Founder, Akpabio Centre for Leadership Development (Akpabioism), Pastor Bassey James speaks with newsmen including SENIOR CORRESPONDENT Tony Ita Etim in Uyo on the fourth annual lecture of Akpabioism. Excerpts:
Can you shed more light on what Akpabioism Leadership Development Centre and its ambassadors are about?
Akpabioism ambassadors are everywhere and there is no local government, hamlet, community or family today that does not speak the language of Akpabioism which are love, unity, togetherness, freedom and peace. We have been able to do that in the last five years because we are focused and are determined to do more. That is why by the grace of God, we have gone out of our way to painfully put up an edifice (Akpabioism Leadership Development Centre) that will house the philosophy or ideology of Akpabioism. So, what we have done is to let the people know that, when you have set up your mind to do something, you can achieve them.
We believe in possibility, we believe that all things are possible like Christ said. The Bible says that, “All things are possible to them that believe.” You know, Akpabioism has come to us as a belief system because we would always be making references to the South-West, and we have learnt so much from the South-West political engineering, we have learnt so much from the Igbo and the Hausa, and we have said in clear terms that the South-South which we come from, has also arrived.
So what do we expect from you?
We are building a political base not just for Akwa Ibom people, South-South people but also for the people of Nigeria and the world. As I speak to you, there are professors outside Nigeria who have been yearning to come to Nigeria. We have invited them and they gladly accepted. So, many of them are people that want to partner with us because they have heard so much about the state governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio (CON), and this is an opportunity in Akpabioism.
We are not just bringing them, but we are building a base for them to have a place of study. You see people would not just come to Akwa Ibom or to see what God has done through the governor but, to have a thinking warehouse where the materials of the life and times of his administration would be stored; the uncommon transformation programmes and projects including that of other world leaders and achievers like Nelson Mandela.
Where does the leadership centre come in?
We are putting things together and centralize them at Akpabio Leadership Centre. Of course you know, that is the biggest conference centre in the South-South today and we were able to do that by the grace of God. This is the first time in the history of Nigeria, and I stand to be corrected, that a sitting governor is documented and there is no person with this kind of legacy outside Awoism, Zikism, Nkrumaism and the Ghandism.
You mentioned people and institutions coming to partner Akpabioism, in what areas?
They are coming to partner with us in the area of leadership development, in order to re-engineer their consciousness and establish confidence in them. You know, it is one thing for one to go to school and, it is another for one to have the knowledge that is redefine. Education is wonderful but you need to go beyond the four walls of a university. You need to embrace people who have had experiences, academicians and those who have gone out of Nigeria to fully acquire commensurate skills. So, what we are trying to do is to bring people within and outside Nigeria to transfer their knowledge to the people. That is why we are calling on our brothers abroad to come back because we are providing them a base in Akpabioism centre.
Are you expecting others at the event?
We are also inviting the public that wants to run the economy, politics and other professional activities to be part of the conference. Why do we bring Chief Orji Uzor Kalu as the Speaker? Because he became a multi-millionaire at the age of 19 years, the youngest governor at his own time and he is a man that registered PPA as well as installed two governors for the first time less than six months. His political prowess is unprecedented in the political history of Nigeria, having contested for the presidency in 2007 and became the fourth runner-up in that election. He is one of the most respected Nigerians, who also owns one of the biggest business empires in the world today – Slok Group of companies. Therefore, we have invited him and other professors to come and inspire the people.
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