate in the country. Afia also said that in 2022, the provision made, when completed would add 30 new employment in the television arm, while concluding that even more employment and surprises should be expected. He promised to train and equip them to ensure best practices. Anyone who has operated a business in Akwa Ibom State would applaud the effort, knowing how difficult it means to have a company thrive in this part of the world.
It is very uncommon to have someone whom, while hundreds of political office holders are preparing to pump the people’s fortune into 2023 elections, one man with his decent income is pumping his proceeds into causing the RAIN OF EMPLOYMENT in the state.
Aside from the fact that Afia stays in the beautiful serene hill typical of a rainforest, two things differentiate Afia from the conventional Rain Makers. First, while others wait for the rainy season to show their talent, he makes the best rain to fall in the dry season. One of such rains was in November 2021, when he employed 50 Akwa Ibomites in a stretch, without bias or favouritism. Second, while other rain makers cause disturbing water rainfall so they could disarm their targets in order to take undue advantage; Afia, causes employment rainfall to put food on others tables. As a man of surprises, who knows what Employment-Afia has in stock for the current dry season?
It should be one record that while Afia has never sought for political office nor embezzled wealth from public coffer; he has single-handedly pushed urbanization to Ibiaku Uruan, a place where Governor Udom Emmanuel will finally complete the bad state of the road, as his counterpart project to support industrialisation agenda.
While I commend Governor Emmanuel for always identifying with efforts made by citizens to add to his policy thrust of turning Akwa Ibom into an economic hub of West Africa; I am, indeed, certain that as a promise keeper and one who is currently pursuing the completion agenda; he would seriously frown at the contractors handling the Ibiaku Uruan road, for delaying the construction after it was awarded.
