THE governor of Akwa Ibom State,Chief Godswill Akpabio, has described former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Clement Nyong Isong,as a man whose achievements in office laid the foundation for the financial and developmental strides in the country.

Governor Akpabio stated this in his key note address at the 4th Memorial Lecture of Dr Clement Isong, which took place at the Muson Centre, Lagos, on Friday.

Akpabio, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Nsima Ekere, at the lecture, noted that Isong became the Central Bank Governor during the most trying period of the country and he was able to to manage the nation’s resources and the country, throughout and even after the war, did not borrow from any financial institution, to either prosecute the war or rebuild the country.

According to Akpabio, “his ability to achieve that feat was indeed a clear indication that he was sincere, truthful and transparent in his handling of the nation’s finance,” adding that  “he was a very good man, though he has been immortalised by the country, Isong would forever be immortalised in our hearts.”

“To the nation, he was a good economist. But to us in Akwa Ibom State, he was more than a good economist, he was a good man.

The nation has him immortalised on its currency, but in AkwaIbom he will forever be immortalised in our hearts,” he stressed.

Speaking further, Akpabio fingered military dictatorship as “why despite our nation’s enormous resources and huge potentials, Nigeria still remains grossly underdeveloped. Consequently, political instability, abject poverty, acute youth unemployment, heigthened crime rate, poor health prospects, illiteracy and other shameful and retrogressive features have become our lot.”

He noted that “democracy, no doubt, has become the most fashionable form of governance in the world. But the issue is not about democracy but good governance, stating that Akwa Ibom State is a shinning example of development Model for Nigeria.’’

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