Quality education a top priority of Gov. Udom Emmanuel - AKSG

Umanah

Akwa Ibom State Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring qualitative education at all levels in the State, particularly the continued upgrade of infrastructure and facilities in public schools. While decrying the spate of  conspiracy and blackmail against the State government on the state of educational infrastructure, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, disclosed that about 2,500 blocks of classrooms have so far been constructed and rehabilitated in about 1,162 primary schools and 244 secondary and technical schools across the State.

APC accuse Udom of wasting N4b on anniversary

* It’s cheap blackmail - Aniekan Umanah

BY KENNETH JUDE

Governor Udom Emmanuel has come under serious attack from the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) over what the party described as reckless and insensitive the amount of money sunk into the recent anniversary celebration of the state. The APC have accused the Governor of contunuing the trend of wanton spending that characterised the last administration of Godswill Akpabio. THE INK also gathered from impeccable sources that Akwa Ibom State Government spent a whopping sum of N4 Billion to mark the anniversary of the creation of the state. This sum has generated rumpus and unease across the state with many taking exception to the development. Some people have described the money spent on the celebration as a waste of public funds in light of the financial crunch that has hit the state. Those who expressed disappointment over the wild celebration embarked upon by the Udom Emmanuel administration observed that the state government had no reason whatsoever to have devoted such an amount on the celebration even when President Muhammadu Buhari has approved just N70 Million to mark Nigeria’s 55th anniversary.

What DAKKADA initiative means – Aniekan Umanah

Aniekan Umanah

Gentlemen of the press,
It is my privilege to specially welcome you all to this important press briefing to highlight programmes and activities of the 28th anniversary of Akwa Ibom State and the launching of dakkada spiritual rebirth, moral transformation and reorientation campaign. Going down memory lane, the creation of Akwa Ibom State 28 years ago by the Federal Government marked a remarkable watershed in the socio-political and economic history of our people. Our forebears had long yearned, desired and aspired for a state which would help them actualize their dreams and visions as a distinct people in the Nigerian nation. The creation was, therefore, a dream fulfilled for them to achieve self-worth, political emancipation and economic prosperity. 
Since Akwa Ibom came into existence, the state has witnessed different leaderships ranging from military to civilian administrations. In all these, the various leaders initiated and implemented different programmes and policies, aimed at building a strong egalitarian and virile state for politically enlightened and economically empowered citizenry.

Akwa Ibom Debt profile: Controversy over UBA bank loan

* Akan Okon, Aniekan Umanah speak
* The House of Assembly will do the needful, says AKHA Chairman on Finance & Appropriation

Akan Okon

BY EMMANUEL AKPAN

There appears to be an interesting dimension in the recent request by the state Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel towards converting Akwa Ibom State loans into Federal Government bond. THE INK reporter gathered that the request does not cover the loans gotten from other banks as the United Bank for Africa, UBA is the only commercial Bank that this over sixty four billion naira is being owed. Our reporter understands that the state is indebted to UBA with an outrageous sum of money. It was revealed to our reporter by a senior member of Staff of UBA in Uyo that as at June 30th, the loan amount stood at 64,556,632,439.08 with an international rate at 15% running in tenure of about five years.

Invest in Akwa Ibom, Umanah tells investors

Aniekan Umanah

The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah has called on investors to emulate the shining example of Chemax Power Plaza by investing in Akwa Ibom State as a way of keying into the industrialization policy of Governor Udom Emmanuel. The Commissioner made the call last weekend during the official opening ceremony of Chemax Power Plaza at 124 Aka road, Uyo.  Mr.Umanah who was represented by his director of Technical Services, Mr. Inyang Jameson gave the assurance that such investments would be successful since Akwa Ibom is the most peaceful state in the country. He commended the chief executive officer of Chemax Power Plaza for the initiative, pointing out that by this investment the business outfit has offered employment to youths and has assisted government in combating poverty.

Aniekan Umanah escapes being lynched * I was not attacked, says info. com.

 

Akwa Ibom State commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umanah last week Monday escaped a mob action in Abak along Park lane and sources say it took the intervention of his mobile police security team to ferry him away to safety in the ensuing stampede that would have caused serious bodily injury to the state information commissioner.

But Aniekan Umanah in a phone chat with our reporter denied neither being attacked nor attempts to lynch him by a group or any group of people and described himself as a home boy who is always at peace with his people.

Those who witnessed the scene informed our reporter that on the said Monday, Aniekan Umanah had stopped by at a certain joint owned by BOYO, who is said to be a relative of Mr. Umanah and had ordered that drinks be given to the youths who were already enjoying themselves. The youths are said to hail from Abak/Ika and Etim Ekpo and have outrightly rejected Umanah’s drinks alleging that the information boss is stingy and that he is only giving them drinks because he wants their support for his 2015 House of Representatives ambition which he will not win. The youths are said to thereafter charged at him and went for his jugular.

Aniekan Umanah may quit

If information reaching our desk is anything to go by then, the state commissioner for Information Mr. Aniekan Umanah may resign his appointment from the Akpabio led Exco sooner this year. 

A competent source told our reporter last week that the state Governor had read a riot act to members of his Exco that anyone who is interested in the 2015 election should tender his resignation and move on. Being fully aware of this and in other to have time to prepare for his alleged 2015 House of Representatives ambition Aniekan Umanah is said to have planned towards his resignation which may likely come up by March, April or May a reliable source informed our political correspondent.

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.

I am the political leader of Abak, I will run for second term

Hon. Friday Iwok is the House Member Representing Abak State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. He spoke with selected journalists during the week where he said Gov. Godswill Akpabio will present two or three persons to the people of Akwa Ibom to choose his successor from. He also stated authoritatively that he is the political leader of Abak and not Aniekan Umanah. He denied having any rift with the Commissioner for Information and Communications. Excerpts:

You won an election against an incumbent house member because there was a general belief that there was no second term in Abak. Has that changed?
 
Definitely, like you said I didn’t come to the State House of Assembly because of second term. I came to the House through God who stood by me and for my success and again through the people of Abak who saw reasons, who believed in me that if I’m in the state house of assembly I can do more to touch on the lives of Abak people and also that I can represent them effectively. That was how I was voted in to the House of Assembly. As at that time I was not interested and I didn’t even understand what people call ‘2nd term’. I only understood myself that I want to go to the House of Assembly and I here I am today.

So far, how has it been?
It has been very wonderful being here as a House member. It is very interesting because the experiences we never had, we have now. The House of Assembly is a comity of people that are really looking forward to making sure that where they represent have a test of good life and that is what we have been working on as a body. The functions of a lawmaker is quite different from what I used to experience when I was in the labour circle.

How the info boss tricked Iwok

In a near related development, major stake holders of Abak 5 have vowed to punctuate Aniekan Umanah’s House of Representatives ambition due to what they described as Aniekan Umanah’s uselessness to the division. One of the PDP stalwarts from Abak Local Government Area while acknowledging that the Area is seriously polarized however had submitted that Aniekan Umanah should forget about vying the House of Representatives position for Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency.

Our source observed that the Information Commissioner is yet to prove beyond reasonable doubts that his ambition to the National Assembly is people-driven.

Youths of Abak Local Government Area, the paper learnt are waiting for Aniekan Umanah to officially declare his intention to contest the House of Representatives position so that they can use the opportunity to revenge Umanah whom they described as inconsistent and unreliable.
In a statement of position signed by Abraham Isonguyo and Cletus Ubong, Convener and Secretary of Abak federal constituency Youth Movement, the group condemned what they described as Aniekan Umanah’s greed in Abak. The youths of the area are particularly angry with the Information Commissioner due to what they allege as Aniekan Umanah’s short-changing them for his selfish interest.

ANIEKAN UMANAH IN A MESS

 

* Provokes Uwem Udoma against Akpabio’s 2015 senate bid
  * We are waiting to shock him to declare for House of Reps – Stakeholders

Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah’s inability to keep his tongue sealed on certain information has thrown him into a deep mess and Governor Godswill Akpabio may be the one to pay for it with his 2015 senate ambition.

Umanah who is one of Governor Akpabio’s longest serving Commissioners had stepped on the toes of the former Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Uwem Udoma and the Ex-Deputy Speaker was quoted to have told Abak Elders and stakeholders including the youths and women that he is ready to do everything to ensure that Akpabio’s 2015 senate ambition is botched due to what he described as Aniekan Umanah’s acts of going about blackmailing him.

Get out, you are irrelevant * Aniekan Umana tells ex SSG Umana Umana

 

The State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umanah has been alleged to have lashed out at the former Secretary to State Government, Obong Umana Umana; describing him as politically irrelevant in Akwa Ibom State.

Aniekan Umanah is said to have remarked that way on Umana Umana while reacting to an alleged plot by the latter to pull down the Governor’s political structures. The Commissioner is said to have stated that it is laughable for the Ex-Secretary who is politically irrelevant in the State to think he can fight Akpabio from Abuja.