Akpabio Doing Havoc In Akwa Ibom With Highest Allocation (600billion)
« on: January 11, 2010, 08:35 PM »

Propaganda is a funny business; it can make you to believe a barefaced lie except, of course, you are very sure of your facts. Were I not to be an Akwa Ibomite resident in Akwa Ibom, I would have been fooled into believing the propaganda being dished out by the Akwa Ibom State Government and its agents to other nigerians, who would want the world to believe that all is well with the state. This is being done through the ongoing “Akwa Ibom is OK” campaign by the state government, which it likens to the Rebranding Nigeria initiative that nigeria press

As an eyewitness to the truth, however, I consider it necessary to present the other side of the coin so as to enable Nigerians to be in a better position to draw their own conclusions.



Ordinarily, this should be the best of times in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria’s twenty-first state which is also known as the land of promise or the Promised Land. The state is quite compact as anyone can reach the state capital, Uyo, within one hour from any part of the state. The state has vast economic potentials in all the sectors, the state has a teeming population comprising well-educated men and women. And to cap it all, the state is one of the largest oil producing states in the country-thanks to the abrogation of the on-shore-off shore oil dichotomy. However, the reality is that it is the worst of times in a state that showed so much promise in the past.



Truly, things have fallen apart and the center can no longer hold. A deliberate effort is now being made, through billboards mounted at strategic locations across the state to persuade the people to keep saying and to keep believing a lie captured in the slogan that “Akwa Ibom is OK” in the hope that a barefaced lie repeated often would serve for truth.



As an Akwa Ibomite living in Akwa Ibom, one can say without fear of contradiction and contrary to what we are told to believe that Akwa Ibom is not OK. What are the facts? In less than two years, the state government has received more than N600 billion from the federation account, as against N86 billion received in the first four years of the Obong Attah administration but there is so much anxiety about where the huge income has been invested. Though there are signs of the N1 billion per kilometre(another guiness book of record set by akpabio) roads handled by the likes of Julius Berger, Stemco, and Setraco. Akwa Ibom State is in a pathetic situation, a basket case as some economic analysts would say. It would be sad if Nigerians swallowed the propaganda about the commissioning of almost 3000 projects(toilets,slab,gutters,transformers,culverts etc) in the present government’s almost two years in office as most of those projects were fully completed by the previous administration. Indeed, the present Secretary to the State Government, if he were honest, can testify because he served as the Commissioner for Finance and Chairman of the Interministerial Direct Labour Agency, which saw to the execution of those projects, then.



The present administration in Akwa Ibom State believes that governance is a road-show hence the attempt to conscript the masses through propaganda that Akwa Ibom is Ok when it is not even near the mark. This reminds one of the late Okokon Ndem’s wartime sloganeering that the weaverbird was roasting while others thought it was alive.



Perhaps the best sign that Akwa Ibom is not OK is in the Military/Mobile Police roadblocks at every half a kilometer across the state. Today, life stops in Uyo at six o’clock in the evening as the people of the state have, for fear of kidnappers and rapists(kkk militants cult financed by his junior brother and personal assiatant prince akpabio), imposed a curfew on themselves.



The state governor is supposed to be a celebrated legal luminary and soon after he got into office, he decided to probe several contracts awarded by the previous administration including the Airport project. (probe report pending but went ahead to re-award the contract which was 85% paid by previous administration to ALCON which is still moving in equipment to site) As one writes, several months later, the panel headed by the governor’s distinguished jurist is still sitting but His Excellency has cancelled the original contract under probe and awarded another brand new juicy contract for the construction of the airport. Is it not intriguing to know that what Dyncorp, the original facilitator of the Airport project needed to bring the entire project, including the MRO, to completion is far less than the cost of the new contract for much less work? Must the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) wait for a petition to investigate this obvious case?



Akwa Ibom people are told to believe that the land of promise is OK but why is Exxon Mobil, perhaps the only giant corporate citizen in Akwa Ibom relocating to Lagos with the resultant losses in jobs and contracts which accrued to the people of the state. Exxon Mobil’s relocation represents the daily egress of people and businesses out of Akwa Ibom simply because Akwa Ibom State is no longer at ease and safe to live and do business. It is instructive to note that, while Governor Fashola of Lagos State has redeemed Lagos, Akwa Ibom, hitherto a safe heaven is now best known as a den of kidnappers. One has lost count of the number of professionals, expatriates, politicians, business men/women and even children kidnapped across the state. last year, a top woman politician, Mrs. Maria Ikpe, was brutally murdered after being kidnapped,umoh udonwa, attahs nominee for pdp state chieftain was murdered,hundreds of others have shared the same fate,not to taik of those being slaugtered for blood letting power seeking ritual going on in government house uyo the palce is called by most pastors in uyo an evil altar. And yet there are road blocks in all nooks and crannies of the state as if Akwa Ibom was in a state of war.



Is it not a failure of governance that a state that did not experience any incidence of kidnapping between 1999 – May 2007 has become such a sorry location? Or is kidnapping now a state policy to cow opponents and muffle opposition against a very poor rule? Yes, we must have roads, culverts, boreholes, renovated classroom blocks just as we must expect salaries of civil servants and teachers to be paid. These are vital basic necessities which any run-of-the-mill leader must provide. But what else? Where are the projects driven by big and transformative ideas that set a society apart? Governor Attah initiated the Independent Power Plant project, the maintenance, repairs, overhaul (MRO) International Airport project, the Science Park project, the Le Meridien Hotel and Golf Resort, The University of Technology including several hospitals, roads, water, electricity projects, drainage schemes as well as completing the magnificent Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat complex, and a good number of these were actually put to use in his time. He also brought the Nigerian Stock Exchange facility to the State as a means of mobilising the people of the State to embrace opportunities offered by the capital market.



Now, we should celebrate because soon, the people of Akwa Ibom will behold a “fly-over”. Not for its functionality but just a sight. This, according to Governor Akpabio, is to enable Akwa Ibom people who have never seen one to have a chance of seeing what a fly-over looks like. Sounds ridiculous? Our well traveled and widely exposed governor should not stop there but should as well build the Statue of Liberty, The Big Ben, London Eye, and The Eiffel Tower in Akwa Ibom so the people can behold these wonders of the world in their backyard. One believes that if we had these sights to see locally, one Mr. Akpabio from Akwa Ibom would not have needed to apply for a visa to travel abroad. As it is, in the process, that Mr. Akpabio is said to have been caught with a paltry one billion Naira in one of his accounts after minding his Governor for just over a year as Personal Assistant. he has even gone to the extent of buliding a 7 mansions and the burial his father to the tone of 1billion he owns a large coded account with diamond bank uyo
Are we still searching for where the billions are going?



Akwa Ibom is OK, that’s why we need the N33 billion Galleria and Cinema even though a bigger facility complete with a golf course in the Federal Capital Territory is to cost only N7 billion.the foundation for the project has now failed and work stopped . The promoters of the Galleria must be very smart businessmen. They foresaw the economic meltdown and also knew that money was flowing out of Akwa Ibom. They had to come to Akwa Ibom to get a bail out even as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is still struggling with the question of what to do with Tinapa next door.



The land of promise shall indeed be OK when the will of the Almighty God is truly done. Meanwhile, as the year of reckoning approaches, Akwa Ibom people should wake up, gird their loins, shine their eyes, clear the cobwebs on their path and re-examine the sweet talk about a God’swill in their State. The present circumstances of the State suggest that the ongoing circus show was not the will of the Almighty God


its now a clarion call to all lets sent this mad man(see xmas message to akwa ibom) packing the time for resolute is now

Gov. Akpabio Stoned With Satchet Water By Youths
« on: December 23, 2009, 10:55 AM »

A “baptism of flying missiles” visited our Governor, Chief (Dr) Godswill Obot Akpabio on the night of Sunday December 20, 2009 at the Uyo Stadium, venue of the much publicized post-amnesty THISDAY Music Festival of Peace: Angry youths hauled at the governor sachets of pure water and canned drinks.

It was a disgraceful situation and was saved from degenerating when the governor’s security details rushed him under cover into his official car and sped off. The irate crowd continued with the hauling of stones and other things at his entourage as they move out of the venue.

The fracas ensued in the middle of the concert when the governor mounted the stage to announce that he spent N140million of the State’s resources to stage the concert(bring in 50cent) which featured mostly foreign artistes. At that point of his speech, the angry crowd did not allow him to continue, but instead hauled missiles that forced him out of the stage; and the concert came to an abrupt end. I was at the Stadium and unfortunately one of the canned drinks hit me but (again) fortunately for me because the of loss velocity it did not cause much injury on me.

I travelled all the way from Ikot Ekpene (my place) to Uyo for the scheduled all-night concert and have never experienced thing of the sort before in my life. People started taking to their heels as the fracas erupted and I believe the incident should give the governor probably an insight of what awaits him when he starts real campaign for a second term in office; as the campaign seems to be the major thing happening in Akwa Ibom, in the last one and half years.

http://saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4598:-uyo-thisday-peace-concert-ends-in-disaster&catid=116:sr-readers-letters&Itemid=393

Akpabio Petitioned By Ibibio Ethnic Group Of Akwa Ibom State In Diaspora
« on: January 06, 2010, 11:21 AM »
Modify message
IBIBIO COMUNNITY ( USA ), INC. 713 Chillum Road, # 101 Hyattsville , MD 20783 December 15, 2009
Excellency, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Abuja, Nigeria
C/O Nigerian Embassy , Washington DC. , U.S.A.
Dear President Yar’Adua,
We the Ibibio ethnic group of Akwa Ibom State in Diaspora are thankful to you for the great job of governance and steering of the Executive functions of Nigeria .
We, the Ibibio ethnic group of Akwa Ibom State in the diaspora hereby bring the case of corruption and money laundering by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Godswill Akpabio to you and request a national action to investigate and remove him from office to avoid embarrassing the country/Akwa Ibom state further and bringing more infamy to the country’s image.
Money laundering of $3.1 million across state boundary
We call your attention to the recent arrest of one of Mr. Godswill Akpabio’s couriers, Mrs. Emem Etuk, who was arrested by the Nigerian law enforcement authorities at Murtala Mohamed Airport , Lagos , with
$3.1 million dollars cash. On arrest and interrogation, she confessed that it was meant to be delivered
to Governor Akpabio in Abuja . We as citizens of the state are appalled at the flagrant disregard to
human sufferings in Akwa Ibom which this type of action has contributed. We are enraged that Mr.
Godswill Akpabio has brought shame, dishonor and disgrace to himself, the state and the office of the
Governor, which he swore to defend, the day he took the oath of office.
Safety
One of the primary functions of the office of the Governor of a state is to guarantee safety to its citizens. On the contrary, since taking office, there has been an innumerable count of kidnappings and
despoiling of children. Same miscreants demand millions of Niara ransom in cash without which the victim’s
throat is slit.In one instance, two brothers (the Ekpeyong’s brothers in Uyo, the state capital) were shot execution style, before other members of the family because one of the Ekpenyongs, who visited home from Italy resisted kidnapping. The bandits were apprehended and the trigger man hails from the same village as Mr. Akpabio. The murdered brothers left behind eleven young children and two widows. The people of Uyo deposited the caskets of the slain brothers in front of the Governor’s house and chanted “politically motivated murder”. In another instance, a former state representative under the former governor’s (Obong Victor Attah) administration was gunned down when he was selected to Chair the State branch of PDP. Attorneys in Akwa Ibom state carried out demonstration before the Governor’s office accusing the governor of instigating political killings in the state. For us Akwa Ibomites, going home to our state in
Nigeria is a risk. The citizens of the state in diaspora are targets of kidnappers. Foreigners (whites) with businesses in the state have abandoned their businesses for safety reasons.
This condition was ushered in from the first day Mr. Godswill Akpabio took office. Another very
pathetic situation is the much talked about murder of a widow with four young children. The widow used to
date the Governor, after his wife found out the situation, the Governor himself advised his wife to get
rid of her. She was gun down in cold blood.
The Governor’s tyranny and the litany of crime continues under his administration.
Money laundering to the USA
Mr. Godswill Akpabio has siphoned the Akwa Ibom state’s money and acquired properties in the United
States of America using the names of his family members. These properties are located in (i) Atlanta ,
Georgia (in Gwinette County, at 892 Nestling Dr , Lawrenceville , GA 30045 . Specifications of the
property include: 8 bedrooms, 3253 square feet, worth $529,900.00 USD, bought in 2007) (ii) Florida (iii)
Houston (iv) Michigan , etc. These properties are located in very exclusive and expensive subdivisions.
We are asking him to provide the Government of Nigeria with this information freely, otherwise, we will
publish the addresses of other properties in the U.S.A. and Nigeria . It is very unpatriotic, offensive
and indeed criminal, that while other citizens of the state are struggling to make ends meet, the
people’s monies is used to buy luxury properties in foreign countries under the names of Mr Akpabio’s
siblings. In the United States , money laundering is a felony, punishable by years in jail. Once again,
we are asking him to cooperate with us by disclosing all his assets to the people who elected him into
office and the Nigerian government.
Mr. President, to clear up all of these wrong doings, and to render truthful justice to the citizens of Akwa Ibom State, we most humbly make the following petitions to you:
(1) That you use all lawful means available to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to investigate and
remove Governor Akpabio from office, for misappropriating public funds and laundering money to different
parts of the world. Nigeria has a precedent for past Nigerian state governors, and other public servants
who were caught laundering monies. We quote the cases of former state governors of Plateau, Delta, Abia,
Enugu , etc., in all cases their houses, bank accounts and aircrafts have been repossesed and returned to
their respective states.
(2) We demand from him a list of his ill-gotten assets hidden in Awa Ibom State, Abuja, several African
countries including South Africa, European and American countries (U.S.A. in particular).
(3) To recover the huge number of landed properties that Mr. Akpabio has acquired in Akwa Ibom State
through a massive money laundering scheme (the general public will be very helpful in this issue).
(4) To set a federal investigator to investigate all the politically motivated kidnappings and murders
in Akwa Ibom State .
(5) Mr. Akpabio has been rumored to be involved in buying private jets and two passenger aircrafts
within the short period that he has been in office. These allegations should be investigated and
prosecuted.
(6) We the concerned Ibibio people in the United States numbering about 500,000 people want justice.
We are planning to demonstrate early next year in major cities in USA , Canada , Britain , France , etc.,
to bring our case to the major consumers of our oil. Shortly afterwards, we will turn over the list of
his secret properties to the U.S. government for investigation and prosecution, unless something is done
at your end as we do not want to continue to put Nigeria in bad light.
(7). We the people respectfully ask you to demand Mr. Akpabio’s removal to avoid bringing more scandal
and bad image to Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria . Already, some of his counterparts have shamed us enough
when they were arrested and jailed in Europe , where most of their stolen properties were seized and
turned over to the people of their states.
Mr. President, we attach herewith 17 cases which Governor Akpabio has been asked to answer as these have
been submitted by Ibibio people who constitute 85% of the population of the Akwa Ibom State. We wish to
state that these people are afraid to confront Governor Akpabio for fear of being eliminated by his
thugs.
We humbly thank you Mr. President and expect an expedited action on the issues raised.
God bless you and the Federal Republic of NigeriaGod bless the hard working, honest and sincere people of Akwa Ibom State of NigeriaGod bless Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria
Signed;
Chief Mike Ukpong – President, Ibibio Community in USA Mkpisong Sam Udofia – Member
Dr. Bassey Effiok – MemberProf. Etim Ubong – MemberMrs. Ima Jackson - Member
CC: Hon. Senate President Hon. Senators from Akwa Ibom StateHon. Members of Akwaibom State in the National Assembly
Hon. Speaker, Akwa Ibom House of Assemblyhe Director EFCC, Abuja
Governors of the Federal Republic of Nigeriia Speakers of the Niger Delta States of Nigeria
All Paramount Rulers of Akwa Ibom State
US State DepartmentBlack CaucusFormer Secretary of State – Gen. Colin Powellransparency InternationalPresident Nelson MandelaBritish Prime Minister

Vp Goodluck Jonathan Must Take Over Now – Ex-gov Attah
« on: December 27, 2009, 05:48 PM »

*Says Nigeria needs alternative to PDP
*On 2011: PDP deserves credible candidate in Akwa Ibom
*‘Akpabio has spent more time on campaign than governance’
The immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom Obong, Victor Attah, was in Lagos, last week, during which he spoke to newsmen on the national issues.
WHAT is life like since you left in 2007?
Politically, you know I am a founder and not a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). There is a distinction and that is why I am making it. As at today, we are about three of such founders still remaining as members on the PDP Board of Trustees. I am, therefore, a life member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of PDP.
We are supposed to be the conscience of the party. So, I try to keep myself busy politically at that level in an effort to establish internal democracy for our party because we need it. We in PDP have to admit that we need that. But, personally, I have never been a full-time politician but I was full-time in governance which, technically, is politics when I was the governor of Akwa Ibom for eight years. Professionally, I have been back to work as an architect and town planner.
But some things disturb me a little bit and I would share it with you and that is the paradoxical attitude of Nigerians. I find that the average Nigerian would shout, ‘crucify him’, crucify him if any public officer is accused and not even convicted of having stolen money. Nigerians do not like to hear that any public officer has stolen money but it seems they expect you to have stolen money because they come back to you and say, ‘why you can’t leave this work, why do you have to do this after being a governor?

Obong Victor Attah
So, after being governor, what are you supposed to live on?’ My pension from Akwa Ibom is about N1.2 million a month and out of that I am supposed to pay five members of my staff including a cook, driver, two security people and a personal assistant. So, if you don’t go back to work, what are you supposed to live on? Are you expected to have stolen money? This is the paradoxical attitude that I don’t understand and we have to overcome it so that people who are prepared not to steal money and expect that they can go back to work when they leave office can do so.
People are still expecting that you can pay house rents for them, pay school fees for their children and hospital bills. It is ridiculous. So, Nigerians have to decide whether they want corruption by public officers or that they do not want corruption by them. But I enjoy my profession and I am back in it.
On internal democracy in PDP, how much of that have you achieved now?
It is not much and that is a blunt statement and that is why we are trying to establish it now. You can see the difficulty we are running into in Anambra and several other places. But I think it is coming. I am glad that now we have at least recognized that it is not there yet. So, we are working towards it.
A major challenge facing the nation today is the lingering health crisis of President Umaru Yar’Adua. What is your feeling especially against the seeming void in leadership which his absence has created in the Presidency?
I want to make two observations before I answer that question. First, I find that when Nigeria is faced with a crisis, rather than sit down to analyze the problem, we tend to be very emotional and allow sentiments to overpower our sense of logic. The second observation is that in a society that has an established system, things tend to work on the principle of, if this, then that, if that, then the other. But in Nigeria, things tend to work on the principle of, if this, ask the president, if that, ask the president, if the other, ask the president. So, it suggests to me that in Nigeria, we must have a president that must be always here.
With those two observations, I would now like to look at what the people are saying about the president himself. Some are shouting, ‘let the president resign’, and that the problem of his health cannot hold the country to ransom. Others are saying, if anything happens to our president and he cannot function, the vice president must also go’. Another group is saying the vice president must take over if the president cannot function. The constitution specifies clearly what must happen if the president cannot function. That “if” is the big issue that has not been addressed yet. But, of course, I agree with those who say that if the president cannot function, the vice must take over because we cannot do anything that is contrary to the constitution that is supreme.
I agree with that position entirely but, having agreed with that, let us look at what other people were saying. They said the president is ill and the vice president cannot sign the budget and so the country is being held to ransom. Should it be so? My answer to that is no but resignation is very extreme and final. You cannot resign today and come back tomorrow to say I want to rescind my resignation because I am well now. I agree that we do not have to have created a situation in which we don’t have a functioning, if you like, a de facto president.
The constitution is very clear on this too. If the president has to be out of the country, his vice must be properly mandated to function in his position. The constitution did not say how long the president can stay out of the country for health reasons or whatever but it does state that if the president has to be away, his vice must be adequately empowered by a letter to the Senate to allow the vice president to function. As far as I am concerned, that is something that can easily be corrected if it has not been done because we have an emergency situation. The vice president can function in the position of the president until we determine if the president is well enough to come back and function or not. Even that is also spelt out in the constitution.
Protective zoning
The people that are saying that if the president cannot function, his vice must also go; I like to ask, why must anybody say that? My answer is simple; they are protecting zoning. If you remember, when Chuba Okadigbo left office, we brought Wabara and when he left, we brought in Anyim Pius Anyim and when Anyim left, we brought Ken Nnamani. All of them are from South east zone. It was because within that tenure, the position was zoned to the South east. People are saying if anything happens, the vice president must go, the Senate president can come and we conduct new election. They are just protecting zoning. But we must accept that this arrangement is not in Nigerian constitution.
And, to me, that can easily be corrected even though that has to be in future. For the time being, I have said if anything happens to the president, God forbid, the vice president, by constitutional provision has to take over. But this can be corrected, if you like, by saying we want to do a Nigerian constitution that says if anything happens and the president cannot function, his vice would take over for three months within which period, we would conduct election to bring out a new president from the same zone as the former president.
We are from the South south where the vice president comes from but we would not accept if the vice president takes over and somebody says, you took over for one year and you have had your turn. No; we have not had our turn. We would like to have our full turn. So, this aspect of constitutional amendment can come and there is nothing wrong with it. We will just be making that aspect a Nigerian provision to respect the zoning.
What I am saying is that we must, in every instance, follow every aspect of the constitution. If we do not want a situation that we can truncate somebody’s tenure, then we should change the constitution to make it possible for us to have a very quick election to bring out a president from the same zone as the former president. At any point in time that a president has to be away, the vice president must be empowered to function as the president. Now I have talked about tenure and zoning but let me say something because most of you know that I was a very active and strong member of the group called Africans-for-Obama.
I went to his inauguration and something was said there that this is the 56th inauguration of the 44th president of the United States and I came away with one thing and that is that of the previous 43 presidents, only 12 made second term. But here in Nigeria, we think that once you are in office, you must have second term because the constitution permits it. The constitution only permits; it does not guarantee it.
All the constitution guarantees is that if you are good, you will do four years and if the people think you are very good, they, the people, can bring you back for a second term but not just because there is a constitutional provision for the possibility of your doing two terms, therefore, you must do two terms. No.
So, all these statements about no vacancy are not proper and not democratic. We should let people know that even within the four years; you can be impeached if you are not good. So, for you to get a second term, the people must consider that you are good enough to bring you back and not just because there is a possibility or that the constitution permits it.
What is your view on the effort to form a mega party in Nigeria?
My position is that there should have been no parties at all. That is where Professor Nwabueze and I started from and we were branded zero party people. There were several reasons why I did not think there should be parties. It may be too late to now say abolish all parties but we are looking at individuals who are saying ‘I am going to win as an individual on a particular party platform and switch to another party.’ So, nobody would say that this zero party thing was as silly as it sounds.
I think we should have started from there and, of course, there is no individual that can have the type of money that a party can have. But I would tell you a story why I strongly support the mega party. I told you earlier that I am a founder of PDP. I met a very high officer in one of the institutions that is supposed to help us conduct credible elections. He came and introduced himself to me saying that I may not know him but he is so and so and that he was the person that made it possible for the PDP to win in so and so state.
When there was a rerun somewhere else, he said he was posted to that other state to make sure that PDP wins the rerun election. So, if we were in a position where there were two candidates of two different parties any one of which could win, do you think that man would have been so bold in making sure that a particular party wins? So, this business of one party always being assured of winning does not help democracy at all. This is where I think an alternative party would help us to grow democratically. It is from that point that I am looking at the mega party, but whether it will even succeed or not, I do not know. I believe that if we had two parties, any one of which was big and strong enough to win elections at any one time, you would see better performance, less corruption and more development. This is because we will now say my party must perform so that the people can put us back in power, rather than whether they like it or not, we are coming back. That attitude is not helping democracy.
The PDP was aware that Yar’Adua, its presidential candidate in 2007, was not physically fit to lead Nigeria and they put him forward. Why?
Yar’Adua, our presidential candidate then, challenged you to a game of squash and no one took him on it. So, how do you want me to believe that he was not physically fit to be president? Let me tell you from a completely different point of view from the people who are blaming Obasanjo for bringing Yar’Adua. To me, that is nonsense. You can condemn Obasanjo for his cynicism if he knew the health condition and brought him but you can only blame all of us because Obasanjo had only one vote on that day.
If you did not want him, why did you vote for him to be president? I think the matter should end there. If you say there was no election which is why we all want political reform, you are right because, right from the constitutional conference of 1994 and 1995, one thing that has been identified with me is the call (the sanctity of the ballot box). It was for the same reasons that people like us earlier advocated zero party system because there was no individual that could do what a party like PDP could do.
Recently, the Ike Nwachukwu-led elders committee of the PDP visited your state and was said to have settled you and Governor Godswill Akpabio. To what extent did they achieve results?
You know Ike Nwachukwu committee has just submitted its report to the National Working Committee (NWC) and it is now under consideration. That much was admitted in the recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party which unfortunately I didn’t attend. I really do not want to go too deep into that until the party takes a decision on the report.
From a personal point of view, as I said that day openly and I can repeat it here, I was not expecting people to come and say, ‘I apologize’ to me because my issue was not a personal one. It was based on the internal democracy that we talked about earlier; that we do not, as I speak to you today, have a party executive for the PDP in Akwa Ibom.
Do you think the presidential amnesty to Niger Delta militants has finally put to rest the crisis in that region?
We like to go from one extreme to the other. The present administration has done a lot but it cannot be final because, even some of us have suggested to government what the follow-up action should be. My position to government is very well known. I talked about massive physical development and at the same time creating employment. I cannot say that the crisis has finally been laid to rest but I can say they have taken a major decision towards solving the Niger Delta problem.
What is your relationship with Governor Akpabio now?
I will continue to offer advice and I will continue to commend him where he has done well. But I will completely condemn whatever is going wrong. One thing about me is that you would not find me just condemning but will make alternative suggestion.
What is your assessment of his administration?
I have been running away from that question but I know that some people believe that the governor has spent more time campaigning for his second term than governing the state.
Hyperbolic exaggerations
They also believe that a lot of what we hear about projects and developments might just be hyperbolic exaggerations and distortions and that there is far less on the ground there than we are made to believe in the media. And that what we have on the ground is not at all commensurate with the phenomenal amount of money that has gone to the state. There seems to be some truth in what is being said but I have not investigated it.
When I was in Akwa Ibom, I initiated bread and butter projects as well as transformative projects. Such transformative projects are the like of Le’Meridien Hotel and Golf Resort, which everybody is talking about now as becoming the ideal and preferred place for national and international events and conferences. But the people who would come to your hotel, how would they come?
Therefore, you must have an airport; but would you have an airport that is only for transporting passengers? My answer was no, because today they are talking about closing down non-viable airports. So, I put something there that makes it viable, that is the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility which is capable of earning large scale foreign exchange for the state and the country. But these things should run efficiently; therefore, you must have 24-hour constant power. Then we built a power plant of 181 megawatts which was commissioned by the former president, Obasanjo, in May 2007.
What was left was the transmission line. I knew the importance of information technology (IT) so I started a science park and sent people out of the country to go and train in IT. By the way, when I was building the airport, we trained people in piloting, in airport management, control tower, fire fighting, security and in all other aspects so that when the management company came and started recruiting, it found enough Akwa Ibom people to employ. We started the university of technology. …All these were some of the transformative projects, including the seaport in Ibaka. So, we were building all those transformative projects and also the bread and butter projects such as providing roads, schools, water, housing, health facilities and all that. Those are the obligations of any government.
Would you like the present government in Akwa Ibom to continue in power beyond 2011?
As a founder of the PDP, I would want my party to win in the next election but PDP must field a credible candidate. I said before that second tenure is permitted but not guaranteed. Therefore, whoever wants it must convince the people that he deserves it. If PDP wants to field Akpabio, it must be convinced that the people will vote for him. That is all. I alone cannot change anything.
It is the people that would decide who should come back or not. But we still have a problem in this country making a distinction between official and personal relationships. Somebody came to me and said, now that you have been reconciled with Godswill Akpabio, I hope you are going to work with him’. I looked at the person and told him: ‘Do you realize I am not his wife and so cannot work with him on the domestic platform; do you realize I am not his commissioner and cannot work with him on the governmental level? I can only work with him on the PDP platform but if the party refuses to create a PDP for us in Akwa Ibom, how do I work with him?’
How do you cope without the usual perks and paraphernalia of office since 2007 that you completed your second term?
It is funny, the one I think I had difficulty getting used to was the siren, when everybody has to jump out of the way for you. I was in the aircraft one day and when we got to where we were going, I was trying to bring down my briefcase and somebody asked, ‘why are you doing this your Excellency; where is your personal assistant?’ I told him that such things came with the office and also went out with the office.
Because I was used to somebody carrying my briefcase for eight years, can I no longer carry my brief case now that I am out of office? I am very comfortable. What I am missing out of office now is that sometimes I see things that should be done for the benefit of the people that are not being done. Even though you make suggestions, nobody listens to you. The frustration is in knowing what should be done, advising and watching how money is being squandered otherwise.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/12/19/vp-goodluck-jonathan-must-take-over-now-%E2%80%93-ex-gov-attah/
Group Captain Sam Ewang was at different times military administrator of Ogun and Rivers states. He was a governorship candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Akwa Ibom State in 2007. He

has also indicated interest to contest again in 2011. In this interview with BASSEY ANTHONY, Ewang speaks on his ambition, the current administration in state and other matters. Excerpts:

How would you assess the current administration in the state?
Well, my assessment of the current administration is that there is lack of leadership and that is explainable. The administration is also childish; it is insulting; it is unforgiving and it is darkness. It is evil. It is darkness to the state and the people and it is not complementary to the Nigerian nation.

Are you interested in running for the governorship in 2011 and if you are, is your party aware?
Of course, I am running and ANPP is aware that I am going to contest.

But your party says you have not informed them.

Well, I have not made an official declaration but I think it is generally known that I am going to contest.
But why do you want to contest knowing that the former governor, Obong Victor Attah, had conceded the governorship to the Annangs and the incumbent who is from that area has only served one term?
Yes, that is correct. The former governor did it right because he was and is an Akwa Ibomite; a true person; a true demonstrator of what an Ibibio person should be; what the generality of the Akwa Ibom people should be. We have one language; one tribe; one people, that is what we are. So he demonstrated that we are one. He conceded that the part of the Ibibio called the Annang should take the seat and the tenure finishes in 2011. If anybody from there wants to come out and contest again fine, but 2011 definitely, in a democracy, is the terminal year for the tenure. I am talking about democracy. He didn’t concede as a traditionalist. He conceded as a democrat and as a democrat too I agreed with him even though I expected that we should have looked for a hand that was going to handle Akwa Ibom the way it should be handled the way he did for the generality of the people. It doesn’t matter where you come from, where your family come from or who your family is. And he did it right and the tenure finishes in 2011 and anybody from whichever section is free to come out and contest in 2011.

Are you aware that the Ifim Ibom Ibibio, the apex traditional institution of the Ibibios to which you belong, has placed a traditional injunction and a curse on any Ibibio son or daughter who comes out to contest against Akpabio in 2011?
Recently, we heard a declaration that the Ifim Ibom Ibibio died which means that the Ifim Ibom is not there. We don’t have Ifim Ibom. Whoever declared for Ifim Ibom only deceived the people and you don’t claim what you are not. So it is not Ifim Ibom. And in fact, Ifim Ibom would not do that because declaration by Ifim Ibom has nothing to do with democracy, so it is a deceit to the people and the person they said they declared. As a matter of fact, Ifim Ibom is dead. There is no Ifim Ibom now. Ifim Ibom, when it comes, I am sure would be somebody that respects the law. Anybody that respects the law would know that tradition begins and ends where it ends. It has nothing to do with democracy. There are rules. There are laws that guide traditions and traditional stools and those who are law abiding, disciplined and true traditional rulers would abide by the law of tradition and they won’t dabble into politics because politics is outside their line. Just like the church, the church cannot declare anybody because that is not the work of the church. The church should be spiritual. The traditional ruler should be concerned with people and remember that we have 31 local government areas. So if any traditional ruler spoke, he was speaking to his people whichever section he came from. If he was from Nsit Ibom, he was speaking for Nsit Ibom people. If he was from Etinan he was speaking to Etinan people. If he came from Ikot Ekpene, he was speaking to Ikot Ekpene people. They have no right whatsoever to speak to the generality of the people and they have no right whatsoever to speak politics. Whoever wants to speak politics should surrender his own traditional outfit and come into politics if politics is more lucrative than the traditional stool. The two are not mixed and democracy is democracy. So there is nothing like that and whoever did that was deceiving himself and the people and he would have to come and prove it because this administration has a way of coercing the people. They must have coerced one person to say one thing or the other. Akwa Ibom people are wise and reasonable people. They are people who have gone to school and they can differentiate tradition from democracy. The only thing I am asking the traditional rulers and the people to do is that when I am out come and support me, don’t adopt me. Whoever wants to be adopted because he is an adopted child can go around been adopted.

But remember that Idongesit Nkanga, a retired Air Commodore, a former military administrator of the state and a respected elder statesman chaired the occasion at which the Ibibio Nation endorsed Akpabio for a second term. Could that not work against your interest?
You were talking about traditional rulers, now you are talking about Nkanga. Who is Nkanga in Akwa Ibom? What is he in Akwa Ibom? I am asking you.

He is a former military administrator in the state.

Okay, he is a former military administrator. He has no grounds. He cannot make any declaration for Akwa Ibom. I want to warn that when people want to talk, they should either talk for their families, for their villages or for the organisations they belong to. So if he spoke he should define his organisation, definitely not the Ibibio because I am an Ibibio and there are so many Ibibio and I am coming out to contest. I am not hiding. I am coming out to contest and I am saying that there is nobody that can stop me because this is democracy. It needs somebody to be educated and understand what democracy is and that democracy is not appointment. You don’t appoint people in democracy otherwise it is not democracy. Akpabio is a young man and I expect him to be forward looking. I should expect him to be able to institutionalize those fundamentals of democracy. And he shouldn’t rely on people who are ready to deceive him. Idongesit Nkanga was with Attah. He was a fundamental supporter of Attah until the last day even the fundamental supporter of Attah when Attah nominated his son in-law. So he would always support any government. When I come out he will support me, that I know. So I am not really interested in what Idongesit Nkanga said because he is of no consequence as far as the politics of Akwa Ibom is concerned. He might have been a former military administrator like I was in Ogun and Rivers states . He did well and I appreciate him for that but he should not dabble into the politics of the state. He should talk about his family, talk about his village, and talk about whatever the organisation he belongs to. If he belongs to PDP which I don’t know, he should talk about PDP. Definitely he has nothing to do with the Ibibio and I don’t want him to come up again and talk about Ibibio otherwise we would begin to define who is Ibibio.

What do you think is one of the needs of the people besides infrastructural development which this administration is vigorously pursuing?
You see I have said it again and again. When I came out the other time I promised that in my first three months in office every family in this state would experience a turn around and that in six months I would provide jobs for the youths. And I promised that there are certain things that I was going to put in place namely some fundamental infrastructure amenable to our society. And I also mentioned that Akwa Ibom is supposed to be the smallest state apart from Lagos and I mentioned the fact that Akwa Ibom is supposed to be a one city state like Lagos . I also mentioned that we didn’t have any reason to have young people go around without having jobs. The reason is because I am aware we have been highly blessed by the Almighty God. This land is blessed and if this land is highly blessed the people should be blessed and that the fundamental problem is leadership and that is why I have come out to lay a foundation for leadership and ensure that our youths are employed. That is the fundamental reason. And I promised that in one year our youths would be fully employed and people would be coming from neigbouring states and the entire Nigeria to come and look for jobs here when I take over.

Unfortunately, at that time I made these promises we were not receiving half of what we are receiving today.

When Victor Attah was in office for eight years he received barely about N280 billion in eight years. But in two years, we have received more than N560 billion. We have received N560 billion in two years of four years tenure. And we have 31 local government areas. If you plan well or divide the N560 billion we have collected and share it amongst the 31 local government areas each is supposed to have benefited to amount of about N30 billion. N30 billion was used effectively in each local government area for the welfare of the people. And if this is what accrues to each council outside what it receives from the federal purse then if used effectively every local government would be a heaven and indeed the entire state too. For example we receive a minimum of N12 billion a month. I was governor in two states and in Ogun State when I was there I never received more than N4.6 billion and by the grace of God I left a name that cannot be erased. Governance is not what you see when you are in office. It is not what you hear when you are in office. It is what you see and hear when you have left office 10 years like I have done. I have stayed out of Ogun for 12 years but I tell you I just gave out my daughter for marriage and the Ogun people came celebrating. It is now that nobody has benefited a kobo except the family of the governor, members of his family and those who dance around him that he gives kobo, kobo and they come out to say that Ibibio should not contest. How many industries can’t we build with N560 billion because the priority should be the people and if lack of jobs is the problem of Akwa Ibom then the priority of the government should be the provision of jobs; building of industries and reactivating the old ones. How many of the old industries have been reactivated? Everything done here is selfishness. Is that the type of government we want to see? I was governor in Ogun. Let somebody go to Ogun. When I got to Ogun there were 45 industries moribund and in six months we revamped all the industries. I used everybody even those who abused me at a time. The moment I knew that you have intelligence, you have experience, you have the know-how, I’ll make use of you.

Waoh and lovely portrait painting art of Governor Godswill Akpabio and wife done by Ayeola Ayodeji: Nigerian Artist.







https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMZaGOUMcYs

Am in love with the work.