Establishment of Akwa Ibom Security Trust Fund Bill scales second reading

…receives overwhelming support by Lawmakers

A bill for a law to establish Akwa Ibom State Security trust fund on Tuesday scaled second reading in the Akwa Ibom House of State Assembly.

The bill which is sponsored by the Honorable Member representing Nsit Ubium State Constituency Hon. (Barr) Otobong Bob is co-sponsored by fifteen other lawmakers.

Highlighting the Eighteen (18) sections bill during debate at plenary, the Nsit Ubium Lawmaker unfolded the many benefits Akwa Ibom Stands to derive when the bill is passed into law and urged the state lawmakers to support the bill.

“Mr. Speaker, Honorable colleagues this bill will foster effective Public Private Partnership for crime prevention and eradication to make the state safer.

“It will provide adequate funding for the procurement and maintenance of patrol vehicles, armored personal carriers and other security equipment to security agencies operating within the state”. He said, while narrating the numerous objectives and functions of the fund.

Also speaking in support of the bill, the Honorable Member representing Etinan State Constituency said; “This bill is apt and will provide funds for training and retraining of security personnel in the state”.

In his supportive opinion, the member representing Ibesikpo Asutan State Constituency Rt. Hon. Aniekan Uko said the bill will go a long way to boast the morale of security personnel operating within the state as the proceeds from the funds could be used to reward personnel who render exemplary services citing a similar gesture which occurred recently in Lagos.

Other members who threw their supportive weights behind the bill included Hon. Asuquo Nana Udo (Member, Ikono), Hon. Mfon Frank Idung (Member, Etim Ekpo/Ika), Hon. David Lawrence (Member, Eket).

The Honorable Speaker thereafter committed the bill to the House Committee on Security, Youths and Sports for in-depth study to report back to the house within one month.

Richard Peters


A Spider web is a structure created by a spider out of silk extruded from its spinnerets, generally meant to catch its prey. Such can be likened to the fathom “victory” of Senator Godswill Akpabio, a victory in disguise meant to hunt him.

The recent judgment of the Calabar Court of Appeal regarding the conduct of fresh election in Essien Udim Local Government Area in less than 90 days which has stirred lots of controversy between the two leading parties in the state – APC and PDP – seems to be misconstrued.

Supporters and analysts alike have gone to extremes in the course of saying what they know and do not know on the fate of Akpabio and Ekpenyong.

Similarly, quite a number of vain celebrations are ongoing by those thinking Akpabio won at the Appeal Court. This ignorance of what the Appeal Court’s ruling implies has also necessitated the myriad of name-calling hurled at the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mike Igini.

The vain celebrators, rather than focus on the issues in the ruling are painting the town red for a verdict that against Akpabio .

The point is that Akpabio and his people celebrating a case they lost shows that they must be under the influence of something. They're writing all kind of things suggesting that he won. Of Course those people are pushing him to his early political grave.

The question that we should ask those congratulating Akpwbio is, What was the case of the parties in the Tribunal ?

What was the case of Akpabio at the tribunal and Appeal court ? Was any of his prayers granted ? None was granted,therefore , celebrating the Court of Appeal judgement would amounted to absolute foolishness.

For clarity, Akpabio lost big time at the Court of Appeal because his case from the Tribunal in Uyo up to the Appeal at Calabar was that he won the Senatorial District election in Akwa Ibom North west , that INEC arbitrarily and bluntly refused to add his 61,339 votes to his results. And that if the scores were added, he'll be a winner, therefore, the Court should add the figures to his votes and declare him the winner. That was Akpabio's case.

Akpabio did not ask that election in Essien Udim Local Government Area should be annulled, he never said so. He claimed that the votes were genuine, legitimate and should be added to his votes but both tribunal and Appeal rejected the votes . He never asked for the cancellation, so why the celebration?

What was the case of INEC? The case of INEC from day one was that there were massive rigging of the election, manipulation, violence and snatching of sensitive ballot and result sheets. Akpabio led thugs to snatch result sheets and taken to private homes to be thumb printed for him. INEC made this public during the election that the genuine votes for Essien Udim Local Government Area according to the accreditation reports and voters register ticked 19,455 as recorded by the card reader. And that Akpabio's 61, 339 votes are dubious and concocted. That was the case of INEC.

INEC further showed that for the fact that from the election, they did not declare anyone winner of the election in Essien Udim State Constituency uptil today attest to the consistency of INEC position. So at the Tribunal, Akpabio lost, He went to Appeal court and again his bogus 61,339 were rejected as fake and not genuine. The court ordered that election be conducted again in Essien Udim in support of INEC's position . Why are his supporters celebrating a monumental failure ?
What we should be asking Akpabio at a time is, whether the 61,339 votes he claimed that INEC didn't accept added for him? The answer is NO otherwise he would have been declared the winner. That means Akpabio lost again at the Appeal.

Akpabio has lost because he didn't ask that Election be reconducted in Essien Udim Local Government. So when you hear Akpabio and his people claiming that the Appeal cancelled the election in Essien Udim because of several Election malpractices, ask them, who perpetrated the malpractices?

Are they not the same people?
INEC was the one talking about malpractices at the court, but they were saying that there were no malpractices, that the Election in Essien Udim was free and fair. So who lost?

Akpabio filed a Cross Appeal but it was struck out by the Appeal Court. Why is he not talking about that? Not only that, Akpabio also alleged that there was over voting in Obot Akara Local Government Area which led to the cancellation of results in his Local Government Area, but INEC illegally returned the result of the Local Government. That same argument was rejected by the Court of Appeal. So how did he win? His argument that there was a case of over-voting in Obot Akara Local Government was rejected by the Appellate Court.

The Court of Appeal did not agree with him that INEC did anything contrary to the electoral guidelines. Nigerians would recall that it was this same Obot Akara that Akpabio's boys went and burn down all INEC vehicles in the eve of the election.

Akpabio also said that his votes in Midim 1 and Midim 2 in Abak was unjustifiable cancelled and he was denied of about 4,000 votes which he allocated to himself but canceled by INEC. The Court upheld INEC's decision to cancel those votes. So how did Akpabio win? So many election materials were hijacked in Abak and INEC officials refused to accept those results.

He pleaded to the Court of Appeal to add those votes to him, but the Court of Appeal rejected such plea. So how did he win?

He also said that his votes in five polling units in Ini Local Government Area were also cancelled by INEC without justification, but the Court also rejected this argument. How did he win?

None of his prayers granted by the Appeal Court. So how come he's now bragging of victory at the court of Appeal


The greatest indictment on Akpabio is that everything said by INEC about Essien Udim and Akpabio has been confirmed by the Appellate Court.

If his hands are truly clean as he claims, the rerun will tell. Otherwise , it will be a waste of efforts and resources celebrating a prey stuck in a Spider web.

Rev Richard Peters is a public affairs Analyst and writes in from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State

The founder of Ritman University Ikot Ekpene, Senator Emmanuel Ibokessien has expressed satisfaction over the judgement of the court of Appeal last weekend at Calabar and commended Senator Akpabio on his determination to seek justice on the wrong done to him by INEC and PDP in the State.

Sources close to Senator Ibok Essien confided to this reporter that he was so excited over the judgement saying that he was sad over the hatred on him by people whom Senator Akpabio singlehandedly picked from nothing to become something in life.

"It is sad that those Sen. Akpabio picked from dust could turn against him just because he left PDP, they connived INEC to frustrate him, thank God for the court of Appeal who has vindicated him" source quoted him

The Ritman University Boss is also quoted to have said that he is of the opinion that "Akpabio will defeat Chris Ekpenyong should he decide to follow the judgment of the court of Appeal"

...Says Fellowship Conferment secretly planned

The South-South Engineers Forum, a coalition of members of The Nigerian Society of Engineers of the South-South geopolitical zone, has urged the Secretary to the Government of Akwa Ibom State (SSG), Engr Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, to disassociate himself from the planned conferment of
Fellowship of The Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE) on him, by Engr Adekunle Mokuolu.

Recall that the Engr Adekunle Mokuolu faction of FNSE had earlier visited Dr Ekuwem and has purportedly concluded plans for a fellowship conferment on the SSG, at an event holding on Saturday, 9th November, 2019, at 4.00pm in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State Capital.

But the South-South Engineers Forum, in a statement issued at the end of its emergency meeting on Friday, November 8, 2019 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said the planned ceremony was shrouded in secrecy, without the participation of members of the College of Fellows in Akwa Ibom State.

The forum in the statement signed by Engr Prof. Howells Hart, FNSE, further said Engr. Mokuolu's secret visit with his entourage to Akwa Ibom State to confer Fellowship on the SSG is not known to any of the branches of the professional body in Akwa Ibom State.

It revealed that Engr Uduak Essien who is serving as the Chairman of the Planning Committee of the secret "investiture" ceremony had since September 27, 2019, been suspended as the Chairman of The Nigerian Society of Engineers, Ikot Ekpene Branch, for gross misconduct bothering on embezzlement of funds belonging to The Nigerian Society of Engineers, Ikot Ekpene Branch.

The group also advised Akwa Ibom State Government and the General Public to dissociate themselves from the ceremony which it said coincides with an earlier scheduled meeting of the South-South Engineers Forum in Port Harcourt.

Sanctions Dangle Over Akpabio, Interim Mgt as Oshiomhole Move to Enforce Ethics
Interim Mgt Team Distances Self from Racket, Escalates Rift with Minister
Full Bank Details and phoney Companies that profited from the Scam…

By Dotun Akintomide (The New Diplomat Online Editor)


As the feverish atmosphere generated by the dubious and inappropriate payment of about N1.9bn Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) questionable water hyacinth contracts to some companies allegedly linked to Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, escalates in the Niger Delta region, The New Diplomat has uncovered various phoney companies ( with their bank details ) to which the reported unauthorized payment of N1.9bn were made to on the directive of Senator Akpabio.

The New Diplomat investigations reveal that the controversial approval and payment of N1.9bn to these various companies which were allegedly executed in breach of due process without recourse to any “tender, due process or proper documentation and saw payments being effected without raising vouchers, a situation which reportedly raised a red flag at NDDC’s Finance department”, prompted top bureaucrats at the NDDC to report their displeasure over the sad development to top Presidency officials as well as top hierarchy of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) including its national Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

Insiders confided in The New Diplomat that the interim Management team at the NDDC, senior Presidency Officials and the leadership of the APC are very alarmed and highly disappointed that the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Akpabio could stoop so low to be consigning himself to payments of alleged “questionable Water Hyacinth Contracts deals in NDDC of about N1.9n which many believe are monies for the youths when there are serious critical issues and challenges of massive infrastructure, education, health, massive road infrastructure and bridges that are crying for attention in the Niger Delta.” The New Diplomat gathered that some of the companies allegedly fingered as conduit-pipes are mere brief case firms with no known history of work done previously. In fact, the following companies which the Minister reportedly approved payments for had no website to even authenticate their background! These include AUCICC Investment Ltd with FCMB Account details and address at 128 Eliowhani Road Port Harcourt; Betma Multipupose Services with GTBANK account details and address at 21 Lucky Street, off Road 24 AGIP estate, Port Harcourt; Ideanergy Nigeria Limited with ZENITH Bank Account details with office address at no 2 Ebony Road, Port Harcourt; Dartcom Projects Nig Ltd with FIRST BANK account details with office address at 6 Ndahbros Street, Trans Amadi; Rocksky Ventures with FCMB Account details and with office address at 18 Abuloma Road, Borokiri Port Harcourt and Niron International (Nig)Ltd with Keystone Bank details and with office location at 12 Abuloma Road, Port Harcourt.(SEE FULL LIST OF COMPANIES AND THEIR BANK DETAILS ATTACHED)

The controversial Water Hyacinth racket payments are said to have angered Presidency officials and Comrade Oshiomhole. Sources disclosed that this development may lead to alleged sanctions being meted out against the Minister and the interim Management team of NDDC for allegedly breaching directives and for failure to align themselves fully with the agenda of the administration. Said a top official of government: “ It is a big shame that a Minister has got himself entrapped in the web of payment scandal of water hyacinth in the NDDC. Your role as a Minister is to design creative policies and set standard policy direction for the Ministry. Issues of payments are left for the Permanent secretary of the Ministry. So, the Minister by getting directly involved in this contract deals of water hyacinth, has mis- interpreted his role and functions. The youths are now accusing him of changing the old list of companies approved by the old management team and having that old list replaced with new list which allegedly had 400 slots allocated to companies linked to him. I think it’s a big mess. The Party is not happy. Comrade as (Adams Oshiomhole) as Chairman of the APC, our great party is very disappointed. And he has said, he will take up the matter…”

In fact, a former Commissioner in Edo State who served under Comrade Oshiomhole when the later was Governor of Edo State and wishes to remain anonymous reiterated at the weekend that the APC chairman may have resolved to take up this issue as a serious ethical breach because as he puts it ‘ it amounts to engaging in acts capable of doing damage to very high integrity and reputation of Mr President and also tarnishing the good image of our great party.” He said: “ It’s a serious ethical breach. You just simply replaced approved names with new ones without tender, no due process followed , no procedural award , and you had these companies paid N1.9bn NDDC funds.. . These are funds meant for roads, bridges, education and in fact critical infrastructure projects in the Niger Delta region.”

In their reaction, APC stakeholders in Akwa Ibom said they are not surprised about this development at the NDDC, stressing that that accounted for why they earlier appealed to President Buhari to relocate the NDDC back to the Presidency to prevent Akpabio from reportedly plunging the Niger Delta region into another round of crisis at a time when our economy needs the prevailing peace and stability arising from peace in the Niger Delta creeks that have allowed for a regime of effective Oil and gas production activities. “ We are not surprised. Have you forgotten how he betrayed the man who brought him from Lagos, made him Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State?, I am talking about our elder-statesman, Obong Victor Attah. And have the media forgotten how he betrayed Obong Attah to Obasanjo. He teamed up with Obasanjo against Governor Attah, who is one of the most respected professional Architects in Nigeria and indeed Africa. Obasanjo made Senator Akpabio Governor. So we know where their loyalty lie … We are not deceived by this later day moves.”

Comrade Izon Ebi, an ex-militant leader who led over 2000 youths to disrupt operations at the NDDC last week while protesting against the alleged payment of N1.9bn to reported phoney companies with purported links to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs called on President Buhari “as a great, honest and patriotic leader who means very well for the Niger Delta region and is deeply committed to addressing the plight of the people of the Niger Delta to as a matter of urgency move the NDDC to the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President or the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as the case in the United States to prevent the current Minister from triggering serious actions that could lead to violence and fresh round of agitations in the Niger Delta.”

It would be recalled that Akpabio was recently fingered in an illegal recruitment racket of 300 staff into the NDDC but he quickly reversed himself following The New Diplomat’s expose of the recruitment scam which attracted the attention of Comrade Oshiomhole who reprimanded the Minister. That controversy had hardly died down when the Minister was reportedly named in an alleged N1.9bn controversial WATER HYACINTH NDDC payment deal to companies reportedly linked to the Minister.