Sailing along to a new A’Ibom, Nigeria with All Progressive Congress

BY UMOREN UMOREN

Few days to the re-scheduled general election  dates, over 90 percent of Akwa Ibomites and  well-meaning Nigerians are still waiting to effect changes at various level of government to metamorphose from the present system of government into a new era government which will bring a new Nigeria through transparencyas insurgency, injustice and corruption which the People Democratic Party under the leadership President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor God’swill Akpabio has made to become the order of the day, is going to be a thing of the past.

Moving our Nation forwards is a task that must be accomplished. And making Nigerians to feel the impact of independent is a ‘must do’ deal as true citizens and people that owns right of place against the season ofcoercive and imperial government by colonial masters.

Even in the days of military regime, there were still hope for a common man as court had always remain the last hope of a common man and the orderused to take immediate action without any fear or favour, which brought the adech that says “the court is the last hope of a common man”.

In the days of General Ibrahim Baramazi Babangida, Colonel Yakube Bako was the state military administrator of Akwa Ibom State under the judiciary leadership of Justice Effiong Idiong as the Chief Judge. Many cases between individuals or companies used to be ruled against the government on fair ground and government used to pay damages to the plantiff as so ruled by the presiding judge.

But since the People Democratic Party came on board, the court which was the hope of a common man have become instrumental to suppress, oppress and maim the common man. Freedom of speech, freedom of association andopposition which is the integral partofdemocracy in ademocratic government has become a criminal offence today in Nigeria under the leadership of People Democratic Party.

Imposition of candidates and rigging of election which is against thefranchise right in electoral act lawhas become a lawful act by the People Democratic Party.

Kidnapping, unlawful and unnecessary arrest, detention and floating of court order have today become a lawful practice by the People Democratic Party. Fuel price like, industrial action (strike) and mis-management, lavishing, stealing and misappropriation of fund have taken over the day still in the People Democratic Party Government under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Godswill Akpabio.

In Akwa Ibom State, we have witnessed, experience and feel so many things that have made Akwa Ibom people to desire for a change of power, dimension, system, group and government. Since the government of GovernorGodswillAkpabio set-in in 2007, incessant killing, kidnapping is what used to befall Akwa Ibom peopleas at then, coupled with insult and unguided utterances which made some people in the statekicked against his second term; butGovernor Akpabio used every weapon and machinery within his power to achieve his second term amidst lost of lives and properties by both individuals and state government. But these did not post any lesson to Governor Akpabio.

Please permit to quote Mrs. Eme Uffot Ekaette, part of her speech at Akwa Ima Estate extension during Senator Effiong Bob’s meeting in support of Akwa Ibom people against imposition of candidate when the Senator was a right thinking person; she said, “since governorGodswillAkpabio had been announced the winner of 2011 governorship election, that kidnapping and incessant killing had stopped”.

Because of his boastful, lousy, and lavishing tendency just to be noticed for his stupendous generosity, Governor Akpabio has not been able to use ten percent out of 200 percent of the state allocation upon all his boast on infrastructural development but still indebted to the tune of six Hundred Billion(N600 bn).

Upon the entire loan and the state allocation, the Ibaka Deep Sea Port is still on foundation lying standard; Ibom Tropicana not completed; 20th Anniversary Hospital not completed; Foreign Companies handling the construction of roads and other construction projects not paid.Some roads under constructed has been abandoned including the new Ring Road three; (Goodluck Jonathan Boulevard) Ibom Olympic Size Stadium which cash for sixty thousand capacity was released for, only thirty thousand capacity was constructed against the sixty thousand capacity budgeted for; but still, the balance is not paid to the construction company, Julius Berger, which led to the zeal of the stadium by the company recently.

The Uquo Gas Plant which Governor Akpabio claims to be owned by the state government is at his fair share of 60 percent stake as a partner and stakeholder in the company.
Governor Akpabio cannot boast of a single completed project in the state over since his assumption of office as compared to Obong Victor Attah’s projects which includes; Five Star Hotel, International Airport, E-library, Akwa Ibom Investment House, Ibom Power Plant, Altra Modern Parks, Ibom Science Park, Champion Breweries, Purchase of Transformers/Electrification and a lot of road construction in the state including so many other tangible projects not mentioned.All with the meeker  amount of 7 to 13 bn a month.

But today, Governor Akpabio is receiving about 50 bn Naira; what he use those monthly allocation for, is what Akwa Ibom people is worried about. Governor Akpabio instead of using our money to develop our state is rather using it to bribe People Democratic Party hierarchy, pay bribe to swindle court cases which should be determined on merit. Sponsor impeachment and removal of those that holds against his position especially in 2015 general election.

Use our state money to sponsor meetings and campaigns for others in the country all for a cheap popularity to the extent that even the Former president, chief OlusegunObasanjo testify that you cannot reject Akpabio’s bribe” Governor Akpabio have involved in lavishing of our state money all to be notice for generosity. For the first time I see a governor using the state funds to sponsor a candidate all to actualized his succession plan for a cover-up. Governor Attah left over 40 million in the state treasure with the meeker amount he used to receive as allocation but Akpabio is collecting about 50 billion but the state is indebted to over 600 billion for outstanding alone, notincluding those ones indebted to foreign contractors.

If Akwa Ibom people especially the civil servant have not been voting wisely, this time they should vote wisely, because if Akpabio succeeds in installing Udom Emmanuel as the governor, the whole of the state allocation will go for settlement of debt then the civil servant will return to the era of work without salary.

I am happy that Akwa Ibom People has understood that the reason for Governor Akpabio’sneek-deep on imposition of Udom Emmanuel is for a cover-up and safe-landing which if he succeeds, would subject the state into perpetual hardship.

For President Goodluck Jonathan; let’s accept he is a Goodluck.But luck comes by chance at a given time or a particular time. If President Goodluck was lucky to utilize the chance created from the death of Alhaji Musa Yar’adua, he should know that,that luck has gone with the season that created the chance. And luck and chance is always for unmerited people who have no qualification or locus-standi to have been on the saddle or such position.

After the death of late President Musa Yar’adua, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan with the help of the Senate, took over, after taking over, he did not do or initiate any project apart from trying to consolidate on the existing ones proposed by the late Yar’adua. But as learners cannot be professionals, he worked and stumble from pillar to post. He lets go everything to anybody that comes his way to the extent that he even lets go the security of the Nation to BokoHarramist and in turn look for who point accuse finger on, or apportion blame.

That have tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan to Nigerians was a trial for perfection hence his full-flesh first term in office. In Goodluck Jonathan campaign, he said that the first thing he will do in his government was to build refinery surprisingly,the construction of refinery was not actualize, and rather increase in fuel price was the fulfillment of his campaign promise. President Goodluck Jonathan also promise to tackle corruption; but pension fund, NNPC Fund, Petroleum Trust Fund and others misappropriated and siphonedin Jonathan’s government by his aids is just like a free gift to the perpetrators.

In one of the interviews with President Jonathan on a television broadcast thePresident was asked why his government don’t make effort to bring culprit involved on financial crime to book, then Jonathan answered andsaid “any time they mention stealing of money that people always want those involved to be killed that those who still should not be killed. But did not say anything that creates fear to defaulters as president of a country. When Obasanjo was the president, he paid NgoziOkonjiIweala in naira but Jonathan is paying in dollars as demanded by the Finance Minister.

Goodluck Jonathan has not done anything in South South that he comes from let alone Akwa Ibom State. The only thingGoodluck Jonathan succeeded in doing in Akwa Ibom State is to divert the Maritime University from Oron to his hometown Bayelsa after the member representing Oron Federal Constituency in the National Assembly Hon. Victor Robinson Uwak had spent time, money and energy for the academy to be converted into University.

AKWA IBOM PEOPLE LETS STOP AND THINK!
Out of six millions people in Akwa Ibom State; can one person take decision against the interest of all people; out of 31 Local Government Chairmen he selects all by himself and his family? Out of Twenty six members of the State House of Assembly he selects all by himself; out of about 10 National Assembly members he selects all by himself; out of three Senators he selects all by himself; handpick a governorship aspirant andforcefully imposed same by the people; And still want to install the man as the governor of Akwa Ibom State against the interest of political stalwarts, stakeholder, Elders and the masses amidst insult, killing and kidnapping?

Then if we full our arms and watch him succeed that means we will continue in perpetual hardship, gnashing of teeth, slavery, imperial government, endless indebtedness in the state, capital plight and insult from Igbo woman. But we can change our State for better. And how do we change it? Vote Umana Okon Umana, Buhari and APC candidates at all level then Akwa Ibom and Nigeria will be better for us all.

This Message is from Umoren Umoren