More garlands have continued to pour in for the UsenNdia brand. The Uyo Food Festival has grown in stature since it debuted about three years hosting successful back to back food events in the years running.

The Uyo Food Festival has now been recognized as one of the major signpost events of the year in Akwa Ibom State always eagerly awaited.

Little wonder then, that the brand is currently listed on the highly reputable Ibom Air inflight magazine as among the top tourism drivers of the state.


Meanwhile, UsenNdia2021 holds on November 27, at Kings and Queens Field, Ewet Housing Estate. You wouldn't want to miss the unique experience.

...SAYS FMR AKNC BOSS ABANDONED DUTY POST FOR CONTRACTS IN PH

The real reason Mr Udo Silas, former Senior Media Aide to the Governor Godswill Akpabio fell out of favour with the government is that, few months to the end of Akpabio's tenure, Udo Silas as SSA to the governor completely abadoned his duties and absconded to Port Harcourt for pecuniary motives.

The former governor, allegedly told his then incoming successor shortly before leaving office that "if you must succeed, don't work with someone like Udo Silas. He started well but along the line, veered off. He left his duty post and is now in Port Harcourt looking for contracts."

In a reaction titled, "THAT RIDICULOUS MENDACIOUS OUTBURST BY UDO SILAS ON UYO-IKOT EKPENE ROAD", Mr Aniefiok Macauley, Special Assistant to Gov Udom Emmanuel said not only was Mr Silas wrong with his submission on the Uyo Ikot Ekpene road project, he lacked the locus standi to have spoken about the project.


The statement read in, "reading through a post by one Udo Silas on the above subject matter, it was easy to discern how mentally low he was in penning down those vitriolic inanities. I am rejoining his post not to castigate him but to call him out with irrefutable facts about the construction of Uyo- Ikot Ekpene, whose contract award was signed on 19th December 2011.

Though Silas, in his smallness of mind claimed that Mr. Udom Emmanuel, Governor of Akwa Ibom State was brought from obscurity to be governor against the wishes of the kitchen cabinet of Governor Godswill Akpabio, as he then was, I think Silas requires a good dictionary for a real meaning of obscurity.

For a fact, a man who at the zenith of his career sat on many offshore Boards of his bank and was Executive Director cum Financial Controller of Zenith Bank cannot by any stretch of imagination be said to have been in an obscure position in his preferred career.

Perhaps Udo Silas knows that even in journalism that he would not make the list of first 100 first class journalists in Nigeria.

It is therefore undoubtedly that man who was rescued from obscurity laden with abject poverty and decorated with a title of Senior Special Assistant, having earlier mismanaged and ran aground a weekly regional paper whose print run was less than 1000 copies, would likely see every other person from his limited worldview.

Regardless, Udo Silas failed woefully in his acerbic pontification to interrogate the governor on facts and figures to justify his morally deficit claims that the governor blatantly lied about the 20% work done on the road when he took over the mantle of leadership in 2015.

This appalling failure on his part, could be attributed to his ignorance on the reality on ground at the time, particularly in respect to the construction of the road in question.

In all fairness to Udo Silas, as an indigene of Onna local government area, he may not have been familiar with the project, since it does not lie on his frequent route to Port Harcourt.

It is on record that few months to the end of Akpabio's tenure, Udo Silas as SSA to the governor completely derelict his duties and absconded to Port Harcourt.

In some instances including the purported commissioning of road project in question, Udo Silas' absence was conspicuously noticeable that the former governor, told his incoming successor, "if you must succeed, don't work with someone like Udo Silas. He started well but along the line, veered off. He left his duty post and is now in Port Harcourt looking for contracts." What a testimony from one's boss.

In view of the above scenario, I have therefore elected to furnish and remind him, his ilk and traducers with these undisputable facts about the Uyo- Ikot Ekpene road project.

1. That barely 7 months of being sworn in for a second term as governor, it is on record that, the then Governor of Akwa Ibom State , Godswill Akpabio on the 19th December, 2011 awarded a contract to Julius Berger(Nig.) PLC for the dualization of the 25 kilometres of Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road to the tune of N28,394,575,803,22k (Twenty Eight Billion, Three Hundred and Ninety Four Million, Five Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand Eight Hundred and Three Naira Twenty Two Kobo).
At over N1billion per kilometres), the highest in the country as at then.

The contract, according to available documents was to be completed within 24 months, approximately about December 2013.

To kick start the contract, mobilization of 40% of the total sum amounting to N11, 357,830,321.29k (Eleven Billion, Three Hundred and Fifty Seven Million, Eight Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty One Naira, Twenty Nine Kobo) was approved and disbursed.

2. The records show that on the 12th September, 2013, when the road ought to have been completed, Akpabio’s government reviewed the cost by additional N23,516,228,394.00 (Twenty Three Billion, Five Hundred and Sixteen Million, Two Hundred and Twenty Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Ninety Four Naira) which when added to the original cost amounted to a total contract sum to N51,910,804,197.22 (Fifty One Billion, Nine Hundred and Ten Million, Eight Hundred and Four Thousand, One Hundred and Ninety Seven Naira Twenty Two Kobo.

3. Again, barely a year later and in fact on the 25th July, 2014, the Akwa Ibom State Government approved additional work in respect of the dualization of the said road with the following description: (i) Section from Ch. 23+000 to City centre incl. Roundabout. (ii) flyover to the tune of N19,448,373,217.63k . (Nineteen Billion, Four Hundred and Forty Eight Million, Three Hundred and Seventy Tree Thousand Two Hundred and Seventeen Naira Sixty Three Kobo) Although the sum of N71, 359, 177, 414.89 (Seventy One Billion, Three Hundred and Fifty Nine Million, One Hundred and Seventy Seven Thousand, Four Hundred and Fourteen Naira Eighty Nine Kobo) was released for the execution of the project. In spite of various approvals and disbursements, the contractor abandoned the project.

4. What the likes of Udo Silas fails to tell the public is that at the twilight of Akpabio’s tenure sometimes in May 2015 and almost four years after that contract was awarded, he hurriedly commissioned what he called the Phase 1 where only 6km was asphalted, 3 km at binding course , and 5 km was at earth works level.

Though records show that the sum of N2.3 billion naira was approved and disbursed for the payment of compensation to property owners marked for demolition from kilometer 4 to Ikot Ekpene plaza, none of the beneficiaries was paid and this resulted in several litigations and abandonment of the construction work .


Based on the facts stated above, the question Udo Silas should be asking is “why did Akpabio not complete the 25 kilometer road in 4 years despite approving and disbursing over N71Billion at a time a dollar was exchanging for N187?”

Governor Udom Emmanuel deserves accolades for making funds available for the payment of compensation to property owners on the right of way and ensuring that funds were made available to Julius Berger PLC for the completion of the project.

Yes, the governor deserves commendation as expressed by the stakeholders of Ikot Ekpene senatorial district and not a vile tirade by people with slavish mentality."

A key interest support group in Akwa Ibom State says the “infantile and logically obtuse outburst by Senator Ita Enang,” in a radio interview last weekend should be dismissed as a mere rant of an attention seeker.

The group, Akwa Ibom Integrity Alliance in a statement in Uyo endorsed by its convener, Mr Faith Mboho, described the president’s aide as a man known to suffer from seemingly incurable disease of the diarrhoea of the mouth.

This, they maintain, often leads Senator Enang to childishly peddle falsehood, such as the speculation that Governor Udom Emmanuel was defecting to APC simply because he brought Vice President Osinbajo and Senate President Ahmad Lawan to inaugurate some of his projects.


“Let us state here unequivocally, that Governor Udom Emmanuel, WILL NEVER JOIN THE APC, he has never entertained such thoughts and will never even deign such, a nanosecond consideration.”

They described Governor Emmanuel as “a major Stakeholder of the Peoples Democratic Party, a loyal party man and a key member in the vanguard to position the PDP as the alternative to what has befallen Nigeria in the last six plus years of Ita Enang’s party rule.”

“The group insisted that Governor Emmanuel’s stellar performance, accounts for the desperate attempt to a move to APC.

“We understand the desire and desperation for Ita Enang’s party to have a Five Star Governor, in the mould of Governor Emmanuel, whose performance has drawn commendations from key members of Ita Enang’s party, be associated with them, but sorry to disappoint you, Senator, Governor Udom Emmanuel is not going anywhere, he remains a PDP member for life”.

To them, “it is sad and unfortunate that Senator Ita Enang would base his outlandish claims on the fact that Governor Emmanuel invited both the Vice President and the Senate President, both of the APC to help commission projects in the state as the reason for his fantasy- filled defection talk.

“Perhaps Ita Enang needs to be informed that Governor Udom Emmanuel has nationalist credentials and bonafides, and above all, sees himself as a professional in politics as opposed to being purely a professional politician”, they concluded.

Read more https://nowupdateonline.com.ng/2021/10/11/defection-speculation-integrity-group-carpets-ita-enang-for-childish-rant-against-governor-emmanuel/

The Akwa Ibom State Government has inaugurated a fourteen-membrr committee to monitor enforcement of the recently enacted "Law to prohibit Open Rearing and Grazing of Livestocks and Provide for the Establishment of Ranches and Livestock Administration, Regulation and Control, and Matters Connected therewith" in the state.

Performing the inauguration today, at the Government House, Uyo, the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, clarified that the law is not targeted at any group of persons but was necessitated by the rising need to ensure orderly organization of agricultural activities across the country, including Akwa Ibom State.

This, he stated, would be in the best interest of the entire Nigerian populace who need both the vegetables and tubers of the crop farmer as well as the meat and dairy products of the livestock farmer to balance his diet, stressing that a healthy population makes a healthy nation.

"The typical staple food on the table of an average Nigerian is a symbiosis of livestock products and crops: the swallow such as our garri, pounded yam, amala, the meat, fish and the vegetables. ...the law is not anti any person. It is to make sure that we eat balanced diet, because if cattle destroys the vegetable component of what we eat, all the vitamins will be lost.When you ensure balanced diet, the population of Nigeria will be healthy and when the population is heathy we have a productive population".

He reiterated that, as stated while signing the bill into law on September 18, 2021, that the major objectives of this law is to promote modern techniques of animal husbandry, create job opportunities and expand the value chain in livestock business and promote the production of high quality of livestock in the state in accordance with international best practices, rather than a witch-hunt tool against anyone.

Highlighting the Committee's mandate therefore, the Governor said it shall, among other functions and powers, develop an integrated modern livestock development and production plan for the state, develop guidelines for the implementation of an integrated livestock production policy and make recommendations to the governor, consider and determine the suitability of a location proposed for establishment of a ranch in the state, ensure that livestock are reared at permitted ranches to prevent straying, impound any livestock that is left to graze outside a ranch and encourage peaceful coexistence between the ranchers, farmers and host communities.

The functions also include to prescribe guidelines for minimum hygiene standards for meat and dairy activities in personal, commercial and general ranches, inaugurate same committee at the Local Government level, give approval to the Local Government Committee for the establishment of Ranches in the Local Government Area, collaborate with relevant Ministries, Local Government Committee established under Section 12 and Department of Livestock at each LGA to ensure effective implementation of the Law in the State and any other functions incedental to the law or as may be directed by the State Governor.

Responding on behalf of the Committee members, the Chairman and Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Edet, thanked God for blessing the State with fertile soil and good environment that support both crops and livestocks farming. She commended the leadership of Governor Udom Emmanuel for ensuring peace in the State and taking steps to secure the agricultural sector in the State by protecting the interest of the various parties in the sector.

Dr. Edet assured that the committee will make the State proud by ensuring a balance of interest between the crop and animal farmers in the State, adding that the committee will work in synergy with security agencies to ensure the enforcement of the law in the state.

Also speaking, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Uko Udom, SAN, and a member of the committee, said the inauguration of the committee was the first step towards enforcement of the anti open grazing law.
He explained that the committee will soon constitute sub-committees for public enlightenment and information, monitoring and surveillance, enforcement and other functions, to enhance its effective operation, stressing that the law was vioid of any political element.

The Committee also has the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Mary Bassey as Secretary .Other members include; the Honorary Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Fubara Duke,Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security, Capt.Iniobong Ekong(rtd.),Permanent Secretaries in the Ministries of Lands and Water Resources,TPL.Aniekan Akpan(Ag.),Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,Elder Ini Ikie ,Environment and Solid Minerals, Nsudo Nsudo and that of Health, Dr.Patrick Essiet. Also included in the Committee are the State Surveyor- General,Surv.(Mrs)Emem Isang ,Director of Verterinary Services and Livestocks,Ministry of Agriculture, Dr.Obot Obot, Director of Animal Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture, Aniefiok Isong,Director of Forestry in the Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals, Etido Eyo as well as the Director-General of the Akwa Ibom State Neighborhood Safety Agency,among others.

PRESS RELEASE !

As key supporters and ardent believers in Governor Udom Emmanuel, our attention has been drawn to an infantile and logically obtuse outburst by Senator Ita Enang, during an appearance on a local radio station yesterday morning.

In the course of the programme, Ita Enang, a man known to suffer from seemingly incurable disease of the diarrhoea of the mouth, which often leads him to peddle falsehood and logically confounding assertions that even someone who is mentally retarded would not be associated with, lived true to his character and billing.

He is reported to have stated among other manifestly false assertions that His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel will soon join the All Progressive Congress (APC.) He went ahead to draw his conclusion for peddling this lie, because Governor Emmanuel, recently invited the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbjajo, SAN, GCON and the Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, to commission the Dakkada Tower, the Dakkada Luxury Estate flag-off and the Uyo- Ikot Ekpene road respectively. He went further to say that because of this development, he has “granted” the governor “amnesty” from his usual vitriolic attacks; and that he is now his “friend.”

We would have totally ignored Ita Enang as we always do, since most of what emanates from his mouth are not products of reasoned or rational thoughts, but from a man whose relevance in both the State and National scheme of things have all but evaporated leaving him to seek relevance as a local radio station verbal bomb - thrower.

Let us state here unequivocally, that His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel, WILL NEVER JOIN THE APC, he has never entertained such thoughts and will never even deign such, a nanosecond consideration. He is a major Stakeholder of the Peoples Democratic Party, a loyal party man and a key member in the vanguard to position the PDP as the alternative to what has befallen Nigeria in the last six plus years of Ita Enang’s party rule.

We understand the desire and desperation for Ita Enang’s party to have a Five Star Governor, in the mould of Governor Emmanuel, whose performance has drawn commendations from key members of Ita Enang’s party, be associated with them, but sorry to disappoint you, Senator, Governor Udom Emmanuel is not going anywhere, he remains a PDP member for life!

It is sad and unfortunate that Senator Ita Enang would base his outlandish claims on the fact that Governor Emmanuel invited both the Vice President and the Senate President, both of the APC to help commission projects in the state as the reason for his fantasy- filled defection talk. Perhaps Ita Enang needs to be informed that Governor Udom Emmanuel has nationalist credentials and bonafides, and above all, sees himself as a professional in politics as opposed to being purely a professional politician. He still keeps friends he knew while in the private sector even if those friends belong to the other party.

We will not also deign Senator Ita Enang a response to all his false claims and pseudo self glorifications when everyone already knows his antecedence as a greedy and self centered professional politician, whose essence of living, is merely for his stomach infrastructural consolidation and expansion. As for his so called “amnesty” allusion, we can categorically maintain that he is the one who, actually needs amnesty from political oblivion and irrelevance he is fast sinking into.

Signed:

Comrade Faith Mboho
Convener,
AKWA IBOM INTEGRITY ALLIANCE
10/10/21

...as Agric boss commends Governor Emmanuel on investment in Agriculture

A two-day tomatoes and onions cultivation training organized by Akwa Ibom state Ministry of Agriculture has opened in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.

The event which is geared towards enlightening Akwa Ibom farmers on the cultivation of these vegetables was flagged off by the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Edet, at the Green House Farm along Victor Attah international airport, Uyo on Thursday, October 7, 2021.

In her remarks, Dr. Edet noted that the training exercise was part of Governor Udom Emmanuel's deliberate efforts at improving the skills of farmers and intending farmers in the state for improved efficiency and increased productivity in vegetables.

She called on participants to take the training seriously and subsequently put to practice the lessons of the resource persons so as to assist the state in its quest to achieve its food sufficiency goal.

Earlier in her remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Mary Ukoette appreciated the Governor for his passion for Agriculture and lauded the Honourable Commissioner for interpreting the vision of the Governor in the agriculture sector and advised the participants to take advantage of the training which according to her is aimed at improving the level of their productivity.

In a goodwill message, the Chairman, AFAN AKS Chapter, Prince Bassey Inwang said that the training will build the mental capacity of the farmers and also add to the level of their productivity. He appreciated the Agric boss for always carrying farmers along in the activities of her ministry and urged the trainees to be attentive and show high level of commitment.

The event also featured a Technical Session on Business Forum, "Farming as a Business" and the Importance of Farm Records.

Reading through a post by one Udo Silas on the above subject matter, it was easy to discern how mentally low he was in penning down those vitriolic inanities. I am rejoining his post not to castigate him but to call him out with irrefutable facts about the construction of Uyo- Ikot Ekpene, whose contract award was signed on 19th December 2011.

Though Silas, in his smallness of mind claimed that Mr. Udom Emmanuel, Governor of Akwa Ibom State was brought from obscurity to be governor against the wishes of the kitchen cabinet of Governor Godswill Akpabio, as he then was, I think Silas requires a good dictionary for a real meaning of obscurity.

For a fact, a man who at the zenith of his career sat on many offshore Boards of his bank and was Executive Director cum Financial Controller of Zenith Bank cannot by any stretch of imagination be said to have been in an obscure position in his preferred career.

Perhaps Udo Silas knows that even in journalism that he would not make the list of first 100 first class journalists in Nigeria.

It is therefore undoubtedly that man who was rescued from obscurity laden with abject poverty and decorated with a title of Senior Special Assistant, having earlier mismanaged and ran aground a weekly regional paper whose print run was less than 1000 copies, would likely see every other person from his limited worldview.

Regardless, Udo Silas failed woefully in his acerbic pontification to interrogate the governor on facts and figures to justify his morally deficit claims that the governor blatantly lied about the 20% work done on the road when he took over the mantle of leadership in 2015.

This appalling failure on his part, could be attributed to his ignorance on the reality on ground at the time, particularly in respect to the construction of the road in question.

In all fairness to Udo Silas, as an indigene of Onna local government area, he may not have been familiar with the project, since it does not lie on his frequent route to Port Harcourt.

It is on record that few months to the end of Akpabio's tenure, Udo Silas as SSA to the governor completely derelict his duties and absconded to Port Harcourt.

In some instances including the purported commissioning of road project in question, Udo Silas' absence was conspicuously noticeable that the former governor, told his incoming successor, "if you must succeed, don't work with someone like Udo Silas. He started well but along the line, veered off. He left his duty post and is now in Port Harcourt looking for contracts." What a testimony from one's boss.

In view of the above scenario, I have therefore elected to furnish and remind him, his ilk and traducers with these undisputable facts about the Uyo- Ikot Ekpene road project.

1. That barely 7 months of being sworn in for a second term as governor, it is on record that, the then Governor of Akwa Ibom State , Godswill Akpabio on the 19th December, 2011 awarded a contract to Julius Berger(Nig.) PLC for the dualization of the 25 kilometres of Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road to the tune of N28,394,575,803,22k (Twenty Eight Billion, Three Hundred and Ninety Four Million, Five Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand Eight Hundred and Three Naira Twenty Two Kobo).
At over N1billion per kilometres), the highest in the country as at then.

The contract, according to available documents was to be completed within 24 months, approximately about December 2013.

To kick start the contract, mobilization of 40% of the total sum amounting to N11, 357,830,321.29k (Eleven Billion, Three Hundred and Fifty Seven Million, Eight Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty One Naira, Twenty Nine Kobo) was approved and disbursed.

2. The records show that on the 12th September, 2013, when the road ought to have been completed, Akpabio’s government reviewed the cost by additional N23,516,228,394.00 (Twenty Three Billion, Five Hundred and Sixteen Million, Two Hundred and Twenty Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Ninety Four Naira) which when added to the original cost amounted to a total contract sum to N51,910,804,197.22 (Fifty One Billion, Nine Hundred and Ten Million, Eight Hundred and Four Thousand, One Hundred and Ninety Seven Naira Twenty Two Kobo.

3. Again, barely a year later and in fact on the 25th July, 2014, the Akwa Ibom State Government approved additional work in respect of the dualization of the said road with the following description: (i) Section from Ch. 23+000 to City centre incl. Roundabout. (ii) flyover to the tune of N19,448,373,217.63k . (Nineteen Billion, Four Hundred and Forty Eight Million, Three Hundred and Seventy Tree Thousand Two Hundred and Seventeen Naira Sixty Three Kobo) Although the sum of N71, 359, 177, 414.89 (Seventy One Billion, Three Hundred and Fifty Nine Million, One Hundred and Seventy Seven Thousand, Four Hundred and Fourteen Naira Eighty Nine Kobo) was released for the execution of the project. In spite of various approvals and disbursements, the contractor abandoned the project.

4. What the likes of Udo Silas fails to tell the public is that at the twilight of Akpabio’s tenure sometimes in May 2015 and almost four years after that contract was awarded, he hurriedly commissioned what he called the Phase 1 where only 6km was asphalted, 3 km at binding course , and 5 km was at earth works level.

Though records show that the sum of N2.3 billion naira was approved and disbursed for the payment of compensation to property owners marked for demolition from kilometer 4 to Ikot Ekpene plaza, none of the beneficiaries was paid and this resulted in several litigations and abandonment of the construction work .


Based on the facts stated above, the question Udo Silas should be asking is “why did Akpabio not complete the 25 kilometer road in 4 years despite approving and disbursing over N71Billion at a time a dollar was exchanging for N187?”

Governor Udom Emmanuel deserves accolades for making funds available for the payment of compensation to property owners on the right of way and ensuring that funds were made available to Julius Berger PLC for the completion of the project.

Yes, the governor deserves commendation as expressed by the stakeholders of Ikot Ekpene senatorial district and not a vile tirade by people with slavish mentality.

No doubt that the visiting Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan while commissioning the road stated "Let me say that Governor Udom Emmanuel is what I call justice, unity, peace, progress, development. You are right in all actions you have taken.This is my 3rd or 4th time of coming here, you are truly a Nigerian, a leader who believes in the unity of Nigeria. Each word you utter, is purposeful, you believe that people must unite to take Nigeria forward. Today our country is going through trying period, the purpose of leadership is to deal with challenges at all levels, when we hold our hands together, we can overcome."

Source: Aniefiok Macauley

Governor Udom Emmanuel has stated that sustainable development for governments at all levels comes through industrialization and the provision of infrastructure and each of the needs differ from state to state.

He said development should not be limited to the improvements in the welfare of citizens, but should be defined by the capacity of the government to provide the environment for the welfare and wellbeing of the people on a sustainable and long-term basis.

Governor Emmanuel stated as Guest Lecturer at the Founder's Day Lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State on Thursday.


On the topic, CHANGING THE NARRATIVE OF DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INDUSTRIALIZATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE, he said for different societies, the goal of sustainability varies.

"What United States needs at this time may not cohere with Japan or India. So, what Akwa Ibom needs may not be the same with Enugu or Lagos. But central to any of these is the drive to provide infrastructure and industrialize", he said.

Governor Emmanuel asserted that if advanced societies still invest in upgrading and providing more infrastructure for their people, then Nigeria, like other developing countries, is expected to do even more in this regard.“


The Akwa Ibom State Governor praised the University of Nigeria for being a model of academic excellence and for producing some of the brightest minds in the country.

“Since its founding sixty-one years ago, this great citadel of knowledge has produced and helped shape some of the best and brightest minds in this country, from thinkers to doers, and some of the most impactful technocrats from our State, thus cementing further the bond of friendship forged through intellectual flourishes and commonalities of thoughts and beliefs.”

Governor Emmanuel traced historic connection between the University of Nigeria and the people of Akwa Ibom State, recounting that the motion for establishment of the university and was first moved by an Akwa Ibom son, Chief Ibanga Udo Akpabio.

Describing Akwa Ibom State as the crucible of the new Nigeria, he highlighted some of the gains recorded in the state in aviation, road and marine transportation, adding that his vision of ensuring the state had all the gateways for industrialization.


"Development should be about lasting change. Development should not only be about improvements in the welfare of citizens, but about the capacity of the government to provide the environment for the welfare and wellbeing of the people on a sustainable and long-term basis."


"We also recognized the fact that the key drivers of industrialization are the quality of infrastructure on the ground and, of course, peace and security since investors will not go to a place that is unsafe and insecure.

"We thus began the strategic and careful plans to provide world-class infrastructure through land, sea and air.

"Today, ladies and gentlemen, the Akwa Ibom story has become a national story, a state that was once a civil service state today is being described as Nigeria’s Best Kept Secret.

"We didn’t just construct roads for the sake of it; we embarked on economically viable roads that would interlock the state in one seamless movement", Governor Emmanuel asserted.





A member of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Brigadier-General J.O.J Okoloagu (Rtd) described Governor Emmanuel as a model worthy of emulation and said his industrial and infrastructural development programmes account for the peace enjoyed in Akwa Ibom State.

General Okoloagu who was the Chairman of the lecture stressed that if leaders at various levels adopt Governor Udom Emmanuel?s template, the battle against insecurity and youth restiveness in most parts of the country will be resolved.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Charles Igwe said, "the story of the transformation of Akwa Ibom State under your watch is an inspiring one.

He told Governor Emmanuel that, "your mantra of changing the narrative resonates well with many Nigerians who believe we can still achieve the great potentials inherent in this great country of over 200 million people."

Professor Igwe while presenting a special award of excellence to the Governor said his lecture was inspiring and will motivate the university community, and the nation at large to focus more industrial and infrastructural development to engage the teaming unemployed youths.

…Distributes relief materials to affected farmers

Akwa Ibom State Government (AKSG) has partnered the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the control of flood and its effects on farmlands in the State.


The partnership which was demonstrated through the distribution of relief materials to farmers affected by the 2020 flood in the State, was carried out at the State Secretariat field in Uyo, on Saturday, October 2, 2021.

Supervising the distribution, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Edet noted that the exercise was to cushion the effect of the flood which affected farmers in some parts of the state in 2020, and to help them find their feet after being grossly affected.




“This is the Governor’s way of consoling the affected farmers and encouraging them to go back to work”, she said, while commending Governor Emmanuel for having the interests of farmers at heart.

“It is only in Akwa Ibom state that Government distributes inputs, interest-free loans and other support packages to all categories of farmers. He has given agriculture a pride of place in the scheme of things , and has positively touched the lives of all categories of farmers across the state. God bless him”, she prayed.

Acknowledging the role of NEMA in the exercise, Dr. Edet observed that the distribution would not have been successful without the Agency’s resolve to support the farmers.

While charging recipients of the relief materials to use them in improving their productivity, the Commissioner warned them not to sell out the materials, adding that such would be an act of ungratefulness and self-cheat.



In his remarks, the Director General of NEMA, represented by Dr. Obot commended the State government for being among the few states with landmark achievements in agriculture. He also lauded the Agric Commissioner for her efficiency in managing the affairs of farmers in the State.

Goodwill Messages were received from the President, Iban Utoiwang Akwa Ibom, Obonganwan Magdalene Udom; A representative of SEMA, Mr. Uduak Obonukut; President, Female Farmers, Mrs. Margaret Nya; AFAN Coordinator, Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, Pastor Sunday Amos; Mr. Damian Egwu, State Supervisor, NEMA and others.

Inputs distributed included: knapsack sprayers, growth enhancers, pesticides, water pump, fertilizers, maize seeds, rice seeds, and herbicides.

The exercise which has gone round the three senatorial districts of the state was first carried out in Eket senatorial district on Thursday, 30th September; Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, on Saturday, October 2nd; and Uyo Senatorial District on Monday, October 4.



Read more https://nowupdateonline.com.ng/2021/10/07/aksg-nema-partner-against-flooding-of-farmlands/

...calls for proactive approach towards curbing environmental issues


In a bid to complement the Completion Agenda of the present administration, the Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals on Tuesday held the First-Ever Akwa Ibom State Environment Awards with the theme “Keep Akwa Ibom Beautiful Awards (KAIBA)”.

Speaking at the ceremony held at the Conference room of the Ministry, the Honourable Commissioner for Environment and Solid Minerals, Sir Charles Udoh described the award as first of its kind in recognizing and rewarding outstanding contributions made by individuals and corporate organizations in the state towards improving environment and promoting healthy standards.

He stated that the choice of awardees were not determined by personal relationship but independently by an expert jury representing a cross-section of professionals, including leading brand owners and retailers, sustainability organisations, environmentalists, academia and industry experts.

"Today's event is very significant especially since it's the first of its kind anywhere in Nigeria. It is simply an initiative aimed at encouraging the participation of residents, citizens and corporate bodies in Environmental protection, beautification and sustainability."

Giving an insight into the IBB project and many other lofty projects undertaken by the present administration, Sir Charles Udoh thanked His Excellency, Mr Udom Emmanuel for being an environmental friendly Governor.

" Our Ministry's success today is all due to the huge investment made by our environmental friendly Governor His Excellency, Mr Udom Emmanuel and we owe him a great depth of thanks."

He also urged citizens of the state to be proactive at all times in the protection and safeguarding of the environment.

In their separate goodwill messages, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Rt. Hon. Orman Esin and Commissioner for Power and Petroleum Resources, Dr. John James commended the initiative by the Ministry describing it as a right step in the right direction. They commended the recipients of the award and encouraged them to do more.

Responding on behalf of the awardees, the representative of Zenith Bank commended the Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel for providing a friendly environment where businesses can grow. He also thanked the Ministry for being able to interpret the vision of the present administration and promised to partner more with them for the growth of the state.

In his vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Nsudoh Nsudoh thanked all key players for their support and urged citizens to be proactive in the protection of the environment.

Highlight was the presentation of award to recipients according to their various categories.

The award categories and recipients were: Award Categories are :

1. Most Environment Friendly Bank ~ Zenith Bank Plc

2. Most Environment Friendly Construction Company: - Nigerpet Structures Ltd

3. Most Environment Friendly Local Government Council Chairman: Arc. Iniobong Oruk, Chairman Nsit Ubium LGA

4. Most Environment Friendly Local Government Council Office ~ Uyo LGA

5. Most Environment Friendly Hotel ~ Signature by Royalty

6. Most Environment Friendly Eatery -Chicken Republic

7. Most Environment friendly Radio Station - Passion Fm

8. Environment Reporter of the Year - Radio
Kesiena Eboh Simpson (Keke), Inspiration Fm

9. Environment Reporter of the Year - TV
Idongesit Ikono, AIT

10. Environment Partner of the Year - Individual
Captain Iniobong Ekong (Rtd), SSA on Security

11. Environment Partner of the Year - Corporate - China Road Bridges and Corporation (CRBC)

12. Environment Design Company of the Year
PRELIM CONSULTIING

Dignitaries at the event include the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Orman Esin, Commissioner for Power and Petroleum Resources, Dr. John James, Chairman, Uyo Local Government Area, Dr. Uwemedimo Udo, Chairman, Nsit Ubium Local Government Area, Arc. Iniobong Oruk, Head Quality/Environmental Health Standards Chicken Republic, Mr. Olawuyi Kazeem, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Nsudoh Nsudoh, Managing Director of Nigerpet Structures Ltd, Mr. Sunday Popoola, Senior Special Assistant on Security, Capt. Iniobong Ekong, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare ably represented by Director of Admin, Mrs Anietie Archibong, environmental stakeholders, partners, directors from ministry, among others.

©️ Edidiong Williams, Uyo

...INAUGURATES 25KM UYO-IKOT EKPENE DUALISED ROAD

Nigeria's Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan has described Governor Udom Emmanuel as Nigeria's true symbol of peace unity, justice and progress, saying Akwa Ibom is indeed blessed to have him as the Governor at a time like this.

He says the Federal government has noted the Governor's sincerity of purpose and commitment to the economic development of Akwa Ibom State.

Speaking at Ikot Ekpene, Tuesday while performing the inauguration of the 25km Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road completed by the Udom Emmanuel led adminstration, the Senate President who said he was marveled at the development strides recorded in the state under the leadership of Governor Emmanuel even in the midst of prevailing economic challenges, observed that such feat was made possible because of the love he has for his people.

He praised the Governor for judiciously utilizing state resources in the development of the State, assuring of the readiness of the federal government to partner the Governor in the infrastructural development of the state.


Lawan assured the state that the National Assembly will interface with the Federal Minister of Works and other relevant offices for the reimbursement of funds expended by the state in fixing federal roads in the State.

"You are truly a pan Nigerian. You are leader, a Governor who believes in the unity of Nigeria. We are solidly behind the quest of making Nigeria a solid, united nation. Today this country is going through a challenging period. The kind of challenges we face in Nigeria requires that all hands must be on deck to surmount the myriad of challenges facing the country.

"I'm happy and so proud to be here. I have seen a real genuine, committed partner in the development of Nigeria.

"Mr. Governor, I want to thank you for opportunity to Commission this road.
Governor Udom Emmanuel is what I call justice. He is unity, he is peace, he is progress, he is development.

"And you are right in all actions you've taken. When this road was left at 20 percent, you took over the project for the love you have for the people of Ikot Ekpene in particular and Akwa Ibom in general. This is what Nigeria needs at this time.


"You did this because you want the people of Ikot-Ekpene and Akwa Ibom to have a good road, that's why you put in the resources of this state to complete this road. Your request for a reimbursement by the Federal Government is in order. You deserve refund. I will join you in talking to the Federal Minister of Works and Housing to call for a refund of money sunk in the road", Senator Lawan added.

Speaking earlier, Governor Udom Emmanuel while welcoming the Senate President to the project site, described the road as critically strategic to his Completion Agenda, and lauded the host communities where the project traverses for not stalling the progress of work on the road.

He appealed to the federal government to effect reimbursement to the State on the funds spent in constructing the federal roads in the state.

"The event of today is truly a joyous and happy day for me. This particular one;(Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road ) gives me an exceeding joy. This road remains critically strategic to our Completion Agenda".

Allaying fears over the state of the proposed Seaport project, the Governor assured that the project was on course, assuring that nothing would stop the actualization of the project.


"In this era where there is no money we are surviving. We are expecting a whole lot more from the Federal Government. We need to be supported, we need to be encouraged.

"The noise you are hearing on social media cannot stop development on the Ibom Deep Seaport".

Giving an overview of the project, the Commissioner for Works, Prof. Eno Ibanga who described Governor Emmanuel as a promise keeper, explained that the road which is a dual carriage, has each lane 8 metres wide and builit to specification by the German Contactor, Julius Berger Construction Plc.

"Each lane of the road is 8metres wide. Built to specification by Julius Berger. Akwa Ibom State does not take chances when it comes to quality".

In their messages of goodwill, the Senator representing Ikot-Ekpene Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Dr. Chris Ekpenyong, House of Representatives Member for Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Nsikak Ekong and the Chairman of Ikot Ekpene Local Govenrment Council, Hon. Unyime Etim, showered encomiums on Governor Emmanuel for changing the narrative in infrastructural development in the State.

Recalling how the opposition used the road as a political campaign tool against the PDP, stakeholders of the area particularly praised the Governor for not abandoning a road project he inherited at 20 percent construction stage from his predecessor, but ensured that the Project was built to specification.

They described the road as an economic gateway to the state, pointing out that the road would be of immense help to the people of the area, and reassured him of their unflinching support towards his completion and succession agena.

Among personalities that graced the commissioning ceremony include, the Governor's wife, Dr. Martha Udom Emmanuel, Deputy Governor, Mr. Moses Ekpo, Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District, Engr. Dr, Christopher Ekpenyong, Senator Aloysius Etok, House of Representatives Member for Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Nsikak Ekong, Members of the State Executive Council, Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, and several other serving and former office holders.

...charges them on continuous support for Governor Udom Emmanuel

As part of her commitment and in the spirit of the 34th anniversary of state creation, the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Edet has celebrated with stakeholders drawn from across the eleven wards of Ini LGA.

The event which aimed at encouraging the stakeholders to be steadfast in their support for Governor Udom Emmanuel was held on Sunday, October 3, at Ikpe Ikot Nkon, Ini.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Glory Edet cited the appointment of sons and daughters of Ini into positions of authority, rice processing mill, road construction, etc. which have been attracted to the area as part of the reasons they should continue supporting the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel.

The Ini MPM Coordinator urged them to take advantage of the ongoing INEC registration exercise to equip themselves ahead of the 2023 elections.

She enjoined the participants to embrace the ideals of the MPM by continuing to give peace a chance in the area so as to allow development thrive.

In his response, Honourable Etetim Anwatim, a former Council Chairman of Ini, appreciated the Governor for making Ini a beneficiary of his infrastructural revolution in the state and appreciated the Honourable Commissioner for the passion she exudes in the discharge of her duties and pledged to continue supporting the administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel

Others who also spoke were Honourable Marcus Akpan, Vice Chairman of Ini LGC, Honourable Okon Asuquo (Political Shark), Honourable Lawrence Udoide, Special Assistant to the Governor on Inter-Party, Honourable Raphael, Councillor Ward 4, Apostle Ukata Akpan, Supervisor, representative of women stakeholders, Obongawan Ogbonaya, chief Effiong Udofia, etc.

Also in attendance were, Councillors, Supervisors, Governor ‘s appointees, clergymen and a host of others.

A vote of thanks by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Ini Ikie brought the colourful event to a close.

The stakeholders were thereafter treated to a sumptuous buffet and all went home smiling.

The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel has been formally invited as Guest Speaker to the 2021 Founders' Day of University of Nigeria, Nsukka,UNN.

This was made known Sunday, during a courtesy visit on the Governor by Prof. Bennett Nwanguma, Chairman Senate Ceremonials, Committee, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, at Government House, Uyo.

Governor Emmanuel who accepted the invitation as Guest Speaker of the 61st Founders' Day of University of Nsukka, Nigeria billed for October 7, 2021, thanked the delegation from the University community for nominating him to speak at the occasion indicating that the session will be an avenue to interact and share knowledge and experiences which will be of benefits to the University Community.

"Let me thank the entire University for nominating Akwa Ibom State because I am representing the people first, so I want to appreciate that recognition.

"This lecture means a lot to us because this is an opportunity to share experiences, interact with the University community which we believe will be beneficial to the people as it will pass information, knowledge and experience to the people and the entire university community’’, he said.

Speaking on the contributions of the University towards nation building, Governor Emmanuel maintained that Nigeria can surmount its challenges if there is a re-awakening of a moral rebirth in the minds of the people to take up their responsibilities, the country will be better off.

‘’We need to pass a message that we can fix it, we must rejig the system and get things done, we should not allow many things to decay in our land and the only way to do that is to pass information where we try to rebuild a moral rebirth in our people and the confidence in our people that we must forge ahead and if we don’t fix it nobody will do it for us’’, the governor stated.


In his remark, the Chairman, UNN Senate Ceremonials Committee, Professor Bennett Nwanguma, who led the delegation, said the Founders' Day Ceremony was an annual event at which founders of the prestigious institution are remembered and honoured, with particular tributes to Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and his generation of Nigerian leaders.

He thanked Governor Emmanuel and members of his cabinet for the warm reception and hospitality accorded him and his team and expressed the gratitude of the UNN community for the governor’s acceptance to feature at the event.

Expounding further, Prof. Nwanguma, the Chairman of the event planning committee, said two reasons informed the choice of Governor Emmanuel as Guest Speaker for the year’s event.

Firstly, that Mr. Udom Emmanuel, with his record of performance as Governor of Akwa Ibom State, has gained the credence of the University of Nigeria community as one from whom they would draw inspiration and motivation.

Secondly, that the University of Nigeria enjoys historical relationship with Akwa Ibom State, because the motion for its establishment was moved by an indigene of the state, Chief Ibanga Akpabio in May 1955, he added.

With evolutions in the communication trend, it is important for Public Relations managers to be smart, creative and equipped with social media skills to fit in to the dynamics of contemporary society.

This was the submission of the Special Assistant to Governor Udom Emmanuel on Research and Documentation, Comrade Essien Ndueso, Thursday at a public lecture on the theme: " Evolution of Public Relations Profession:The Shifting Skills Required in Today's Public Relations Practice, organized by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations Students Association, NIPERSA, University of Uyo chapter, held at the Town campus of the university.

Comrade Ndueso, a former Director of Information and Public Relations in the Student Union of the University, was a guest discussant at the event, which keynote lecture was presented by the Director General of AKBC, Pastor (Dr.) Anietie Ukpe.

Others at the lecture included, Head of Communication Arts Department in the University of Uyo, Prof. Peter Esuh, Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Mr. Aniekeme Finbar, Akwa State Vice-Chairman of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, Mrs. Mercy David, Chairman, Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, Akwa Ibom State, Otuekong Franklyn Isong, lecturers in the Communication Arts department, Newspaper publishers, Communication Arts and Public Relations Students.

Describing Public Relations as a 'very serious management function in any organization', the Govenor's aide harped on the need for those aspiring to become PR practitioners and those already in the field to ensure they are abreast with latest trends in the society in order to excel in their assignments.

"Public Relations is a very serious management function in any organization'. PR is beyond 'landing', 'brown envelopes' and writing of press releases.

"Any body practising Public Relations must be in-tune with the latest trends and must have social media skills to be able to do better".

"Skills in photography, typing, editing photography and video, and having an influencial presence in social media make it possible to key into the dynamics of the global village, where with a press of a button, the ears of the whole world is within one's reach.

"You must be very creative and must be dynamic in your mode of communication. You need to have easy access with the people you relate with. You must be very creative and must be dynamic in your mode of communication".

Mr. Essien Ndueso, an alumnus of the department and former President of the Association in 2004/2005, launched a scholarship scheme for indigent students of the department with a cash donation of 50,000, and pledged to always be associated to programmes in the department.


Delivering a keynote address, the guest lecturer, Pastor(Dr.) Anietie Ukpe, who is the Director General, Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation, AKBC urged Public Relations practioners to see publicity as a means and not the end, and must at all times ensure that every detail of their PR job is geared towards customer's satisfaction.

He advised that they must ensure that their products or services have no defect as such could register a negative impression in the public space.

Ukpe, a former Chief Press Secretary to the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State stressed the need for PR experts to churn out truthful and inspiring stories that would capture their audience.

In his words; "Public Relations – not Publicity: Before it was all about publicity. But today, publicity should not be the end of your efforts. Everything should be wrapped around customer satisfaction.

"Publicity should be the means, not the end. Why? Because dissatisfaction spreads fast and bad news travels faster than good news. So, ensure that your product or service has no defects and works perfectly. After that word of mouth testimonies and online posts may drive it to great heights

Pastor Ukpe hinted that, "Every public relations practitioner, worthy of the name, should always remember that crisis and opportunity are different sides of the same coin. That every cloud has a silver lining," adding that "public relations is story telling and in order to tell the right stories, you need to source, analyze and scrutinize data."

Source: Mfonobong Ukpong

Press Release

The highly anticipated Catch Up Concert which is poised to deliver the best of art and music from Akwa-Ibom, featuring the highly talented musician FreeLance alongside ingenuity laden indigenous artists, will hold on November 19, 2020 at the Emerald Events Centre, Uyo.

No doubt, music has proven to be a powerful medium that effectively entertains, consoles the broken hearted, inspires, is therapeutic and can be a fiery weapon used in addressing societal and political ills. Its unparalleled ability to easily reach and touch lives irrespective of Nationality, tribe, culture, religion or gender, makes it the formidable go to platform. The Catch Up concert is deploying this vital asset to touch lives. The trio of MMAC Entertainment, Akwa-Ibom Recording Artiste Association (AIRAA) and Uwi Nation have partnered to bring a culturally music themed concert to celebrate, foster the growth of music and art in the state and invariably connect meaningfully with the Youths.

According to Mike Essiet, the CEO of MMAC Entertainment which is reputed for Afro-centric event brands “We are thrilled to bring this event back to the Land of Promise. Our home grown talents have proven to have what it takes to excel in the Art and music spheres. What they need are opportunities to showcase their talents. The Catch up concert draws inspiration from one of our top rated artiste, FreeLance’s latest single of same name, which is making waves globally. Bringing FreeLance, top rated artistes alongside our indigenous ones, will indeed be a spectacular show to behold”

Quite a number of members of the Akwa- Ibom Recording Artistes Association have benefited immensely from the influence of the association on their career via the promotion of their music as well as projecting them into the mainstream Industry. This stems from the resilience, dedication, and requisite skills in audio production/audio engineering acquired and injected into it by its founder and President, Precious Ewa, an alumnus of the SAE Institute Middle Sex University, London.

Precious whose stage name is supersonic blaze stated “We are pleased to be part of this iconic music concert. Our locally based talented artistes will also leverage on this platform to showcase what they have. We are all for building artistes brands, talents, skills, collaborations and career exposure. As the Creative Director for Catch Up concert, it behoves me to ensure that nothing but the best is witnessed on the day of the event”
The Catch Up Concert will not only light up the State with music, fun and dance but will also rekindle hope and confidence in youths in pursuit of their dreams.

One section of an entire state cannot constitute itself into a cog in the wheel of progress. The seaport and industrial city projects may be sited in their close proximity, but it is for the entire state. Only a foolish person cuts his nose to spite his face.

This appears to be what one Chief Okon Nkpubre, who is championing the ethnic agenda in Oron, appears bent on doing. Chief Nkpubre who is supposed to be a leader, has decided to behave like a typical APC member, thoughtlessy and aimlessly, leading his people to a mindless fight against Akwa Ibom State's common heritage.

Gov Emmanuel is a benevolent father who loves and cares for his people. He doesn't discriminate against anyone or has deep affections for his dear people.

Being a father to all, He has made sure that everything in Akwa Ibom State is equal, no discrimination. Governor Udom has tried in his own efforts to balance the development equation of our dear State.

He has tried as a good leader to make sure he puts smiles on everyone's face.

Now, let is talk about this Oro issues. No matter how you insult Udom Emmanuel, our Governor, it won't change anything. But the problem is that, why can't Oro Nation embrace good things for once. Since His Excellency is a caring father, He has tried his best to make sure he put such good structures for Oro people which could be appreciated but they started insulting the Governor, which like I said earlier, won't change anything. Stop blaming Mr Emmanuel or saying what you can't defend tomorrow. Our Dialect's axiom says that " EBOT OTU ATÀ ABRE OTU, IFÒD ATÀ IDÈM" that is what Oro people are doing to themselves.

I will continue to thank His Excellency Governor Udom Emmanuel for making things right for His dear State.

© Emediong Daniel (Ibominknews)

Following my reaction to the varying outbursts made by some Oro brethren on the Ibom Deep Seaport project, it has become necessary to set the narratives straight lest my message is misconstrued.
I had said in the opening paragraphs of my previous piece that Oro Nation have been penchant in their quest for acclaimed injustice “with due respect to the handful of exceptions there”.

These exceptions – the likes of the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem; Sen. Akon Eyakenyi, who have demonstrated passionate and committed representation; Sir Okon Essang, a technocrat; Otu Ita Toyo, former State Chairman of the PDP, Sir Michael Essang, and others who’ve earned a name as peace makers and development architects in reality, can never be abased or found carrying placards to stall development.

The SSG and Senator for Eket especially, are integral parts of the government and have made sufficient engagements with the people and those who do not want to accept are the petition merchants and war mongers.

As a matter of fact, if indeed, things have fallen apart for the third largest ethnic group in Akwa Ibom (as they claim), the above-mentioned names would have spoken up first. Afterall, they stand better chances of being heard by virtue of their proximity, ties and relationship; but they have not. It therefore means that these persons are not just satisfied with the activities of government but actively following the painstaking efforts of the State Government which is aimed at the overall good of everyone.

So, rather than sing in divided and discordant tunes, “the other mould” of Oro Nation should as a matter of necessity look up to her models, seek their advice and exercise civility, than turn into a petition-churning republic where their collective reputation is damaged.
I have said it earlier and elsewhere that this issue of petitions on micro interests, slow down development for the larger populace.

How come Akwa Ibom State University of technology billed for campuses in Eastern obolo and Ibeno was relocated to Oruk Anam and Mkpat Enin and we had no protests from Ibeno nation or Eastern obolo nation and those campuses are admitting students of Akwa Ibom state from all the local government areas of the state and even beyond and bringing developments to the state? Why is it that issues of name change and adjustments based on privileged positions of superior information by government should be issues that would cause us to derail the progress of a project that will bring us unprecedented economic development? It's very disturbing and I believe that those who are championing this understand that they are laying a foundation of divisiveness which generations unborn will come to inherit.

Meanwhile, Oro Nation has quite a number of projects to call its own courtesy of the present administration. Ibaka still has the industrial City Project and in few days time, the government will flag off the foundation for the commencement of the NNPC logistics centre project, including several others. So, their false alarm of being deprived is laughable and only points at their self-created artificial barriers because; when you try to alienate yourself from the larger Akwa Ibom public, it breeds distrust and should be discouraged.

Government makes policies and adjustments, based on realities on ground, that doesn't mean that people should go and discourage the prospective investors. Writing petitions directly to the prospective investors is anti Akwa Ibom and should be discouraged and condemned.

Rev Richard Peters

Akwa Ibom is richly blessed with the best of mineral resources (we know), and characters in diverse moulds; one of which is the Oro Nation – the Nation who always want to be seen as small-important and hard-to-get.

With due respect to the handful of exceptions there, the minute ones who do not sum up to one-fourth of the entire Oro populace have always given a rather sour impression of the noble people, under the guise of one socio-political body or the other.
If it is not the ‘Think Tank’ today, it is ‘Oro Union’, ‘Akpakip Oro’, ‘Esu Nlap Oro’ tomorrow, or some other unnamed group in the news.
From the word “go”, some Oro people have always been on their trouble tracks, refusing, resisting and insisting.

Three administrations ago, they had resisted the closure of the old Oron road where the Airport runway was to pass through. The women of Okobo practically went naked on the street, cursing that the god of their unclothedness will destroy the then state Governor if their land is used for the Airport. Their reason was simply because the project according to them, held no singular benefit for them. Following their very shameful act and petitions, Obasanjo who was then the President, had to come down to instruct that no airport should close the old Oron road.

Sometime in 2020, the same people mounted the streets, protesting an alleged marginalisation by the state government and the multinational oil firms operating in their locality.

The protesters, comprising youths, men and women from Mbo, Okobo, Udung Uko, Urue Offong-Oruko and Oron, halted economic activities as the commercial town of Oron was locked down for over three hours.
And the height of it was their costume - the protesters were ALL dressed in black, with placards and banners bearing inscriptions such as, “Exxon Mobil and others must recognise Oro or leave’’; ‘Akwa Ibom Government is a threat to peace’’, among others; we all saw it!
It didn’t end there; they further sought an order of the court, directing the State government to pay the sum of N4Trillion to them as compensation and damages for the wrongful and unconstitutional “exclusion of the Oro nation as an oil and gas producing community.”

The Ibaka Deep Seaport which is being discussed today also has its story which hinges on the change of name and change of location. The same people had vehemently refused the name change from Ibaka Deep Seaport to Ibom Deep Seaport on the flimsy grounds that “a lot of Oro natives had purchased landed properties in Ibaka, in preparation for business opportunities at the Port”, and that “Oro will not accept a seaport which does not properly accommodate and integrate the interest of the Oron people”.

Isn’t it obvious that some Oro people are not just selfish but self-centred? Was the Seaport meant to be owned, managed and run by them as an inheritance or a birthright? Does the government not withhold the right to change settings and arrangements based on prevalent circumstances? Yes, it does. No ethnic group owns a public project built with taxpayers money and the goodwill of a few selfless individuals.

It therefore implies that if this third largest ethnic group in Akwa Ibom were to have been the host of the International Stadium, they would have resisted its renaming after the former Governor simply because it was so designed from the onset.

Lest they forget, the Seaport is neither a state project nor a national affair. It is an international affair hence, the earnest scout for investors who will buy unto the vision. As such, writing petitions and waging written wars would only spell stagnancy and abandonment of the project. And so, the lands which they claimed to have bought will remain idle for them.

As much as we know, the Governor has nothing against the people of Oro. No one will go through the stress of seeking approval for such huge project and winning the hearts of investors over, only for a group of selfish people to stall it with cheap sentiments called petitions.

As a matter of fact, anyone coming to invest in the project believes they are coming to do business in Akwa Ibom. No one cares about Oron, Uyo or Ikot Ekpene so it’s high time Oro Nation stopped their shameful demonstrations and beclouded sentiments. The communality of the Akwa Ibom which we share should make us see whatever project anywhere as “our” collective property and not the Anang, Ibibio or Oro project.

Let it not be recorded that Oro people are not Akwa Ibom conscious as this would paint an appalling picture of them before their brothers. It is not too late to look back, rethink communalism and change the narrative. We are still one!

By Rev Richard Peters

Governor Udom Emmanuel, Saturday flagged off the planting of 300,000 special breed of coconut seedlings in Akwa Ibom, announcing September 18 as the annual state coconut day in the state.

This follows the government's target of cultivating two million coconut seedlings in the State to serve as raw materials for the just completed St. AGabriel's Coconut Oil Factory at Mkpat-Enin.

Performing the flag off, Governor Emmanuel who led other top government officials by example himself, planted 50 seedlings at the Government Coconut Plantation, Ekeya, Okobo, saying coconut which is of high yielding value in the international market, has the potentials to replace crude oil.

He said the coconut planting exercise was being performed simultaneously across all the local government areas in the state, adding that planting coconuts in schools were also being targeted in the scheme to ensure that the state coconut oil refinery was fully supplied with coconut fruits.

He called on the federal government and Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to partner the State in coconut investment.

"Today is a very special day. It is the day that is borne out of vision.

"The At Gabriel's Coconut Oil Virgin Refinery we have in the state is first in Africa. We want to create a future for our young ones. Coconut has 365 uses which means that every single day that God created has a use for coconut"

"The Coconut refinery has been completed. What is next is a test run and knowledge transfer.

"Coconut is of high value and can possibly serve as alternative to crude oil. This is a great investment for CBN and the Federal government"

"We have a much bigger plantation in Mkpat-Enin, Eastern Obolo and Ikot Abasi.

We are embarking on a campaign to cut down trees without economic values in schools, to replace them with coconut. Each student in public schools will be given a coconut seedling to plant.
In one day, one million students of secondary school would have planted one million coconut seedlings.

This will create competition among the youngsters. These are high breed seedlings we've been able to acquire across the world. The refinery is going to be a master economic breakthrough", said the Governor.

He appealed to the host communities to ensure the coconut plantation is nurtured and protected.

"This is the resource of 7.2 million people. We believe that you will nurture, protect and sustain it"

Earlier in her speech, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Emmanuel Edet said God has blessed the state with fertile soil, and hailed the Governor for paying premium to agriculture and food security.

She noted that the massive investments in coconut plantation is part of measures to further diversify the economy of the state, adding that Akwa Ibom is set to take over the International coconut oil market in Nigeria.

"Coconut oil is taking over the crude oil market, Governor Emmanuel is a visionary leader for planting coconut across the state and building the coconut refinery at Mkpat Enin."

She further lauded Governor Udom Emmanuel's numerous developmental strides in the agricultural sector.

" In your first tenure agriculture was key and now agriculture has been revolutionised. We can only reduce poverty through agriculture, You have empowered farmers by giving farm inputs. We now cultivate onions and other vegetables. You have made farmers to go back to cash crops, just two months ago cocoa seedlings were distributed to farmers . Farmers are so happy with the cocoa processing factory at Ini." she added.

The State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Uyobong Uko commended Governor Emmanuel for spreading the coconut planting initiative like wild fire across the state, adding that he has witnessed several farm inputs shared to farmers across the state on a regular basis through the Governor's initiative.

He reiterated the support of the Federal Government towards the coconut initiative and said that, they will continue providing rural infrastructure to farmers across the state.

Speaking also, the Chairman of Okobo local government area, Sylvester Attah described the Governor as a visionary and creative leader whose creativity has brought great development in the Agricultural sector of the state.

He further appreciated Governor Emmanuel for having the interest of Okobo people at heart by intervening in a communal war in the area, as well as the construction of a major road in the area, and pledged their undying support towards his administration's Completion Agenda.

Also speaking on behalf of Farmers, the President , All farmers Association of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State chapter, Prince Bassey Inwang , thanked the Governor for his endless agriculture programmes through the ministry of Agriculture aimed at bettering the lives of farmers in the state.

"We have been distributing to farmers all you have given to us through the ministry, fertilizer, knapsack sprayers, seedlings and loans, we can't thank you enough," he said.

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel has advised the people of the State to be wary of those plotting blackmail and violence as political tools in their quest to attain political power in 2023, saying such politicians do not wish the people well.

Addressing a crowd of supporters, Friday at Onna Sports Stadium during the grand finale of the inauguration of the local government steering committees for a peace advocacy machinery, Maintain Peace Movement, MPM, he expressed his belief that power is not attained through blackmail and violence but by Divine Providence.

Governor Emmanuel who formally accepted the role of Grand Patron of the movement, described MPM as a divine and forward looking movement geared towards sustaining the gains of good governance in the state.

He emphasized that no meaningful development can be achieved in the absence of peace, hence his insistence that the prevailing peace must be sustained beyond 2023.

"MPM is forward ever, backward never. We are trying to consolidate what God has done for Akwa Ibom. This movement is like Noah's ark and I must say this is another Noah's ark. We set up the ark in 2018/2019. We called it Divine Mandate, Only God. Those who joined the ark that time now have cause to smile.

"There can't be development without peace. We want to sustain the peace. Any body who is seeking power through violence and blackmail does not wish Akwa Ibom well.

"There is only one Governorship seat. you have to take difficult decision. It's about peace in our State for us to attract foreign direct investment, for us to attract investors, for us to create medical tourism for Akwa Ibom people and lots more".

Governor Emmanuel gave the Central Coordinating Committee of MPM, led by National Legal Adviser of PDP, Barr. Emmanuel Enoidem a pat on the back for doing a good job, describing them as true lovers of the State.

"These people love the State that's why they are accepted to go round and preach the message of peace."

In their goodwill messages, the State Chairman of PDP, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Akpan, Senator Akon Eyakenyi who spoke on-behalf of Members of the National Assembly, Leader of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Udo Kirean on-behalf of Members of the State legislature, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Ephraim Inyang, and Chairman of Onna local government area, Mr. Iniabasi Ekanem as well as the chairman of forum of local government chairmen, ALGON, Mr Iniobong Robson, all re-echoed their readiness to remain supportive of the Completion Agenda and succession plan of Governor Udom Emmanuel.

Inaugurating the steering committee of the movement in Onna, Chairman of MPM, Barr. Emmanuel Enoidem, who described the people of the area as worthy ambassadors of MPM, said he and his team were in Onna to water a seed that would be beneficial to all.

Harping on the importance of peace and the need to sustain the Governor's development efforts, Enoidem who is the National Legal Adviser of PDP said the best thing that has happened to ONNA and Akwa Ibom State was the emergence of their son, Mr. Udom Emmanuel as Governor in 2015.

He pointed out that while the nation, Nigeria is still grappling with the negative effects of APC's misrule at the centre, Akwa Ibom has enjoyed relative peace and unprecedented economic growth as a result of quality leadership employed by the Governor.

"Today is the grand finale of the inauguration of MPM across the 31 local government areas in the State. We stand here representing you as Ambassadors of peace. We have your mandate to ensure peace is maintained in your time and after your time"

"There is no part of this state that your administration has not touched. You've engineered in the minds of every Akwa Ibom son the spirit of entrepreneurship.

God, through you, has brought peace to Akwa Ibom State. This Peace cannot be taken for granted", Enoidem stated.

The MPM boss enjoined the people of Onna who have attained voting age, but haven't gotten voter's card to visit the nearest INEC registration center to collect their PVC's. He equally enjoined those wishing to become members of the PDP to avail themselves of the ongoing online membership registration exercise.

The MPM steering committee for Onna has the National Assembly Member representing Eket/Esit-Eket/Ibeno/Onna Federal Constituency, Hon. Pat Ifon as Coordinator, while the Deputy Chief Whip of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and Member representing Onna State Constituency, Rt. Hon. Nse Essien is to serve as Deputy Coordinator.

The Chief Protocol Officer to the Governor, Mr. Edmund Ufang is the Secretary.

Members of the steering committee include, Mr. Ephraim Inyang, Mrs.Owoidighe Ekpoattai, Ubong Adiakpan, Umoette Umoette, Ukpong Ukpong, Etienne Bob. Johnny Udofot Sunday, Ekerette Udo, Akaniyene Idem, Umoette Ukoette and Friday Ufot Ben.

Advisers are; Imo Attat, Mfon Umoedet, Joshua Nyoho, Ezekiel Umoh, Dr. Bernard Duncan. Elder. Barr. Ime Ekpotai, Hon. Courage Inam.

All around the world, everyone is looking for an OPPORTUNITY. When it comes, people call it different names, some will say it's a favor from God, others would say it's a connection, whatever name you call it, an average Craftsman or business owner would tell you that it is not easy to find an opportunity to be hired or patronized by the right client who is willing to pay the right price for a service.

But thanks to Craftzone Technology, an indigenous technology startup that has created a platform that offers opportunities for everyone who has something to offer, to meet the right clients without stress.

Before I go into details, my name is Mike Essien, a freelance brand consultant and in my line of work ideas rule the world. So, recently I fell short of ideas (which is not unusual), ideas that I needed in tons. I needed to refresh my mind and break the spell, so I consulted my usual oracle “the Internet”.
As I began my consultations, few minutes into the ritual, I stumbled on an ad by CraftZone app and I was wowed by the captivating caption, “Double Your Hustle…” Honestly I had to pause there for a while because that ad was for me; I have been looking for ways to double my hustle.

So, I decided to learn more about the mobile app by carrying out personal research. Unknown to me, that was the beginning of my journey to a community of services, a land of the free, where service providers are treated equally. CraftZone App was the answer to my prayers. Imagine an app that is free to download, and free to use with no hidden charges.

The challenges that came with running my business were too numerous. During and after the Covid19 lockdown, I was faced with challenges of securing jobs and trust issues; clients find it hard to trust freelancers and vice versa. To avoid getting scammed, I had to act smart and CraftZone mobile app was the deal breaker for me, the smartest way to run my business.

In the course of my research, I learned that “smartphones aren’t very “smart” without the software apps that give them their usability and versatility (Voas, Michael, & van Genuchten, 2012). Applications like CraftZone are some of the softwares that give a mobile phone its true worth.

With just 4 steps (1. Downloading the craftZone app on Google play store, 2. Registering my business, 3. Activating my account and 4. Adding my services) using my mobile phone, I can proudly say I am a CEO of an international brand because with this app I receive calls and bookings from around the world. Truly speaking, I have doubled my hustle and profits. As a freelance working without a business address was also an obstacle to the growth of my business, but with CraftZone App I can proudly say I own a business location on a global space with an internationally recognized address.

My CraftZone Experience has been impeccable, exceptional, and fantastic. Without CraftZone App, I would have been running a myopic business. Through CraftZone app I have been able to carry out 100% safe transactions with 100% customer protection; I have tripled my client base and profit. CraftZone App is a must-have and a must download for business owners, service providers, and employers of labor.

CraftZone app …. Smart services

The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel has revealed plans to establish a College of Science and Technology that will run as an intermediary programme to prepare students into Science and bridge the gap of effective science learning preceding tertiary education.

He has also solicited collaborations with University of Lagos in the areas of personnel training and manpower development said the state is set to rejig the curriculars of education generally and that of Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) through collaborative programmes and entrepreneurial courses packaged to establish students after their school year.


Governor Udom Emmanuel made these known on Monday, while receiving a delegation from University of Lagos, his Alma Mata, led by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe in a courtesy visit at Government House, Uyo.


“So we are trying to rejig the curricular, we want to bridge a gap of intermediary education the way you see in other places, so we are thinking of establishing a College of Science and Technology that will serve as an intermediate programme that will prepare people to come into science because in most cases students leave secondary school and gain admissions into the University, and most secondary schools don’t have the same standards, so we are trying to bridge that gap and it is an area we need a whole lot of assistance”.

“We want collaboration with you in our tertiary institution Akwa Ibom State University, (AKSU) I am sure the Commissioner for Education with Vice Chancellor of AKSU will make a presentation at Exco very soon in these areas we want collaboration especially in the area of training our people, lecturers and a whole lot, this is because the original vision of that institution was to specialize in Science and Technology”.


The Chief Executive Officer of the state also indicated that plans are underway to formalize empowerment programmes at the skills acquisition center established by the state government to create jobs for youths, calling on University of Lagos to partner the state in areas of manpower development and entrepreneurial courses in the centre.

“This year we announced that we are declaring a state of emergency in the education sector beginning from the basic level, rejig the system, recruit better teachers and this is an area we want UNILAG CONSULT to handle for us.

"We have a whole lot of areas we will collaborate as government, I have a department headed by youths all they do is entrepreneurial training and set up, but I see that I can formalize that and what I am doing right now is we will setup a full institution, which after the first year of studies in that school, one starts earning money”.

Governor Emmanuel, thanked them for the visit and promised to support the institution host the Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA).

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, who described Governor Udom Emmanuel’s leadership as unique in the state said as an alumnus he has made the institution proud and expressed readiness to partner the state in manpower development of the state's tertiary institution.

“We want to acknowledge your contributions in the areas of industrialization and power and we want to assure you that if there is any area you want us to collaborate in studies, we will be ready to collaborate with the state.

"We are bringing on board two major things, we are ready to collaborate with you concerning the young university, just like the Borno State University that we are going to train their lecturers and some of their lectures who had to do Ph.D. definitely we will be able to assist them because of the collaboration we have with other tertiary institution outside the country it will be easy for them to do their research work.

"The second thing is collaboration with government in areas of studies, you want to test your feasibility, and we will do it”.

In appreciation for her numerous contributions to humanity, the growth and development of churches across the state, support to the less privileged persons, the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture who is also the Dean, College of Commissioners and Special Advisers, Dr. Glory Edet has been conferred with an excellence award tagged "SUSANNAH WESLEY AWARD".

The award was presented to her today, Sunday, September 12 at the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Ibiaku Ntok Okpo, Ikono Diocese, Ikono LGA.

Responding shortly after receiving the award, Dr. Edet appreciated God for His faithfulness in her life from birth, the leadership of the church for finding her worthy of the prestigious award and promised to use it as an encouragement to work harder to move the state forward in line with Governor Udom Emmanuel's vision for the state.

His Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Moses Ekpo who also received an award for his support to the church, appreciated God for the growth of the church and promised to always support the works of God.

Others who were present at the event were, the Executive Chairman of Ikono LGA and wife, Chairman Ini of LGA, Dr. Udeme Nnana and wife, former Chairmen, etc

...as Mike Enyong splashes N6m start-up business grants on indigenes

In re-enforcement of his position that empowerment is the panacea for poverty alleviation in the State, the Member representing Uyo/Uruan/Nsit Atai/Ibesikpo Asutan Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Rt Hon. Michael Enyong has given out another bunch of 1 million naira each to 6 indigenes of the State as start-up business grants.

The grants totalling 6 million naira were presented in cheques to the beneficiaries at the Federal Lawmaker's Uyo Residence, Wednesday.

In his remark at the empowerment event, Enyong otherwise known as Baba Ntan described the gesture as a strong commitment, which he owes his constituents and indigenes of the State at large.

He noted that the recent batch of his "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" empowerment scheme, coming few days after he had distributed 1 million naira respectively to 11 indigenes, is an emergency effort to hit, in no distant time, a target of 300 beneficiaries of the grant.

Ably represented by the former Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hon. Samuel Effanga, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals, who highlighted that entrepreneurship contributes significantly to the betterment of the living standards of the people, cuts down poverty level in the State and largely impacts on the economic growth of the State, made it known that these sort-after benefits which is his vision for the constituency and the state are key influences on his philanthropic gestures.

He promised to leave no stone unturned until hits his target of producing 300 millionaires.

On behalf of the beneficiaries, Akanimo Udofia, lauded the Uyo Federal Lawmaker for the great push given to them in order to ensure they become self-reliant, pledging to make best use of the money.

In the eyes of the masses, Udofia revealed that Enyong is seen as a promise keeper, a true friend of the needy, an unconventional leader and development-oriented lawmaker, praying God to reward him.


Political stakeholders at the event included: Hon. Ita Udombon, former Transition Chairman, Ibesikpo Asutan LG; Mrs Paulina Akpan, PDP Chapter Woman Leader, Uyo LG; Hon. Okon Joshua, former PDP Chapter Chairman, Uyo LG; Hon. Monday Sampson, former Councillor, Nsit Atai LG; Hon. Emmanuel Ukim, former PDP Chapter Chairman, Ibesikpo Asutan LG; and Obong Okon Nsentip, former PDP Chairman, Uyo Senatorial District.

Read more https://nowupdateonline.com.ng/2021/09/09/aibom-gets-6-new-millionaires-see-list/

Governor Udom Emmanuel has called on the Federal Government to review upwards the revenue allocation to states in order to improve the economic growth and enhance industrialization in the country.

Governor Emmanuel made this known while receiving a team from the Revenue Mobilization Allocation/Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) on a sensitization visit led by the Federal Commissioner, Hon. Sunday Ayang, on Wednesday, at Government House, Uyo.

The governor urged them to reflect on the major challenges of the states in their input and work towards its implementation to further assist states tackle pending financial issues.

“Let me appreciate this call to my office, some of the grey areas and concerns you have pointed out, please I want to appeal that this should be an exercise that will yield results.

"Honestly the current sharing formula is not helping matters at all especially we in the oil producing areas, what you sign into law from the center is also a major problem, how can you say that a community will take only 3% from the proceeds of the NNPC and it’s generating a lot of heat here but we are trying to manage that.

"Irrespective of going round we all submitted the memoranda of PIB nothing was taken into consideration.

"So I hope this won’t be a similar exercise and that what we contribute will be taken into consideration. What we should do should help build and unite the country, coordinate economic activities for our growth and for the interest of everybody so that we can leave at peace.

"I welcome you to the state, be rest assured you will have all our cooperation and the exercise will go smoothly please let it be an exercise that will yield success and not another fruitless labour you are embarking on ’’, the governor stated.

The governor pointed out that the state does not receive revenue from the large gas reserve, VAT from International Oil Companies IOC operating in the state.

“Gas is a major issue, I can’t be a state that sits on the largest quantum of gas in this country and I am not getting anything. 36.1% of Oil and Gas reserve of Nigeria is in Akwa Ibom State and I am not getting anything from gas, so how is it computed, there is something wrong somewhere, it is wrongly computed.

"These are raw data that can be verified anywhere. Now there is another controversy of VAT, all VAT from these IOCs where are they paying them to, they are not paying them to us, so there are many things you should look at and develop for the federal government.

"So VAT from IOCs, from oil and gas should actually go to the states these things are produced”.

The State Chief Executive called on the federal government to review the revenue allocation of the state to address the issue of population increase, marine security along the coastal lines, erosion menace to reduce the burden of the state government.

In his remarks, the team leader from Revenue Mobilization Allocation/Fiscal Commission and Federal Commissioner Representing Akwa Ibom State, Hon. Sunday Ayang, stated that the purpose of the visit was to sensitize Akwa Ibom people on the review of sharing formula between the Federal, States and Local governments, where stakeholders will send in their inputs to capture grey areas.

According to Ayang, the constitution makes provision for the exercise to be carried out in 5 years to further improve on revenue among the three tiers of government, noting that the team is working towards presenting memoranda before President Muhammadu Buhari for assessment and necessary actions.

"It is an honour to be here Your Excellency to discuss matters of revenue allocation formula review, the primary purpose of our visit is to sensitize the people in the state of the fact that Revenue Mobilization Allocation/Fiscal Commission is embarking on an exercise to review vertical formula of sharing the allocation revenue the three tiers of government’’.

I expected that outing to be dramatic. So it was. After all in 2014, Oron and Ikot Abasi were epic centers of tragicomedies.

I love Obong Bassey Albert’s(OBA) style. Charming in distress. Courageous in ambush. A solo vocalist. A self style activist. Generous. Charismatic…

It is true to Maintain Peace, the State must be guided by Justice, Equity and Fairness. But should OBA be the falconer? Should he rightfully stir this hornet nest?

This tripod of Justice, Equity and Fairness -JEF is then an orphan. OBA has made JEF a pack of cosmetics. When you want to attract confused bachelors apply it. When your desires are met, wash it off.

Did OBA consider the wheel of JEF in 2014 when against known historical and political realities stake his seat as Commissioner of Finance for 7years to grab Governorship which was known to rotate to Eket Senatorial District after Uyo and Ikot Ekpene had taken “turns”?

Many things will work for OBA. Certainly not JEF. He would have had a popular appeal had he mobilized Akwa Ibom to the rescue of Oro Nation in 2014 or Eket at large.

Uyo Federal Constituency is bereaved, because OBA’s artillery crushed them in 2015 and 2019. They only had a shot once at the Senate 1999-2003. While Ibiono Ibom enjoys the pourri for 12years without recalling Justice, Equity or Fairness as it is now.

Since OBA could not,- which he could have – negotiate JUSTICE for Oro Nation; was not FAIR to Eket Senatorial District and had trespassed the compass of EQUITY for UYO Federal Constituency, his call for JEF, is too weak a solo for a desirous orchestra fit for multi- congregation of divergent interest.

This our OBA is in TINUBU kind of political bobby traps. OBA claims to have conceded to Eket Senatorial District before President Goodluck Jonathan. That must have been a personal negotiation, not party, certainly not binding on over 7million people. This is the implications:

•Justice did not appeal to him hence, the only person or authority that could appeal his ego was the President. By giving him GEJ, they robbed him a cliff to the anchor of a tripod – JEF- which he is in dire need now.

• Jonathan is no more the President. Certainly, not in charge of the political mercenaries or political structure of PDP.

•There is a name he omitted yesterday. That person like Jonathan, is no more in PDP. He may have facilitated that meeting with President Jonathan.

• In his claims yesterday, he mentioned Barr. Enoidem, Senator Akon Eyakeyin, Hammer( Enobong Uwa) as preachers of the gospel of Peace which he heeded in 2014. The question is, where these persons guarantors to OBA’s irrevocable succession of Akwa Ibom Hill Top Mansion 2023?

•Since His Excellency Mr Udom Emmanuel is the beneficiary of the peoples mandate in 2015, and nowhere, was his name mentioned, is he and other emerging stakeholders after that infamous political negotiations liable for a party they neither partook nor shared in the cocktail?

• It thus appears, the ASO ROCK medley was a win- win. OBA and AKPABIO became Senators; UDOM Governor. But has OBA raised questions about the fate of other 24 aspirants who were on 40 days and nights fruitless sojourn in Abuja? I wish he does. Empathy is a strategy.

OBA should wakeup. The game had long begun. Those who could not give him the least significant item as MPM FEZ CAP cannot trust him with a GEM as precious as SEAL OF THE GOVERNOR OF AKWA IBOM STATE.

Now that OBA has publicly committed himself to the philosophy of Maintain Peace Movement MPM, he should be mindful of the Donald Trump style politicking. It might make sense to the Republicans, but detested by Democrats and those indifferent. The consequences is for your guessing.

Like or hate him, he is a master of some political notes. He understands sentiments, grandstanding, phatic emotions, jilt, solidarity, religion as a political vehicle, manipulation etc. Above all he has a voice which he is confident.

However, the task ahead calls for more. The people he is up against are no toddlers. Can’t you see how they played along yesterday? He raised a chorus, they joined. He dived into worship, they were deep with him. He spoke, the listened. Where necessary, they concurred.

When he said I speak the minds of Ini Ememobong, Akan Okon, Henry Archibong, Ememobong Essien, Chairman Ibiono Ibom, was that exaggeration, emotional blackmail or manipulation for political gains?

If no one wears your cap, OBA wear it yourself. It’s fine like dat

But let’s Maintain Peace!

Read more https://nowupdateonline.com.ng/2021/08/30/mpm-inauguration-weep-not-oba/

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.

..ISSUES DEMOLITION NOTICES TO THREE CHURCHES IN UYO

Only property owners with structures that have no approved building plans have reasons to worry and make noise over the ongoing routine development control exercise by the Uyo Capital City Development Authority, UCCDA.

Subsequently, those who feel their structures are marked for demolition in error, are expected to report to the Authority with their approved building plan duly signed by an authorized official, rather than rush to cry wolf on the media.

The Chairman of Uyo Capital City Development Authority, Prince Enobong Uwah who spoke with our reporter on Wednesday urged developers to always obtain building approvals from the Authority before erecting any structure within the Capital City.

"Sometimes people could get approvals to erect bungalows but go ahead to build sky scrappers, others build in reserved or restricted areas, or government in furtherance of its development plans may have need for urbanisation and opening up of an area and this could affect structures in such locality."

He said the exercise is normal and not targeted at any particular individual or organisation and warned people to ignore attempt by some structure owners, at whipping sentiments to curry sympathy.

At the routine development control exercise by the Authority earlier on Wednesday,
the representative of the Chairman of the Uyo Capital City Development Authority, and Head of Town Planning Department, TPL Eshiet Freddy, frowned at indiscriminate siting of illegal Developments including shanties, containers, makeshift stores on government right of way, stressing that such structures distort the master plan of Uyo capital city.

The team also inspected structures at Ikot Oku Ikono Junction by flyover, Mbierebe Junction and Mbiabong Etoi by Ring Road Three, Oron Road where they demolised illegal development including shanties, warned road side traders against indiscriminate display of wares.

UCCDA further reiterated the resolve of the Government to stop at nothing to ensure that Uyo metropolis is given a status that befits it and sanity brought to it.

It warned against increasing wave of illegal activities of street traders, indiscriminate display of goods on road setbacks and walkways on major roads.

Mr Freddy, at the monitoring across Ikpa Road by Uniuyo,
observed that street traders displayed their wares on the Government right of way and road corridors thereby impeding traffic and directed them to relocate.

He also issued a contravention and demolition notice to Dunamis Church, Ikpa Road opposite University of Uyo, HolyGhost Ambassador Ministry International, 8 Ekpanya Street, Uyo, as well as God's House of Refuge Ikot Ebido Oku Uyo.

According to the agency, the affected structures do not meet planning standard for approval as the buildings negate minimum requirement for its development, pointing to inadequate setbacks, space standard, building line and area distribution.

The mission of the Agency is to create an effective mechanism and articulate policies for the management of the urban land in accordance with Uyo capital city master plan for maximum utilisation and comfort of the populace .

This follows the vision of Governor Udom Emmanuel to build a beautiful, healthy, efficient, functional and enviable capital city for sustainable growth, that is conducive for living, working and recreation.

Press Release

The APC and its co conspirators in Akwa Ibom have shown clearly how uncomfortable they are with the peace enjoyed in the state, a peace that has subdued all evil machinations of enemies of the state. A peace which the Maintain Peace Movement, seeks to sustain in the state.

Leonie Huddy, PhD, professor of political science at the State University of New York at Stony Brook has summed it up that the fear of political opponents can cause one to make deliberate mistakes, even make utterances that can be harmful, odious, false and derogatory. That is exactly what is happening to the APC and their agents.

Ironically, the APC in Akwa Ibom State is not only in tatters and irretrievably broken up into factions and camps but they are currently led by sworn enemies who would rather hang on the sword than reconcile for the party to survive. The recent ward congresses of the party ended in a fiasco. Two to three persons are currently laying claims to being the bonafide leader of the APC in Akwa Ibom State. The party is a laughing stock, incapable of holding a single meeting without bonfires and gunshots.

One would expect that such a pitiable situation should occupy the leaders of the party Senator John Akpanudoedehe and Senator Godswill Akpabio, and discourage them from sponsoring ragtag mongrels like one Iniobong John, to be spewing insults against the peace, developments, life touching projects that the PDP in Akwa Ibom exemplifies under the able leadership of Governor Udom Emmanuel. The results are there for all to see from the air, land and sea, the infrastructure, the hospitals, the human capacity programmes, agricultural strides, even sports that never had a trophy now has many to showcase. PDP is maintaining the peace it has fought to institute and preserved by making life more meaningful for the people in the state despite the apparent cluelessness of the APC at the centre.

The opposite of good governance is the case in the APC, notably at the centre. It is a sad tale of failed promises since 2015, the APC government has made Nigeria a butt of jokes. All the promises made before 2015 are now useful materials for comedians to feast on. All promises have been cancelled. Nigerians are actually begging to be returned to the same state they were before 2015.

The Nigerian economy that has collapsed under APC. The security situation is detoriating . Terrorists or bandits as the APC rulers choose to call it, now stroll boldly everywhere, annexing parts of the country and mocking our resilient soldiers who have been left to their fate. Recently, the bandits defied the very institution that trains our soldiers, killing two of its officers and abducting a senior officer(a Major) at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), in Afaka, Kaduna State. How shameful that the army is forced to negotiate ransom with bandits for the return of its personel. That is a next level graduation, from the hitherto abductions of innocent school children from the secondary schools in the North West, North East and North Central to outright invasion of security formations.

Every day is a troubling day in a troubled nation, Nigeria. Nigerians are now numbed to killings, maimings,, kidnappings, and destruction of lives and property. Reports of massive killings and kidnappings no longer merit news mention on prominent pages of newspapers.

Failure of the APC government to address escalated insecurity challenges has crippled the agricultural sector and disorganised commercial activities leading to imminent food crisis with the cost of food and other necessities of life skyrocketing beyond the reach of Nigerians. Nigeria, under the APC administration, has now become the poverty capital of the world, ranking 98th out of 107 in Global Hunger Index, with 22.95 food inflation rate and increasing morbidity and mortality rates.

The governance style and complete lack of experience in managing the country has been glaring. This APC and Buhari regime is better known for its vices including exclusionist tendencies, trade restrictions, nepotism in government appointments, disregard to rule law, relegation of constitutional order and principles of separation of powers; abuse of human rights, electoral malpractices, harassment of opposition and arrogant insensitivity to the sensibilities of the Nigerian people by the APC administration have occasioned instability, economic crisis and avoidable acrimony that are threatening our corporate existence as a country.

The cost of living is so high. Inflation is at an all time high, the APC government has ruined the nation. Infact a World Bank report in June 2021 says that Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari will lose the economic gains it made in the last decade at the end of 2021. It said, “By the end of 2021, Nigeria’s GDP is likely to approach its 2010 level, thus reversing a full decade of economic growth,”


The debt profile , the exchange rate, the poverty index, the unemployment that’s the highest in the world, the disintegration in the country, the brain drains on a daily basis are some of the indices of failure. That is not all, the petroleum prices that have doubled, the subsidy payments has tripled while the products remain almost unaffordable.

As media advocates of the Maintain Peace Movement, the Maintain Peace Media Network, insists that the aforementioned rots that have bedeviled our nation are the issues that should concern either Senator Akpabio, Senator Udoedehe or whoever the party members finally agree as their leader, rather than pennies to Iniobong John for silly insults on a governor that has doled out peace to the people.

THAT SAME GOD who has stood with Akwa Ibom State to ensure that the state can have a peaceful electoral process without a single case of kidnapping, bloodletting, assassinations and bloodshed, shall continue to make sure the state remains safe and in safe hands.


Signed

MAINTAIN PEACE MEDIA NETWORK
Akwa Ibom State
August 25,2021


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Being energetic, visionary, well educated, experienced, possessing leadership skills, and a genuine love for community service should ordinarily form some of the basic qualifications for leadership even in the political space.

However, as Akwa Ibomites prepare for 2023 governorship elections, the criteria for the search and selection of the next state chief executive is not just about these qualities. Other criteria such as the nature, quality, and background of aspirants that have so far indicated interest has divided the aspirants and direction of the contest to be between two distinctive kinds of ASPIRANTS. On one side are those we could call the 'just arrived' (in politics). People with no exposure in public service either elected or appointed. They have worked for decades in the private sector, some are business moguls, but have just arrived the state's political scene with a desire to become the next Governor of Akwa Ibom state (these are generally believed to have recognizable 'international email addresses'). On the other side are aspirants with political or public service background. People who have either been elected or appointed into political office in the past or presently. These fellows are popular in the state due to their deep grassroots activities and interactions with people over time. They are not new to the challenges of the people and that of the political and economic climate of the state.

The state Governor himself, Mr. Udom Emmanuel sparked the “International Email versus Grassroots Politician” controversy when in one of his speeches he openly said that “…we need a governor with an "internationally recognized email” and not a mere crowd puller who shares money on the street or go on long convoys.

However, the people are not interested in the controversies, they are only interested in good leadership and this time it seems a man of the people is needed because Gov. Udom Emmanuel is a man with the internationally recognized email and having led the state for 6 years now, the people want something different, after all, variety is the spice of life.


The question is, between a person who is just arriving after spending three decades or more working from the 27th floor of an international firm somewhere in Lekki/Victoria Island in Lagos or New York in America, far away from the penury, poverty, and other challenges of the people he seeks to govern, and a person who has spent decades trekking, toiling in the political scene, participating in community development and cutting his or her teeth in political leadership and its peculiarities in Nigeria, who is likely to make a good political leader?

The argument cannot be limited to Nigeria, it must be taken international; we could begin with the 44th President of America, Mr. Barrack Obama. Obama’s performance during his stay in office has remained yet unrivaled as he has been adjudged one of the best Presidents America ever had because according to celebrity TV host, Christiane Amanpour, ‘President Barrack Obama has been involved in American politics long enough to know exactly what Americans want and this has made it easy for his administration to be very direct in their approach to solving America’s problems”.

For example, at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown across the world, and its attendant economic and social challenges, Rt. Hon. Barr. Onofiok Akpan Luke was the first public servant in Akwa Ibom state to dole out palliatives in cash and in materials to the people. On the fateful day, he gave out 15million naira in cash to his constituents in addition to truck loads of food items. He did this even before the Government conceived the idea of giving out subsidies to citizens. Such a demonstration speaks volumes of a leader who understands the challenges of his people and is passionate enough to proactively move to action. Such are pointers that a Governor of such disposition might not be comfortable to owe government workers backlog of entitlements whether salaries, pension or gratuity.

Also, ahead of his contributions to the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) in the National Assembly, G.O.A.L, as he's fondly referred to, held a town hall meeting where hundreds of copies of the bill was circulated to his constituents to make their contributions, before he eventually collated same to enrich his presentation on the floor of the House. Such legislative engagement is hardly heard of in this clime. This is a clear demonstration of respect for the people's opinion and a listening mindset.

Ahead of the 2019 polls, an election where the ruling PDP faced stiff political onslaught, Onofiok Luke, as the then Speaker of the State's House of Assembly, was at the forefront, confronting the opposition and standing by the state Governor to ensure victory for "THE PEOPLE". At all times, he has proven that he understands the yearnings of the PEOPLE and that to act in the interest of the people is paramount to him. At the National Assembly, he has accurately separated politics from governance, a development that has seen him always networking with the who-is-who in the country, irrespective of political leanings, working for the benefit of the PEOPLE.

If it is true as said by many that Akwa Ibom now needs a Governor of the people, a man who truly knows what the people need, a person whose love for the people has been tested and tried and has been found to genuinely make himself available to many Akwa Ibomites both in times of joy and in times of sadness, even in times of 'political wars' then Barr. Onofiok Luke has everything it takes to be the next Governor of Akwa Abasi Ibom state.

As against the new narrative making the rounds that Akwa Ibom State needs a Governor with an ‘internationally recognized email’, there is absolutely no good records that people who have been very far from their people in search of greener pastures (which by the way is a noble venture) make better leaders to their people than those who had been with the people, shared the little they had with the people, had first hand experience of the situation on the ground and advocated at various times for them, as well as share in their challenges.

President Emanuel Macron of France had no companies and no internationally recognized emails, same as Joe Biden of America. In fact, it is easier to link experience in public service to good political leadership than it is to link experience in the very conservative and rigid private business world to good political leadership.

Back to Akwa Ibom, the people need a man who understands the necessity of funding the grassroots systems in order to spread the wealth and economic development, and ameliorate the current groaning in the state. Not a man who will look down on the majority of the people because of a feeling of superiority to or thinking 'I'm better than them'.

The people must not be made to feel privileged to be led by a particular governor; rather public service is always a privilege to the public servant.

Onofiok Luke, like Barrack Obama, is without international business concerns but rich with the currency of relationships and proven passion for service with sterling results to show. He is highly experienced and has the largest following amongst politicians in the state due to his empathetic spirit, interactions and connections with the people over time.

From being a Student Union leader to Personal Assistant to the Governor, House of Assembly member, Speaker, State House of Assembly, and now one of the most outspoken members in the National Assembly. He is a fellow of Harvard school of leadership. A school attended by most men of global relevance. Due to his diligence he was spotted, selected and fully sponsored by the American government to be a part of the International Visitors Leadership Program in the USA. There is no way such curriculum vitae in public service can be put away.

Come 2023, Akwa Ibom people know what they want, and from the mood in the state, it is crystal clear that the people will be firm on their demand to be governed by a man with a deep passion for the welfare of the people as against any aspirant who wants to take the governorship seat as retirement benefit from the private sector, and would need up to 3years to learn the modus operandi of this particular terrain or to understand the real need of the people.

(Daniel Okwara is a PR Executive and political communications strategist).

The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel has reiterated his commitments towards exterminating cultism in Secondary Schools in the State, calling on parents to join in the fight to correct the ills in the society.

Governor Emmanuel made this known during a special thanksgiving service to mark the retirement of the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Godwin Abraham, held on Sunday at The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Dominion Mega Parish Akwa Ibom Province 1 Headquarters, Ibesikpo Asutan local government area.






The Governor who acknowledged the success of the Chief Judge during his service to the State, pointed out that every man who serves God will not go unrewarded.

He urged parents to model a Christ-like life based on morality and values to their children as part of efforts to reduce cult activities in the society.






”Today is the thanksgiving of my lord the Chief Judge and his entire family, that is why I sang that song ‘It pays to serve Jesus’, you heard his testimony, how he got born again…How I wish I can send him to Uyo High School to help me talk to those students that cultism is absolutely rubbish.

“I am sure in our days we didn’t hear cultism in Secondary School, but these days in Secondary Schools and if case is not taken, Primary Schools, it is absolute rubbish and we need to kill that monster in our state, else those who are cheering it now will regret it.

“It is the task of everybody, parents and guardians to join to fight that monster. Anywhere God has a promise the devil will always drop something so that the promise will not be fulfilled, I want to believe the devil not drop that in our land”, he said.






The Chief Executive Officer of the State, described his working relationship with the Chief Judge as cordial, noting that his contributions towards building the State were exemplary.

He commended him for returning to God in a thanksgiving service thereby unleashing the blessings of thanksgiving and appreciation to God, upon his family.

Read more https://nowupdateonline.com.ng/2021/06/27/cultism-in-our-secondary-schools-will-be-things-of-the-past-governor-emmanuel/

Residents of Manta Village in Abak LGA have lauded the councilor representing Abak Urban Ward 2 and the leader of Abak Legislative Council, Hon. (Queen) Sandra Bassey for her efforts on fixing the bad portions along Manta Ukpom-Pepsi Junction Road.

Manta-Ukpom road lies in the political district of Abak Urban ward 2 and presently the major road linking Uyo and Abak local government areas through the General hospital Ukpom.The elated residents spoke in a separate interview with newsmen in Abak last Saturday, Democracy day.




Deacon N. H. Ukpong, a PDP elder in the ward appreciated the councilor for her quick intervention.

He said that the road was supposed to have been a byepass, but due to the ongoing construction of the Flyover at Nung Oku Ikono, commuters and heavy duty vehicles circumvent the work-in-progress flyover which deepened the deteriorated state of the road and had also caused hardship on residents of Abak Urban ward 2 and other road users.
“vehicles couldn’t ply this road as a result of these bad portions of the road but this remedial intervention is highly commendable”, he said.



Read more https://nowupdateonline.com.ng/2021/06/15/road-maintenance-residents-laud-councillors-intervention/