2015 and the ark of governance in A’Ibom By Joseph Okon

A good look at the leadership of Akwa Ibom State since Nigeria’s return to democracy can be likened to the biblical ark of covenant which was built by Moses. An interesting feature of the ark was its ability to discern and allow only those qualified by God to touch or carry it. Any unauthorized possession of the ark by persons not destined by God usually brought calamity, sorrow and tears to the land.

Just like Akwa Ibom State, God valued the ark so much that when Uzziah who saw the ark falling off was about to stretch his hands to prevent the fall, the anger of the Lord was rose against him and he was killed there by the ark– because he was not destined to have anything to do with it. 

The condition of that Ark of Covenant is very symbolic to the governance of Akwa Ibom State, a State named after the God of heaven and earth (Abasi Ibom).

Aniekan Umanah’s naked dance at the village square

Aniekan Umanah’s reaction on the 6th February edition of Community Pulse, page 2, over a 10-page letter I wrote accusing him of arranging someone to impersonate me among other things did not come to me as a surprise.

As a Commissioner for Information and Communications in Akwa Ibom State, one expects Aniekan Umanah to be versatile in the act of informing and communicating. Instead, he chooses to use gutter language to cast slur on my impeccable character. I would not have bothered to respond to his voodooliciously concocted lies but according to Dimba Igwe who is a victim of Umanah’s gobble de gog, “if you ignore the language, what about the brazen lies?”
Mr. Commissioner went about to sniff for dirty about me but found none. 
Expectedly because of his penchant for noise making, he aligned with Community Pulse newspaper to publish blatant lies against my person.

Patrick Albert: Rebranding Akwa Ibom NUJ BY OTOBONG NSEKPONG

When Elder Patrick Albert and his Rebirth Campaign Group went round the eleven chapels in the Akwa Ibom State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists with the message “Let’s reclaim our union”, many saw it as an attempt by a power seeking unionist to take power from an incumbent. 

Two months after, events at the NUJ Press Centre and the new perception of the public is gradually changing by the day by the government, its officials and the general public are beginning to renew the once lost confidence in journalists especially those practicing in the state.