Ita Enang blasts Udom * You are not governing A’Ibom but ruling

Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly matters (Senate) Senator Ita Solomon Enang yesterday descended heavily on the Akwa Ibom State Governor Deacon Udom Gabriel Emmanuel describing the state Chief Executive as ruling over Akwa Ibom rather than governing her.

The presidential aide stated this when he spoke with newsmen in his Ewet housing residence. He knocked Governor Emmanuel over what he described as the secretive nature to which the Governor is running the affairs of Akwa Ibom State.

He stated with authority that the Governor is using money to pay banks instead of using it judiciously to serve Akwa Ibom people and also faulted the Governor on the choice of Mr. Lynus Nkan as the State’s Accountant General.

Senator Enang said the state Governor should be held responsible and made accountable to the people of the state rather than a select few. He faulted Udom again on the complains raised by civil servants in the state over payment of salaries and other entitlements. “Look Gentlemen let me tell you, civil servants, workers in this state have no reasons to complain, if they complain, then this government is not doing what it is supposed to do. 

If workers complain then the Governor is not managing the finances well. The Akwa Ibom State Government is still the highest revenue earner in Nigeria.

 The amount of money collected by Akwa Ibom is more than that of all the South-East states joined together” Enang also observed that Akwa Ibom earns more than the states in the North East and challenged the Akwa Ibom Governor to make public the finances that accrue to the state on monthly basis even as he also called on the state Chief Executive to publish the debt profile of the state rather than run to the House of Assembly every time to ask for approval to obtain more loans.

Senator Enang also spoke on the internally generated revenue of the state and challenged Governor Udom Emmanuel to make public the terms of agreement the government entered into with the tax collector consultant it mandated to tax Akwa Ibomites. He decried a situation where the Akwa Ibom State Government is using Akwa Ibomites as collateral for the loans they are collecting.

Enang said, “Akwa Ibomites must ask questions on the money the government is receiving from the federal government, Udom should make public the details of his agreement with the consultant employed to collect tax from Akwa Ibomites, the Governor should also state in details the loans he is collecting rather that use us (Akwa Ibomites) and our generations yet unborn as collaterals in the funds he is collecting as loans from the Banks”.

The Ibiono Ibom politician also described as unfair the appointment of Linus Nkan as Accountant General saying the state is now a receivership from Zenith Bank. He described Nkan as one of the cashiers in the financial institution who is coming to do the biddings of Zenith Bank rather than that of Akwa Ibomites.
The Senator who is known for always being so vocal called on Akwa Ibomites to rise up, challenge the governor and hold Udom responsible for the hardship the state is presently passing through. Enang also harped on Agriculture and called on Akwa Ibomites to stop planting flowers and concentrate on Agricultural products such as bitter leaf, pumpkin, Editan, fruits and others. 

He said, this way, money spent on acquisition of vegetables for home consumption will reduce and such finances will be channelled into other areas.