The negatively tinged stories on several online media platforms intended to misrepresent actuality in the reasons the Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA) has marked several churches for demolition in the Uyo metropolis is another round of funded shanghaied conscription meant to set ablaze the peaceful political ambiance of Akwa Ibom State by political titans.

In the decoy script, purveyors of this misleading tale attempt to exonerate the church from the recognizable and proven allegations of existing illegality surrounding the over 8years ongoing church auditorium construction of the Holy Ghost Ambassadors Int’l, Ekpanya Street and two other churches, intentionally blackening their story with lies to curry public sympathy and attempt to portray Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration as petty.

To hoodwink the general public from any suspicion of their ulterior motives, they cast headlines on the issue of the planned demolition to shield other churches affected from the public’s awareness, mentioning them less in the script so that the public won’t ask if the pastor there had also criticized or challenged government’s policies - very smart people.

Inasmuch as i am not holding brief for the state government, it is however necessary to recall that Akwa Ibom State is not the only state where religious homes with no verified permit and construction approvals, obtained by relevant agencies of government are demolished.

In 2017, Jigawa State Government pulled down Mosques and churches that were constructed without relevant government agencies approvals. In 2021, Borno State Government also pulled down several churches and mosques, citing reasons ranging from lack of government approvals, to not constructing to approved specifications.

If the Akwa Ibom State Government agency is living up to its responsibility of inspecting buildings in Uyo Metropolis, with an aim of ascertaining the standards and approved documentations, irrespective of whether it is a church or any other property, what is the fuss?

One can easily recall with nauseating pains, the Reigners Bible Church building collapse, which many in their opinions believed that if government agencies had tripled their inspection and approval efforts, lives would have been saved. Peradventure we are tucked in a reoccurrence of such sad event, the same people who are chastising the government for carrying out its legitimate function, will be the first to pour invectives on government without any reservation.

Meanwhile two other churches where affected in the same exercise on that same day and i want to ask, is the owner of Dunamis Church, Pastor Paul Eneche, also Governor Emmanuel’s critic, how about Dr. Ezekiel Atang of God’s House of Refuge? – It is high time we stop playing politics with every issue of public importance, and the flagrant disregard to extant laws, and accept the fact that men were created to adhere to laws and not the other way round.