Money is yet to be released to AIDN - Aniekan Umanah

 

 Last week ANIEKAN UMANAH state Commissioner for Information and communications in the wake of recent scandals that rocked the Akwa Ibom Diaspora Network over financial issues addressed a section of the press were he described as total falsehood the allegations which he has been fingered. The information boss in his usual elements maintained to the press that he has instructed his lawyers to seek redress at a court of competent jurisdiction. He said, the said money has been approved but yet to be released. It was an interaction that had in company the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Diaspora matters. THE INK serves you excerpts.

Is it true that the governor has endorsed or announced Udom Emmanuel as his successor come 2015?
The Governor has not announced that he has anointed anybody, if Udom Emmanuel is interested in contesting for governorship is he not qualified? What I heard the governor said clearly is, I think he simply re-echoed what Akwa Ibom people said. During the thanksgiving of last Sunday he asked the people if they wanted the governorship to return to Uyo senatorial district I heard them say no, a resounding no, he asked them if they wanted Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district to retain it, I heard a chorus no and he asked them if they wanted Eket senatorial District I had them sing Yes, it rang like a cymbal. I also heard him say that in the interest of equity, justice and fairness Eket senatorial will be given an opportunity, but he did not say anybody should not contest. So I think it is very clear. Why all these anointing, anointment or no anointing? God will release the anointing at the appropriate time and the anointing will also pass through men at the appropriate time.

There is political fire in Abak 5;and what is your next political move?
I don’t think there is any fire; there is no fire at all as far as I am concerned. I come from Abak local government, I come from Abak Urban, and I am a full fleshed son of Abak. I come from Abak federal constituency. But I do not know where this fire is, there is no fire as far as I am concerned. You can be hearing noises here and there but I can assure you that Abak is stable. We are there supporting the Governor fully and we are there with our foot on the ground strong and firm. And we are ready to stand for what is the truth when the time comes. So talking about what else and what next, I think the almighty God that chart the course for men will chart the direction at the appropriate time and I have a job to do at hand and I will give it my best as I have always given, I have said nothing, I have done no other thing exception of this job I give it everything I have, I sleep this job, I dream it, I work it at any given time. To the best of my ability I do what I ought to do going by the grace of God and the leadership of the state.

Between your group and another led by the likes of Akanimo Edet and Uwem Udoma. They seem to have more strength than your group
In the last forum, people issued a statement and the generality of the people also issued a statement under the Abak 5 General Assembly and you saw that in one statement three people signed and in the other over 25 people signed, I leave that to you. Then go and look at the caliber of people who signed the different statements and the 23 are alive and still waxing strong and working with their two legs, so where do you see the strength, in three or in 24? If you can provide an answer to that, then your guess will be as good as mine. Otherwise it does not really make sense whether you call someone a political novice or you call someone a political big head or whatever, what matter is winning election.

 Ability to carry people and show leadership that is what matters. And I need to correct an impression only one man appointed me a commissioner in Akwa Ibom state and that is His Excellency Dr. Godswill Akpabio no one else did. So I need to underline that it is only the prerogative of the governor of the state to appoint commissioners so I owe this position to him and the people of Akwa Ibom state that I work for through the benevolence of the governor of Akwa Ibom state. 

It will almost be childish for someone to assume that he made somebody a commissioner. Now back to the issue of Abak 5, I say to you that the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district have conceded the senatorial seat to His Excellency Dr. Godswill Akpabio. And I am talking about every major stakeholder that is not to say that there is no one or two persons who may have their own views, it’s a democracy, even in our families there are differences. But it does not stop the movement, it does not stop the tide of the water, the Governor is like the tide of the water, he has a direction and the direction is heading to the red chambers of the National Assembly by 2015, you cannot stop him, it is like a hurricane no one can stop it. So coming back to that area, i will advise you to go and see the mass movement that handover the senatorial seat to His Excellency. Go and talk to the market women, a keke rider, a cyclist they will tell you where they are going, they don’t need any statement in the nation newspaper or anyother one to understand. The people are solidly behind this transformational Governor that has done the people proud. And I am saying this because the people know they were forgotten people whose plight where thrown into the dust bin, people who were cut off from civilization. So these are the people after being satisfied with what the Governor has done for them areasking the Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio to go and represent them at the senate. 

Now who are the people of Abak five that are saying the governor should not go to the senate, is it the people from Afaha Obong, Iwukem, EtimEkpo, Ika and so on that where put in the abase of nothingness from 1960 until one man decided to change their story? Is it the people of Ukanafun, who never saw a single road to drive on in their life? No single road built on that local government since the creation of Akwa Ibom state until one man came. And he is still working. And the people are saying that the governor should continue to bring this his vision to help the people of the area in particular and the people of Akwa Ibom in general. Are they the people that will point their fingers? I cannot see that. There may be people who may not be very very happy and you could also understand their opinion. They are our brothers we cannot throw them away and I believe they will see reasons with everyone else in due course to join the Akpabio must go to the Senate train. There is no cause for alarm, internal issues will settle.

BUT THE GOVERNOR APPEAR NOT TO BE ENJOYING THE INITIAL SUPPORT HE HAD
His Excellency the governor is enjoying a very robust support from Akwa Ibom state in the first instance and I am saying this because I know what I am saying because when you look at those who make things happen, those are the field men and marshals they are all with him and when you look at those who had retired and very tired, of course they are there to make up the number but they can really make much happen. 

So he is enjoying robust support. So if a governor seats down and controls the political structure as it where, the local government structure as it where, the ward structure as it where politically speaking, what do you think will happen? The direction is clear because once he blows his whistle the people will follow him. He is in charge of the majority and the overall structures that determine what happens. So he has the support here at home and nationally. Don’t forget he has to be in the middle of all of this because he is the chairman of the PDP Governors forum. He is the chairman of PDP Governors forum; he is a member of the NWC of the PDP, a member of the board of Trustees, a member of the PDP national Caucus. Can you see how central his position is in the affairs of the PDP? And you must see him as a necessity in the affairs of the PDP because that is the towering height that he has been in the growth of the party and in managing the party.

 And we must be proud as a people that we have a governor that has been able to position Akwa Ibom at the centre of national discussion, it is not easy. We have always been playing second fiddle and most times at the end we lost everything. Today we are beginning to find our self in the right place and we are moving strong with the centre and it is helping the Akwa Ibom people and Nigeria and we must be proud of this. The Governor Chief Godswill Akpabio is also working with the federal government to ensure that we regain the lost glory of Akwa Ibom state, suddenly; we have found our self at top positions. For the first time we have a justice of the Supreme Court since 1959 and that is a major feat. 

We have found our self today with the Managing Director of the NDDC, we have the chairmanship of the ICPC, so many things are happening. Today Akwa Ibom is now beginning to be seen as part of Nigeria and that is courtesy of the doggedness of one man Chief Godswill Akpabio who has decided that this state does not remain a back robber state and we must commend him because now we are now looked at differently, we are looked at with respect and not with disdain, so we must appreciate what we have and continue to support him.

Where is the governor’s body language as pertaining to 2015 going to because you are the commissioner of information and I know you will understand his body language.

I will answer you. In fact I will move beyond the body language to the open speech if there is anything like that. The body language of the governor is always equity, justice and fairness. I have always said that the governorship is not close to anybody but in the interest of equity, peace and Justice we should look towards Eket senatorial district and that is what exactly what he has said, he has never ask anybody not to contest election, the constitution allows anybody who wants to contest election to contest, when he contested election in 2007, they were 57 others who contested mostly from the Ikot Ekpene senatorial district where the state looked towards at the time, of course there were people from other senatorial districts who contested. But at the end of the day, it moved to where the people wanted. I cannot see anything that will be different from the responses of the responses of the people of Akwa Ibom state.

 Everybody has the right to support whoever he wants to support including the governor, he has every right as a citizen to support who he wants to support, are you saying he should not support somebody? Just like you have the right to support who you want to support but he has said clearly, that we have to look towards equity, justice and fair play. And that equity, justice and fair play resides in Eket senatorial district and that is the song in the state, he has asked this question openly to Akwa Ibom people severally and they have chorused the same thing, they cannot be wrong, the people cannot be wrong, he asked the party delegates in Abuja in the similar manner and they chorused Eket senatorial district. He asked the same question in Ibom Hall during the Solemn Assembly and they all chorused the same thing. And he said the people have spoken and you must now listen that a word is enough for the wise, so what else can the governor say? If you conduct the governorship of Akwa Ibom state 20 times, the voice of the people of Akwa Ibom state shall prevail and I think we must shine our eyes now to see where the pendulum of the clock is pushing towards and that will be the answer.

Ethnicity in employment, handing over to an Ibibio man analogy the Governor has been drawing
I will start from the last because you are simply drawing analogy and correcting the impression created by some people because i remember there was something that came up when the late Sir UdoUdoma’s book was floated in Ibom hall and he made it very clear that, it was the opinion of Sir UdoUdoma.

Even where the umbrella group of Akwa Ibom people is known as Ibibio and that is what everybody knows us to be, that it does not mean that there are no smaller groupings, you cannot say that Oro people are not there, you cannot say that Ekid are not there or Obolos or Annangs are not there no. But everybody knows that when you are going to discuss the mainland part of the old Cross River state, they are known as the Ibibio people. Just like you have the Hausa people in the North, there are several groupings within the North, up to 200 sub groupings but they are known as Hausa people when you get to Igbo land, they have many other dialects. So we are generally known as Ibibios but that is not to say that an Oro man is not an Oro man because he has his own local identity and all of that. So that is what he was trying to explain there that certain things should be made very clear, he said that we should continue to emphasize Unity, Fairness and Equality. Without also losing fact that there are other smaller cultural identities which should not hamper the overall unity of the people, so that we do not create our own history for the children that are growing and I think that is an important point.

On the issue of ethnicity in employment or being used as a tool by this present administration,  that is another flimsy talk, a side talk which is baseless. In fact, I spoke to one of your editors the other day, he came up with these issues and I spoke with him for more than 30 minutes on this, which is totally false. Those writing these are some of the people sponsored by some politicians who are against the governor, otherwise, have it ever been this well? We were in this state when one or two local government areas will pack all positions and then there will be no money, people will not say anything but suddenly you have seen a governor that has tried to give accommodation to everybody even in the appointment of commissioners, he tries to spread it.

Almost all the local governments are accommodated. This is the first administration that has brought fairness into public service. And then it brings us to the wickedness in the minds of most people and we must pray for these people because even in this ministry that I run as a commissioner, I cannot point at even one senior level official or even a Director or Deputy that comes from my own senatorial District or local government, not one and I know this is the case in some other places. Why are you not taking it on anybody? Civil service is not political appointment, people must apply and be employed as civil servants and go through the ranks until they get to that level they intend to get to. 

The civil service is recruiting and Akwa Ibom people had applied in their thousands and they had gone through interviews those who pass through the interviews will be employed, so where and howdoes the Governor comes in here? I also saw an issue on appointment, concerning federal appointments where is the chairman of ICPC from, is it from the governor’s local government? Where is the Justice of the Supreme Court from?Is he from the governor’s local government? He has not appointed one minister from his senatorial district since he became the governor of Akwa Ibom state in 2007 where are all these people from? Where is the SSG and commissioner of finance from? He has been the commissioner for finance since inception, is he not from Uyo senatorial district and Ibiono Ibom particularly. The governor has been very-very fair even his personal physician and Doctors and so on, you can count them. We must not forget before he became governor was this the case? Match these records and you will see why we should applaud the governor.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT AIDN MONEY, DID YOU STEAL, EMBEZZLE OR SIPHONE THEIR MONEY?
I saw a certain internet report written by one Uwem Sam were the financial issue was raised and linked me into it. I had to send a mail and reply the forum that night because you cannot just sit down and allow people smear your name on an account of issues bothering on finances. I read that thing where he said that, an organization called AIDN was defrauded of 10 million naira. That is false, totally false and I repeat totally false and I have challenged him and his co travelers to produce one evidence to that effect and the people in AIDN are all alive and so on, yes there was to be an Economic summit of the AIDN in Germany it was postponed, the financial support that was to be given to them was approved late but the event was also postponed, so that financial support has not been given to AIDN as we speak.

So there cannot be a question of anybody embezzling funds that has not even been given, funds that has even been released, so when the event was postponed, we were actually working on a new date only for me to read that baseless report on the internet. As a matter of fact when AIDN ran into some challenges with printers, I had to step up to handle the matter of which the funds have to be claimed.

AIDN has not been given one naira yet, on the account of this, but the money will be released to them when it is ready. So it is not true, I could not have embezzled any money made for an Association. I have never embezzled anybody’s money, I have never taken anybody’s money, and how can I do that? Will I start that now? We have work this long is it today we will start doing that? I have worked with several multinational organizations I have never been found wanting never. 

You must also add this question, who wrote this? It is members of the opposition wing those who are opposing to the Akpabio administration, who wants to discredit people in the administration. My hard earned integrity cannot be slain by internet marauders and I will not allow that. He should tell us what he does, what is his work; he has absolutely no pedigree not to talk of accusing someone of fraud, that is totally senseless and I challenge it to him if he says that any money was taken meant for AIDN, AIDN is available the president is there, the secretary is there and will they fold their arms and watch their money being taken and will not raise an eye brow? AIDN is very appreciative of the fact that we were able to raise and send to them the value of 10,000 pounds to cushion the effects of that planning because some of them ran into issues. 

It is not the responsibility of government to fund the summit of a private organization, government can only express support. The government has express support to numerous organizations such Mboho Akwa Ibom United Kingdom; they have extended support to Akwa Ibom Association in South Africa and so on before now so there is nothing new in expressing support to any Akwa Ibom groupings anywhere. So if government has decided to support this group and so on and also make some financial provision, what is bad with that?For the funds in contention, I repeat it has not yet been released to them and I stand to be challenged on this ten times in a day and I will say the same thing because I know what I am talking about. 

The records are there, you can cross check with my permanent secretary and even with the accountant general. Any financial support given to an organization is always remmitted with a letter written to the account of such an Organisation not individual so he should go and check. And it is coming from Uwem Sam who belongs to the group of opposition who has been writing all sorts of rubbish about the governor and government of the state and it is unfortunate. 

I challenge him and anyone else on this matter and I want to say this categorically that I do not know about any form of embezzlement and I am not involved. I saw in one of this rag sheet in Uyo today, something like AniekanUmana in financial fraud this and that I just passed. I have also briefed by Lawyers immediately to take them up and to come and prove the financial crime because we cannot keep quiet. Let be on record that I challenged it and I am going to challenge it. I brief my lawyers to write to them if they have an address if they don’t have an address, we will serve them through NUJ. The time has come for people to be held responsible for these irresponsible acts, this irresponsible journalism must stop. The only money is the value of ten thousand pounds which I intend to recover.

WHEN IS EKET BENEFITTING FROM THE AKPABIO ADMINISTRATION?
Eket has benefited from this administration more than any other local government, they have 49 roads,no local government has met that number ever. How many local governments can even boost of 15, they had a minister and now an NDDC managing Director and the dualisation of Eket-Ibeno road is ongoing which the federal agencies kept for many years. If anything, Eket even must be grateful to Akpabio because that was the first point of investment in this administration. So much money was put in the construction of these roads and even in empowering people in that area and the records are there for everyone to see.

CUTS IN, THE ROADS ARE SO NARROW
It does not matter, you cannot bring down peoples houses although because you want to build internal roads. Except you are constructing brand new roads that may be you will need express way and so on but you cannot also forget that you had no roads before Gov. Akpabio intervened. All those streets nobody could drive through them, it was a glorified villages before the intervention. Akpabio must be commended for what he has done, hate or like him you cannot ignore his achievements. The global village has come to acknowledge his achievements. 

And they are applauding him all round. Even Uyo was not like this before now. The stadium project, are you not happy as a citizen? When you see the work that is going on at the Tropicana suddenly you discover that there is hope for the state. With the free and compulsory education, you can see the future of Akwa Ibom child. Even the health programme, the truth is that government is working for the people and we are happy about it and for me I am a proud member of this team. Some people have said you are an Akpabio man, yes! I am an Akpabio man no apologies or whatever so ever. It is a toga I have chosen to carry because it is atoga of good governance, progress, sincerity and love for his people. “I am an Akpabio man and I will remain an Akpabio man, no apologies”

THE AJEI AT IKOT EKPENE?
I am not a traditionalist, sometimes you experience some difficulties when you are moving a project to a community it is not new. Traditional injunction cannot match bulldozer I hope you know? When the bulldozer comes, injunction runs.