Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel has served Akwa Ibom State as
the 4th Executive Governor since May 29, 2015. He ushered the state
into 2016 and led her through the thick economy orchestrated by the change Agenda
of Buhari and APC into 2017. In this special Report, NSIBIET JOHN X-rays 16 most significant events and issues plus
actions that annoyed Governor Emmanuel in 2016.
(1) THE HOME MEDIA
This is one institution that got on the nerves of the state
Governor in the past year. Reports from this section of the press have always
been very punching and sometimes hard. The Governor will not forget the
description of himself by THE INK as being weak when the tabloid
reports his inability to appoint his core men into sensitive positions in
Government. The confusion on why Ephraim Inyang-Eyen could be sidelined after
it was obvious that the ex-customs man was to be made a chief-of-staff to the
Governor.
Apart from THE INK Newspaper, Global Post and
Global Concord did not spare the Governor when the former reported a case of
sexual escapade of some Chinese expatriates in ONNA and linked it to the
Governor. A case the paper said led to a housewife dying after some very hot
round of sex with a Chinese man.
Global Concord in the heat of some financial argument in the
state had screamed on the midweek edition of the tabloid that Udom is an armed
robber Governor. Although a subsequent edition of that tabloid had rejoined the
story and published a corrigendum with an apology to the Governor and people of
the State, that publication it could be recalled had seriously annoyed the
state Chief Executive.
(2) TEACHERS EMPLOYMENT RACKETEERING
Upon his swearing into office as Governor, Udom Emmanuel
acting on numerous petitions and SOS he received decided to set up a committee
to investigate that employment scheme. The committee was headed by the
commissioner for health Dr. Dominic Ukpong. Even though till date, the report
of that committee has not been made public, it was discovered that there were a
lot of irregularities in that employment. This discovery angered Udom Emmanuel
who instantly terminated the employment of these teachers numbering over five
thousand in the State. Investigations from Government had shown that those with
fake certificates, poor qualifications and non indigenes flooded the list. Udom’s
anger boiled and all five thousand were fired.
(3) LG
PENSIONERS
This group of people shocked Akwa Ibomites with the minds
they possessed when they on Governor Udom’s 2016 birthday rather than celebrate
and wish the Governor a happy birthday decided to block barracks road
(Wellington Bassey Way) in protest of their unpaid emoluments. In this melee,
the state Deputy Governor Mr. Moses Ekpo was trapped. He had to use another
route to access the Government House as local Government pensioners had taken
over the entire road.
(4) THE COUP IN TURKEY
It was a narrow escape for the governor when sometimes last
year he visited Turkey on what his Lieutenants said was to go discuss and have
investors from Turkey come to Akwa Ibom. It was not a smooth visit as the July,
15 2016 coup-d’etat allegedly inspired by Turkish Cleric Fethullah Gulllen
almost swallowed the Governor. A typical coup setting had all the institutions
locked down but Turkey’s President Erdogan and his men rose to the occasion and
the coup was relaxed seeing to the state Governor cutting short his trip for
safety. And running straight to Uyo.
(5) HIS KINSMEN
Some of the Governor’s kinsmen especially Mr. Inokon whose
house was to be demolished to join in making a car park for the Governor in his
Awa Iman native home did not impress the Governor. The State Commissioner for
works Mr. Ephraim Akparawa Inyang-Eyen allegedly acting on the instructions of
the state Governor had embarked on a destruction spree of houses surrounding
that of Governor Emmanuel in Awa Iman. Mr. Inokon an aged helpless man had
insisted that he has no home to lay his head if the one he is residing is
touched. He was ignored and Iyang –Eyen directed the falling of his house.
The plight of Inokon attracted public outcry. He sat in a
pity form with his dog as his only companion. The media and public outcry
painted the Governor in bad light before the national and international media.
This did not make Governor Udom Emannuel happy at all.
(6) CRITICS OR
CRITICISMS
Akwa Ibomites in the early days of 2016 were very
uncomfortable with Udom’s style of governance. His approach to issues and the
many loans he requested. To this end, the opposition and other elements turned
to the print and other electronic media to criticize the Governor.
Deacon Udom Emmanuel could not bear or withstand the
criticisms. It was at the height of these criticisms that he lost his
temperament and roared during a live interview that Akwa Ibomites and those
that are criticizing him are illiterates. He was quick to remind us that he is
a product of London Business School.
(7) TOMBSTONES
Governor Udom Emmanuel had openly expressed displeasure and
anger on the indiscriminate and reckless erection of tombstones along Etinan
–Eket Road when government declared an intention to construct and rehabilitate
that road. His anger on this matter stems from his fear of paying compensation
on those structures. To even drive down his annoyance, it was declared that the
government will not pay compensations on those structures which government
summarily christened illegal structures.
(8) THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT
Some policies of the Muhammadu Buhari led government appear
to have hampered the plans the Governor Deacon Emmanuel had for the people of
Akwa Ibom state. But if that Governor had to tolerate some, he openly showed
annoyance over the FG’s cessation of payment of full 13% derivation to Akwa
Ibom state while a state like Lagos have started drawing from the same
derivation. He was also annoyed with the Federal Government over its decision
to deny payment of over 100 billion Naira owed Akwa Ibom state by the Federal
Government for execution of Federal projects (roads) in the state.
(9) THE APC CHALLENGE
For the state Governor Deacon Udom Emmanuel, the APC should
have immediately close ranks and support him when INEC declared him the winner
of 2015 guber elections. But that was not to be as Umana Umana, Ita Enang and
others took the battle to the highest court in the land and making threatening
success along the line. The tempo in Udom’s PDP was down when the Appellate
court cancelled Udom’s victory in some local governments of the state. These
legal challenges from the APC and Umana did not make Udom happy. He confessed
that he was being disturbed. But many thanks to the Supreme Court who delivered
the stunner that saved the day.
(10) HIS FORMER EXCO
One of the things that greatly annoyed the state Governor
was the inconsistency of some members of his previous Exco who rather than
contribute towards his success were busy running around the camps of APC and
that of Umana Umana while the governorship case lasted in court. The Governor
even confirmed this when he blasted during a service at Hilltop mansion that
some of his commissioners and aides were not sure he was going to come out
victorious. He emphasized this again in some other for a with so much rage in
his eyes leading some pundits to begin to point accusing fingers at the
immediate past Commissioner for Transport Monday Ntukudeh.
In his expression, the Governor had always said that some of
his Commissioners will dance with him in the daytime and in the night party
with the opposition.
(11) AKAN WEEKS’
COLLASPED CHURCH
One of the three major disasters that visited the state in December.
And obviously this did not make the state Governor happy at all. After
witnessing the collapsed of the structure and the compounding damages it caused
to lives and properties, the Governor returned to Uyo village Road to supervise
the evacuation of corpses to mortuaries and the injured taken to hospitals.
He got angry and promised that no single personnel who
either acted unprofessionally or neglected the job shall go unpunished.
(12) EPHRAIM INYANG’S
BURNT HOUSE
While the people were busy celebrating Xmas, the Uyo
residence of the state Commissioner for Works was gutted by fire leaving a lot
of fairy tales in the state. The state Governor in company of some top
government functionaries had visited the scene. Governor Emmanuel stood
speechless, visibly angry. His temperament was disturbing and curious. He wasn’t
a happy man when he saw the level of damage the inferno had caused to his right
hand man.
(13) ONNA MARKET
COLLAPSE
This incidence happened on the heels of Akan Weeks’ church
collapsed and left a lot of sour stories on the lips of Akwa Ibomites. The
Police in the state had confirmed two deaths and later recanted. The state
Governor had expressed an unfriendly mood when he learnt of this incidence.
(14) UFOT EBONG /AKHA
CLASH
This is one annoying incidence that the state Governor was
very uncomfortable with. Those who read the mind of the Governor hinted that
the state Chief Executive had believed that the legislature and Ufot Ebong
should have had a better way of handling the mixed feelings in the Agric loan
scheme rather than embarrass the state Government with arguments, accusations
and counter accusations that were not meaningful.
(15) FLOOD ON IBB WAY
This is one road that has always given the state Governor
sleepless nights apparently because the road seems to have defied all other
remedial efforts that would have restored normalcy to it. The Governor has
invested a lot of efforts in rescuing the road but unfortunately, the road
keeps fighting back. But it appears with the setting of the dry season, the
Governor will put a lasting solution to the many problems facing the road.
(16) BOTCHED PDP
CONVENTIONS
Governor Udom Emmanuel is not a man known to controversies.
His advent into politics has taught him that the game of politics itself is a controversial
business. There was the first botched National Convention of the party that
took place in Port Harcourt. Findings show that the Governor was not too
annoyed but when the PDP Convention that was to produce Udom’s aide Emmanuel
Enoidem as National legal adviser of PDP was botched by Ali Modu Sheriff and
Justice Abang Okon Abang, the Governor’s annoyance was visible.
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