Hon. Friday Iwok is the House Member Representing Abak State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. He spoke with selected journalists during the week where he said Gov. Godswill Akpabio will present two or three persons to the people of Akwa Ibom to choose his successor from. He also stated authoritatively that he is the political leader of Abak and not Aniekan Umanah. He denied having any rift with the Commissioner for Information and Communications. Excerpts:
You won an election against an incumbent house member because there was a general belief that there was no second term in Abak. Has that changed?
Definitely, like you said I didn’t come to the State House of Assembly because of second term. I came to the House through God who stood by me and for my success and again through the people of Abak who saw reasons, who believed in me that if I’m in the state house of assembly I can do more to touch on the lives of Abak people and also that I can represent them effectively. That was how I was voted in to the House of Assembly. As at that time I was not interested and I didn’t even understand what people call ‘2nd term’. I only understood myself that I want to go to the House of Assembly and I here I am today.
So far, how has it been?
It has been very wonderful being here as a House member. It is very interesting because the experiences we never had, we have now. The House of Assembly is a comity of people that are really looking forward to making sure that where they represent have a test of good life and that is what we have been working on as a body. The functions of a lawmaker is quite different from what I used to experience when I was in the labour circle.
Any negative experience?
Definitely there is no way you cannot have negative experiences. The pressure you have from your constituents is one of it. The impression people have is that when you are in the house of assembly is that you have everything but it is not true. You struggle with the little you have. And for somebody like me who is living with his people I know the pressure that I have. For the House of Assembly, I don’t have challenges because I’m learning fast and I’m working fast because the pride of the lawmaker is to see himself rise at the floor of the house, contribute to motions, move motions, and other things which I think I’ve done. But the most important thing is that I within the span of two years led three private member bills. One has been passed and is functioning (the one that has to do with HIV/AIDS agency). The agency has been set up in the state. And that was because when I came into the office I realized that the prevalent rate of HIV/AIDS in Akwa Ibom was 10.9%. And looked at it and realized that people are dying, they are not exposed to facilities they are supposed to be exposed to. As at that time there was a committee called SACA and it couldn’t attract budgetary allocation from the state government. They couldn’t even access the international donor agency for AIDS. The only body that could have done that could have been the Agency for AIDS. So I immediately brought up the bill and it was passed in to law and His Excellency the governor attended to it and we are proud today that the agency is drawing funds from the budgetary allocation, the donor agencies have been coming in. The good thing is that with this development the prevalent rate has dropped from 10.9% to 6.5% which is good news to the people of Akwa Ibom State. I know by next year, with the facilities they have they will be doing more mobilization, more education,communication to the people and that will also bring down the prevalent rate in due course.
Talking about intervention in the health sector, there was a time you visited General Hospital, Ituk Mbang and I know you must have made a very sorry sight there. We are aware that the government was on the verge of taking over the hospital. Since then, what has happened?
Definitely, like you said I didn’t come to the State House of Assembly because of second term. I came to the House through God who stood by me and for my success and again through the people of Abak who saw reasons, who believed in me that if I’m in the state house of assembly I can do more to touch on the lives of Abak people and also that I can represent them effectively. That was how I was voted in to the House of Assembly. As at that time I was not interested and I didn’t even understand what people call ‘2nd term’. I only understood myself that I want to go to the House of Assembly and I here I am today.
So far, how has it been?
It has been very wonderful being here as a House member. It is very interesting because the experiences we never had, we have now. The House of Assembly is a comity of people that are really looking forward to making sure that where they represent have a test of good life and that is what we have been working on as a body. The functions of a lawmaker is quite different from what I used to experience when I was in the labour circle.
Any negative experience?
Definitely there is no way you cannot have negative experiences. The pressure you have from your constituents is one of it. The impression people have is that when you are in the house of assembly is that you have everything but it is not true. You struggle with the little you have. And for somebody like me who is living with his people I know the pressure that I have. For the House of Assembly, I don’t have challenges because I’m learning fast and I’m working fast because the pride of the lawmaker is to see himself rise at the floor of the house, contribute to motions, move motions, and other things which I think I’ve done. But the most important thing is that I within the span of two years led three private member bills. One has been passed and is functioning (the one that has to do with HIV/AIDS agency). The agency has been set up in the state. And that was because when I came into the office I realized that the prevalent rate of HIV/AIDS in Akwa Ibom was 10.9%. And looked at it and realized that people are dying, they are not exposed to facilities they are supposed to be exposed to. As at that time there was a committee called SACA and it couldn’t attract budgetary allocation from the state government. They couldn’t even access the international donor agency for AIDS. The only body that could have done that could have been the Agency for AIDS. So I immediately brought up the bill and it was passed in to law and His Excellency the governor attended to it and we are proud today that the agency is drawing funds from the budgetary allocation, the donor agencies have been coming in. The good thing is that with this development the prevalent rate has dropped from 10.9% to 6.5% which is good news to the people of Akwa Ibom State. I know by next year, with the facilities they have they will be doing more mobilization, more education,communication to the people and that will also bring down the prevalent rate in due course.
Talking about intervention in the health sector, there was a time you visited General Hospital, Ituk Mbang and I know you must have made a very sorry sight there. We are aware that the government was on the verge of taking over the hospital. Since then, what has happened?
You know it is a process. What we are doing as a committee is oversight function. It is not our primary function. When you go for oversight function and see what supposes not to be, it is the responsibility of the committee to relay that to the executive and I can assure you that the taking over of the hospital by the government from the missionaries is almost completed because I know the steps that we have taken. Very soon they will announce the taking over of the hospital. That will go a long way in attracting more facilities to the hospital and also go a long way in assisting people that are working there.
What are you doing about the situation in Abak 10 road?
On the 21st of November, 2013, His Excellency the governor gave his approval for that road to be constructed and what I did as a lawmaker was to make sure that is in the budget. If you look at 2012 and 2013 budgets the Abak 10 road is there. That is to give the executive the enabling law to function. As I’m talking to you 2 weeks ago the Ministry of Works sent in Mothercat to do the designing. So hopefully by next year the road will be okay.
Between you and the Honourable Commissioner of Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah who is the political leader of Abak?
I’m an elected representative of the people and not an appointee. That one is not in dispute. You cannot compare an elected member, even a councilor to an appointee. I’m not an appointee. I’m the number one political leader in Abak by the virtue of my office. And that does not bring any face-off between me and Aniekan Umanah. I can assure you that if somebody says we have a face-off he should explain on which area we have the face-off. Aniekan Umanah is my brother, if I call him now we can sit down and talk. Generally and entirely, I don’t have any face-off with Aniekan Umanah and not even any other person in Abak Local Government Area because nobody is struggling my position with me. The interest is that all of us are working towards the development of Akwa Ibom State. We are working collectively with the commissioner and any other well-meaning citizen of Abak in the development of Abak. There is nothing like a face-off.
Are you going for second term?
Any legislator, be it at the state or federal has the constitutional rights to contest elections. We don’t have tenure limitations. As long as you want to go and as long as your people are with you, you can contest. In the US, a senator would stay in the senate and die. In Nigeria, the senate president is 12 years in office, the speaker of the House of Representatives has had 12 years in the house. You have enormous benefits of someone that is going for second term. There are enormous benefits to his people. By the virtue of my office I don’t have any limitation of re-contesting. It is my right to contest. if by tomorrow, my people come out and say you’ve done well, we want you to go back, I know I will have the backing and I will readily accept it. I will accept to go back for the interest of Abak people.
You must tell the people what you have done to merit their support for a second term. You may say you have the constitutional rights to contest but you must also tell your people what you have done to merit a second term.
The people of Abak 5 are agitating for senate seat and some other people, especially those in government do not agree with that. Those in government are saying that the governor should be allowed to go to senate, and a group called ‘Abak Kied’ are calling those people saboteurs for wanting to take away what rightly belongs to them. Are you in support of Abak 5 going to Senate or you are throwing your weight behind the governor’s ambition?
The reward for hardwork is another reward for more hardwork. If as I’m sitting now and Abak people have realized that I’m working hard to represent them effectively they must also encourage me to go back to the House of Assembly. His Excellency the governor has done very well for the people of Abak Federal Constituency, he has also done well for the people of Abak 5, he has also done very well for the people of Akwa Ibom State and more importantly he has connected Akwa Ibom to the national politics. He is the chairman PDP Governors’ Forum, member BOT, member NEC, member Finance committee (all of PDP). It has never been so good for a minority. And if a man has such zeal to work as he is working to place Akwa Ibom as an important member in the comity of states, such a man should be encouraged. I am one of them that encourage him because he has done well. We need to encourage him to continue to do well. When you talk about senate seat for Abak federal constituency, apart from what you have been seeing in what people have been sending through text messages, who is the person that has come out to say he wants to contest? You must sacrifice for merit. If we have to sacrifice for merit it is the responsibility of Abak Federal Constituency to do so. We know if he is in the senate with his position and with what he is doing now he will be able to do more not only for the people of Abak 5 or Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District but for the good people of Akwa Ibom. If you have seen the third mainland bridge in Lagos, what we have in Abak is bigger than that. Very soon he is going to give the people of Abak an independent hall. Etim Ekpo road was impassable for many years and he has done it. He is coming to work on Abak 10 road which is where I come from. We have to reward him to go back.
You have been installed as the new Prime Minister of One-for-Eight Initiative. The objective of the organization was to return Akpabio to Hilltop Mansion on a second term and that had long been achieved. What is the group’s next objective?
In a body, if you have a leader and his tenure is getting to an end, it is the interest of the body to have someone who will continue in the leader’s good works. Even till now, the governor is the grand patron of One-for-Eight Initiative. We have a responsibility as Akwa Ibom people to make sure he has a good successor. It is our responsibility to know that somebody who is coming to take over from him would have the heart, would have the love to make sure he continues with what His Excellency has done. The problem in Nigeria is that we have so many uncompleted projects. Look at what is happening in Cross River State. Tinapa is dead because Donald Duke is no more the governor. But Akpabio came and completed the uncompleted projects Obong Victor Attah started. That is how it should be. We are looking for somebody who will not have a selfish interest. It is the responsibility of One-For-Eight Initiative to support our grand patron to land well which is by supporting him to have a successor so that we will not start afresh. Helping Akpabio to find his successor should be the primary interest of every Akwa Ibom person.
Are you indirectly saying that One-For-Eight Initiative will key into the Udom Emmanuel project being allegedly the governor’s brain-child?
That is your thinking and your dream. I’m talking about supporting the grand patron of One-For-Eight Initiative to have his successor. The governor has not come out to say this is my successor. Have you heard him say so?
(Cuts in) but he has formed a committee to that effect
That is not true. I’m a member of that committee. I coordinate Abak. He didn’t say coordinate for Udom Emmanuel. Even we at the House of Assembly the governor have not presented any candidate to us. It is mere speculations. Even when he constituted that committee he didn’t present anybody to us. If he did I would have told you and we would have been working for him.
The people of Abak 5 are agitating for senate seat and some other people, especially those in government do not agree with that. Those in government are saying that the governor should be allowed to go to senate, and a group called ‘Abak Kied’ are calling those people saboteurs for wanting to take away what rightly belongs to them. Are you in support of Abak 5 going to Senate or you are throwing your weight behind the governor’s ambition?
The reward for hardwork is another reward for more hardwork. If as I’m sitting now and Abak people have realized that I’m working hard to represent them effectively they must also encourage me to go back to the House of Assembly. His Excellency the governor has done very well for the people of Abak Federal Constituency, he has also done well for the people of Abak 5, he has also done very well for the people of Akwa Ibom State and more importantly he has connected Akwa Ibom to the national politics. He is the chairman PDP Governors’ Forum, member BOT, member NEC, member Finance committee (all of PDP). It has never been so good for a minority. And if a man has such zeal to work as he is working to place Akwa Ibom as an important member in the comity of states, such a man should be encouraged. I am one of them that encourage him because he has done well. We need to encourage him to continue to do well. When you talk about senate seat for Abak federal constituency, apart from what you have been seeing in what people have been sending through text messages, who is the person that has come out to say he wants to contest? You must sacrifice for merit. If we have to sacrifice for merit it is the responsibility of Abak Federal Constituency to do so. We know if he is in the senate with his position and with what he is doing now he will be able to do more not only for the people of Abak 5 or Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District but for the good people of Akwa Ibom. If you have seen the third mainland bridge in Lagos, what we have in Abak is bigger than that. Very soon he is going to give the people of Abak an independent hall. Etim Ekpo road was impassable for many years and he has done it. He is coming to work on Abak 10 road which is where I come from. We have to reward him to go back.
You have been installed as the new Prime Minister of One-for-Eight Initiative. The objective of the organization was to return Akpabio to Hilltop Mansion on a second term and that had long been achieved. What is the group’s next objective?
In a body, if you have a leader and his tenure is getting to an end, it is the interest of the body to have someone who will continue in the leader’s good works. Even till now, the governor is the grand patron of One-for-Eight Initiative. We have a responsibility as Akwa Ibom people to make sure he has a good successor. It is our responsibility to know that somebody who is coming to take over from him would have the heart, would have the love to make sure he continues with what His Excellency has done. The problem in Nigeria is that we have so many uncompleted projects. Look at what is happening in Cross River State. Tinapa is dead because Donald Duke is no more the governor. But Akpabio came and completed the uncompleted projects Obong Victor Attah started. That is how it should be. We are looking for somebody who will not have a selfish interest. It is the responsibility of One-For-Eight Initiative to support our grand patron to land well which is by supporting him to have a successor so that we will not start afresh. Helping Akpabio to find his successor should be the primary interest of every Akwa Ibom person.
Are you indirectly saying that One-For-Eight Initiative will key into the Udom Emmanuel project being allegedly the governor’s brain-child?
That is your thinking and your dream. I’m talking about supporting the grand patron of One-For-Eight Initiative to have his successor. The governor has not come out to say this is my successor. Have you heard him say so?
(Cuts in) but he has formed a committee to that effect
That is not true. I’m a member of that committee. I coordinate Abak. He didn’t say coordinate for Udom Emmanuel. Even we at the House of Assembly the governor have not presented any candidate to us. It is mere speculations. Even when he constituted that committee he didn’t present anybody to us. If he did I would have told you and we would have been working for him.
If by the grace of God tomorrow he brings his successor and it is Udom Emmanuel then we will key in. That is what we want. We were 31 in number, one person per LGA. He only inaugurated a cordinating committee which is normal in any system. When he is ready to say who his successor is, the first pot of call will be the House of Assembly. If he presents his successor and there is any argument we will argue.
His Excellency is not even looking at one person. Let me tell you now, he is looking at presenting two or three persons to the people of Akwa Ibom State to choose from.
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