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EFCC MOVES AGAINST YAHAYA BELLO
* Anti-Graft Agency Barricades his House In Abuja Amid N84billion Fraud Case
Reports has it that the EFCC siege is coming days after the former governor held a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, at the State House.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have barricaded the house of the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello in Wuse, Abuja.
Court Sacks Ganduje
* Affirms his Suspension As APC National Chairman
In a shocking development, a Kano State High Court has affirmed the suspension of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The court while granting an ex parte order, also restrained Ganduje from further parading himself as a member of the party.
The order was granted by Justice Usman Malam Na’abba, on Tuesday, following an ex parte motion filed by Haladu Gwanjo and Laminu Sani through their counsel Ibrahim Sa’ad.
The plaintiffs, who identified as executive members of APC Ganduje ward, said they brought the motion on behalf of the executive members of the ward.
Gwanjo, who identified as the party’s ward Legal Adviser, was the one that announced the suspension of Ganduje two days ago.
Subsequently, the court ordered, that henceforth, Ganduje should desist from presiding over all affairs of the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC.
Recall that Ganduje was on Monday, suspended by his ward in Ganduje, DawakinTofa local government area of Kano State over alleged corruption.
Speaking to journalists, the legal adviser of the ward, Haladu Gwanjo, said the former Kano Governor is alleged to have committed gross misconduct and misappropriation of public funds during his administration in Kano.
According to him, the Executive members of the ward resolved to suspend Ganduje’s membership after a vote of no confidence passed on him due to his inability to clear his name from a wide range of allegations of corruption, particularly the widely circulated video where he allegedly received dollars as a bribe from a contractor.
However, the Kano State Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a quick reaction on Monday afternoon, thwarted the suspension of the national chairman and sacked the ward leaders behind the purported suspension.
Speaking with reporters, the APC Dawakin Tofa Local Government Chairman, Inusa Dawanau, said those behind the suspension of Ganduje were caught in anti-party activities, and their records of meetings with the opposition have been exposed.
In addition to the suspension, the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party also sanctioned them for six months and set up a panel to verify several allegations against them.
The APC NWC had subsequently petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, asking the force to probe those behind the purported suspension of Ganduje.
In a statement on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Barrister Felix Morka, the APC said the perpetrators of the “criminal act” were not card-carrying members or legitimate officials of the APC in Ganduje’s ward.
Scientists Discover Extensive Brain-Wave Patterns
BY SIMON MAKIN
Yellow-toned MRI scan of a human head, showing the brain.
Alfred Pasieka/Science Source
May 2024 Issue
Neuroscience
The brain’s cortex, which handles higher cognitive functions in mammals, is split into six distinct physical layers marked by varying cell types, sizes and connections—and new research suggests these layers specialize in generating different brain waves, too. Outer layers seem to process sensory input, whereas deeper layers control what the brain does with the resulting information.
The new study, published in Nature Neuroscience, shows that rapid gamma waves often originate in outer layers, whereas slower alpha and beta waves arise in the deeper ones. This holds true across 14 cortical regions and four species, including humans. “When you see [a pattern] that ubiquitous and robust, you know it’s doing something very important,” says Massachusetts Institute of Technology neuroscientist Earl Miller, one of the study’s senior authors. The findings may have implications for understanding—and even treating—neuropsychiatric conditions.
Through multiple experiments, the researchers found the same pattern in each of 14 cortical regions in five macaques. They also saw it in brain-wave recordings from humans and other primates, and they found that mouse brain waves followed the same gradient (though with a broader frequency range).
Cortical brain layers, at less than a millimeter thick, are challenging to record from individually—so the study authors used probes containing multiple electrodes to measure all layers at once. An algorithm helped them pinpoint which layers those readings came from, and they confirmed these origins with an anatomical study.
“It’s really good that people are recording from different layers of the cortex,” says Helen Barbas, a primate neurobiologist at Boston University. “The fact they have a lot of information on this will give the impetus to others to follow.” She’s also curious what happens in cortical regions that are not as clearly divided into layers as those tested.
The researchers’ previous work suggested that high-frequency brain waves encode sensory information and that lower frequencies represent control signals. “We believe it’s literally the balance between your brain processing incoming sensory information and its control over that information,” Miller says. If this distinction is right, imbalances between these brain waves could be involved in neuropsychiatric disorders. For instance, if higher frequencies dominate (meaning the brain is processing sensory information excessively), this could cause attention problems or sensory overload. Too little high-frequency activity could be involved in psychosis because it would reduce information from the outside world, increasing the brain’s reliance on internally generated signals.
The new study suggests which layers these mismatches might originate in. Brains of people who have schizophrenia are known for reduced high-frequency gamma waves, for example. Co-lead author Andre Bastos of Vanderbilt University and his colleagues plan to check whether specific cells in shallower layers, which are likely involved in generating these waves, are dysfunctional in those with schizophrenia.
© Simon Makin is a scientist journalist.
Umo Eno begins process to Amend TRC law
* Meets AKHA after extensive meeting with Paramount Rulers
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, hosted Paramount Rulers drawn from 29 out of the 31 local government areas of the State, to find lasting solutions to the lingering issue arising from the amended Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers’ Law, at the State Executive Council Chambers. The Paramount Rulers of Ibeno and Ini Local Government Areas respectively were absent on health grounds.
In an athmosphere of peace and unity, the Governor thanked the Paramount Rulers and assured them of his government’s readiness to work with them to find a lasting solution to the matter.
“ I thank you most sincerely for heeding my call. It is through your support and the support of all Akwaibomites that I was elected to this office.
“I always pray that God will help me to always do my best to satisfy the majority of Akwa Ibom people.
“I have gone to Ibibio, Annang and Oro lands to sue for peace on this issue and let me thank Barrister Ekpenyong Ntekim for accepting to cooperate with us to resolve this matter out of court.
“The position of everyone from your submissions, is that you have all agreed on the principle of rotation for the position of the President -General of Akwa Ibom State Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers.
“We won’t want to meddle into this issue involving our revered traditional fathers. That is why we are setting up a 7- man Committee drawn from this revered body to make recommendations concerning the mode or structure of the rotation and submit the conclusions to us, in two weeks.
“We will thereafter, send the recommendations to the State House of Assembly for further considerations”, the Governor said.
There was a spirit of unanimity in the Chamber on the constitution of the committee by the Governor, as expressed by the following Paramount Rulers: Edidem (Prof.) Amanam Udo, Paramount Ruler of Etim Ekpo and Owong Okon Abang, Paramount Ruler of Mbo as well as Edidem Clement Francis Ekpenyong of Ibesikpo Asutan, who all spoke in total support of the setting up of the committee, on behalf of their colleagues.
In his speech, the Chairman of the State Traditional Rulers Council, Odidem Bassey Etim Edet, thanked the Governor for the excellent manner he has handled the matter and supported the idea of a committee to look into the issue as proposed by the Governor.
Also speaking, the Oku Ibom Ibibio and President General of Akwa Ibom State Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers, His Eminence, Ntenyin Solomon Etuk, CFR, also sued for peace, emphasizing that, “we are all bound by the same cords of unity. It is not about me, it is about the unity and peace of our dear State.
“I am an in- law in Annang land, and my son is married in Udung Uko Local Government Area, in Oro land. We are all one and we must embrace peace for our State to progress”, he said, while expressing support for the committee.
In his vote of thanks, Barr. Ekpenyong Ntekim a Counsel to some Royal Father who had initially instituted a court action on the issue, described Governor Umo Eno as a man of peace.
He thanked the Governor for his ingenuity in setting up the committee and expressed his support, stating that it represents the best way to resolve the lingering issue.
This position was also echoed by the State Attorney General, Mr Uko Udom, SAN.
The members of the constituted 7-Man Committee are:
1. HRM Edidem Etim Charles Daniel Abia,FCA, Paramount Ruler of Eket - Chairman
2. HRM Edidem (Dr.) Edet Akpan Inyang, Paramount Ruler of Itu- Member
3. Edidem(Prof.) Amanam Akpanudo Uko, Paramount Ruler of Etim Ekpo, Member
4. HRM Akuku Okon Udo Ukut, Paramount Ruler of Ikot Ekpene LGA, Member
5. HRM Owong Okon Asukwo Abang, Paramount Ruler of Mbo LGA, Member
6. HRM Edidem Ita Edet Okokon, Paramount Ruler of Okobo LGA, Member
7. HRM Okuku (Dr.) Ime Udousoro Inyang,JP, Paramount Ruler of Ibiono Ibom LGA, Member; while Dr.Emmanuel Umontuen, Secretary, Akwa Ibom Traditional Rulers Council, wil function as the Committee Secretary
Others present at the meeting were the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Elder) Udeme Otong, the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Enobong Uwah, Director General of Government Business, Chief Assam Assam,SAN, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Frank Archibong, and the Political Adviser to the Governor, Prince ( Dr.) Godwin Ntukudeh.
Jesus Resurrect Today
In John 14:19, He said, "Because I live, ye shall live also”.
Early in the morning, Mary Magdalene, a friend and follower of Jesus Christ, came to the tomb to care for His body.
To her astonishment, she found the tomb empty. Later as she wept outside the tomb, a man addressed her—the gardener, she supposed. But then He said her name, “Mary.” And she saw. It was Jesus Christ alive again. The knowledge was too wonderful to contain, and she ran to tell the others.
It’s a testimony that is still wonderful today. You can know, just as Mary Magdalene did, that Jesus Christ lives.
Because of Him, everyone will live again. If we follow Christ, we can find true happiness on earth and look forward to eternal joy in the life to come.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT JESUS?
BEING THE TEXT OF THE EASTER BROADCAST BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PASTOR UMO ENO, GOVERNOR, AKWA IBOM STATE, MARCH 31ST, 2024
“HE AROSE THAT WE MAY ARISE”
1.Fellow Akwaibomites
2.My wife, Her Excellency, Pastor (Mrs.) Patience Umo Eno, and I join you in celebrating the joy that Easter represents.
3.Easter is an important event in Christendom. It signifies the trial of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the pain and suffering he experienced leading to His crucifixion, and His ultimate victory over death through resurrection, which has brought salvation and redemption to mankind.
4.It is also the ultimate display of sacrifice and of love as aptly captured in Ephesians 5:2 (KJV) “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us as offering and a sacrifice to God.”
5.This is my first Easter broadcast to you my dear AkwaIbomites, since you massively elected me on March 18, 2023, to be your Governor. My gratitude to you for the love and faith you displayed on that day will forever, be deeply appreciated and ingrained in my heart. I will do all I can, to live up to the faith and trust you had reposed in me on that day.
6.We are living in a moment and time that mirrors what Christ went through over two thousand years ago, a period of trial and tribulation, of economic pains and anxieties but conditioned by hope that, just as Christ overcame death, we, too, will overcome this period and victory will be ours eventually.
7.We remain dedicated to turning the challenges and anxieties of today into opportunities for growth and expansion tomorrow. That, explains the intentional manner we have gone about tackling the harsh economic realities we are currently facing.
8.When nations or subnationals are confronted with dire economic circumstances, leaders devise means of addressing the needs of the people - short, medium and long term. That is precisely what we have done by showing compassion, love and attention to the most vulnerable and the neediest amongst us.
9.The headwinds of harsh economic atmosphere arising from the removal of fuel subsidy has affected us all, especially those on the lower rungs of the economic ladder. Thankfully, it was as if we knew this moment would come, as the key focal point of our governance blueprint, the ARISE Agenda, places huge premium on agricultural revolution, aimed at ensuring food security for our people.
10.This is not my score-card speech, I will reserve that for my First Anniversary Speech coming up on May 29. But it bears repeating that, in ten months, we have focused our attention on our most vulnerable population.
11.Since we came in, we have paid serious attention to social issues or providing palliatives to the most vulnerable.To date, we have released close to 15 billion for the payment of gratuities to our retired workers- primary school teachers, local government and civil service retirees. These compassionate interventions have made our elderly take care of their needs, especially medical. We will continue to release funds for this programme regularly.
12.Last week, we successfully launched our Arise food security programme, where vouchers were given to the vulnerable people to go and get free staple food items: Garri, rice and beans at designated redemption centres in designated markets across the 31 Local Government Areas. We had earlier flagged-off the programme at the state level on Tuesday 26th March, 2024. The remaining Local Government areas will follow suit on Tuesday 2nd April, 2024. This programme is currently ongoing. At the event, I also, had announced a 1.5 billion Naira interest- free loans (500 million Naira each to the three senatorial districts) to our traders. I was touched by the pain our market women and other traders go through to borrow money at high and unserviceable interest rates. This scheme, to be managed by Ibom Fadama and Micro finance Bank, is yet another intervention by us, because we care about our traders.
13.Let me thank our dear people for the love you have shown us for undertaking these compassionate and people-centric interventions. You elected us to serve you and as long as I remain your Governor, I will strive and endeavor to sacrifice my time and the resources God has blessed us with, to serve you, Remember, I came from your stock, so I feel your pain and anxieties.
14.We have undertaken free medical outreach programmes in Uyo, Oron and Ikot Ekpene, with Eket scheduled next. Over five thousand surgeries and various other critical medical interventions and procedures were performed free. Let me again thank you for the outpouring of love you have shown for this program. Permit me to also thank Hensek Integrated Services for partnering with us, as part of its corporate social responsibility. We hope other corporate organizations will follow the lead of Hensek. We will continue to undertake this exercise because as the saying goes, health is wealth.
15.The Arise Initiative for the Elderly where we give 50 thousand Naira monthly assistance to 600 elderly drawn from all the wards in the state has commenced. The first set of recipients were paid a little over three weeks ago.
16.The construction of the Arise Compassionate Homes for the most vulnerable has started in several local government areas of the state. My heart broke, when pictures of shanties and dilapidated structures that passed for the homes of some of most our vulnerable were shown to me. I thereafter, took the immediate action to help some of the neediest spread across all the wards in the state, build decent homes for them. By the end of our first term, in 2027, we hope to build homes for the poorest in each of the wards in the state.
17.We will continue to pay bursary to our students at tertiary institutions alongside the 100 million Naira grant to students living with disabilities. The first tranche of 250 thousand and 350 thousand Naira respectively, have already been paid to undergraduate and post graduate students respectively.
18.So my fellow Akwaibomites, as we celebrate Easter, let us remain hopeful that the future looks great, our collective dreams for prosperity across all layers of the society is realizable.
19.I am dedicated to serving you well, bringing governance closer to you, applying the resources we have been blessed with, to affect you positively and give our youths a reason to remain hopeful.
20.This is a season of trial and victory. Our nation and our state may be going through a period of trial and tribulation, but just as Christ overcame death with victory at His resurrection, we too, will overcome our economic challenges with growth and abundance. I ask for your continuous support, prayers, unity and love amongst our people.
21. He arose, that we may ARISE
22.Happy Easter to us all! God bless Akwa Ibom State, God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
This is humanity beyond boarder.
A'Ibom Governor Commences Shelter For Poor
The Executive Governor of Akwa ibom State, His Excellency Pastor Umo Eno has made good his promise by providing shelter for the poor and homeless in the state.
The Governor who decried the state of residential houses of some less privilege people in the state initiated the 'ARISE Compassionate Homes
This initiative will provide 31 houses to the poorest of the poor across the state in line with the rural development component of the ARISE Agenda.
The "ARISE COMPASSIONATE HOMES" will be built in batches across the 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State, the plan is to build one house in each Local Government Area in the first instance before the end of May and 100 houses for the poor before the end of 2024.
The Governor will build 400 units of houses for the less privilege spreading across the 368 wards in the state before the end of his first term.
Matching words with action, the ARISE COMPASSIONATE HOMES has commenced in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area and the first beneficiary is Mrs Elizabeth Okon Tom, an aged widow from Ikot Abasi village in Ikot Abasi LGA.
The elated widow in her appreciation thanked God and the Governor of the state, HE Pastor Umo Eno for his magnanimity, she prayed God to bless him and guide him always.
The village Head of Ikot Abasi village, the village council chairman, the Youth president, the PDP ward chairman of Ibekwe ward 2 and others also thanked Pastor Umo Eno for this kind gesture to the widow, and promised to support the administration of Governor Umo Eno to the end.
The Transition Committee Chairman for Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, Hon. ( Barr.) Godwin Udonta thanked the Executive Governor for promises kept and assured that Ikot Abasi Local Government Area will always support him.
The MD/CEO of Hensek Integrated Services Limited, Engr. Uwem Uwem Stephen Okoko in his speech promised the people of Ikot Abasi that they will benefit greatly from the Government of Pastor Umo Eno, and he urged them to keep supporting the Governor.
The Design of the house was handed over by the Chairman to Mr Udobong Uko who will supervise the building and completion of the House in 4 weeks.
The two bedroom flat will have solar lights and borehole.
The people of Ikot Abasi village, Ikpa Ibekwe clan and Ikot Abasi Local Government Area in general are very appreciative of this show of compassion by the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency Pastor Umo Eno.
OUR EASTER JOURNEY
Today Is Passover & Suffering Of Jesus In The Garden
In Matthew 26:39, Jesus prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt”.
Jesus observed the sacred holiday of Passover with His Apostles.
He instituted the sacred ordinance of the sacrament, in which His disciples were invited to eat and drink in remembrance of Him.
He taught them of the comforting power of the Holy Ghost. And knowing that His time with them would soon end, He commanded them to “love one another” as He had loved them.
That love, He said, would be a sign to others that they were His disciples. His Apostles had come such a long way since they first encountered Jesus, and yet His words showed He knew their transformation into true disciples was just beginning.
After what is often referred to as the Last Supper, Jesus asked His Apostles to follow Him through the night to a quiet garden named Gethsemane.
Despite their Master asking them to stay awake with Him, the exhausted disciples fell asleep.
Alone, Jesus began to pray and was soon overcome with incomprehensible agony. There in the garden, He began the process of taking upon Himself the sins and pains of the world.
It was the beginning of an act of sacrifice that would reach its conclusion the next day on the cross at Golgotha.
Later that night, Judas Iscariot betrayed the Jesus to local authorities, who arrested Jesus and brought Him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest. There, Jesus would await His trial until the next morning.
A'Ibom Pensioners Groan In Pains
* Threatens Protest Over Poor Payment
Members of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Akwa Ibom State Council, have threatened to embark on mass protests across the streets of the Uyo metropolis over poor payment.
The pensioners said they would block the Government House gates to draw the government’s attention to their plights.
The union had, last week, expressed sadness that some of its members who retired in the 80s were still collecting a paltry sum of N1,000, N1,500, and N2,000 as pension till date.
Addressing journalists on behalf of their members in Uyo on Wednesday, the state Chairman, Mr Ekpeyong Ekpo, and State Secretary, Cosmos Essien, lamented that efforts to get the government’s attention to ameliorate their worsening plight have fallen on deaf ears hence the decision to embark on protest to let the world know their predicament.
“The sad plight of our members is that those who retired in the 1980s with salaries of N1,000, N1,500, or N2,000 are still collecting such funds as pension till date in Akwa Ibom State.
“Whenever you retire, what is worked out for you remains static, until the 1999 Constitution in Section 173 (3) (2) (10) said explicitly that pension will be reviewed every five years along with whatever increase given to workers. The government here bluntly refused to implement the review.
“Can you imagine that in present-day Nigeria, many of our members are still collecting N2,000 a month, some N1,000 a month, and their current situation is very pathetic. Some don’t have children to care for them, and a few privileged people have while those who have children late are still training them in school.
“When the Akwa Ibom State Government promised us a minimum pension of N20,000 for those who retired before 1997 and N30,000 for those afterward and asked us to inform members across the board, there was jubilation and they also promised to start payment from April 2023 to avoid the accumulation of arrears. However, till date, nothing has been paid. All pressure on the government to implement it failed woefully.
“The arrears they tried to avoid have accumulated. We have been praying, crying, and reaching out to those in government to help but no sign of change, our members are dying daily because they cannot afford drugs, and over 65% of pensioners are hypertensive, and diabetic. To survive in Nigeria presently is very expensive, and our members are no longer coping. We have brought our plight to the government, and they snubbed us.”
However, the union expressed gratitude to Governor Umo Eno for the payment of gratuity, stressing that the governor has, within the nine months of his stay in government, he paid over N14bn in gratuities which cut across civil pensioners, local government pensioners, primary school pensioners and next of kins.
He added, “If other administrations had made similar efforts, I think we would not have been in this kind of dilemma we find ourselves in today.
“We really appeal to him to continue as a pastor with a heart of human kindness to salvage the situation. He must not follow the part of his predecessors who abandoned the aged citizens, and our prayer for the governor will be ceaseless to do more.
“We have realised that pensioners have nobody to speak for them and let the world know their plights in Akwa Ibom. We appeal to the incumbent governor to come to our aid by establishing a pension commission or board.”
The chairman maintained that they have approximately 25,000 to 28,000 members.“This is because as many are dying on a daily basis, others retire into the system too. It is a situation of coming in and exiting of members same time,” he explained.
He insisted that notwithstanding the governor’s recent efforts, over N40 billion outstanding pension and gratuities debts remain pending.
Isn't it funny that more than 48hrs since NNPC announced the new petrol price of N567, and confirmed by Independent Marketers, they are yet to adjust to the new price.
This morning, I made a stop to buy fuel at NNPC opposite Shelter along Oron Road, it surprised me that they are still selling at N610 per liter.
When I asked why they are not selling at the new pump price, the guy told me they will start selling at the new price next month.
When it was for price increase they didn't wait for a minute, now that is time to reduce the price they are saying next month.
What a funny country that enjoys making their countrymen, women, and children suffer.
It is very clear that our country institutions have collapsed giving way for strongmen and women to hold the soul of our country to ransom.
Unpatriotic businessmen are destroying our country for lack of political will to hold them accountable.
It was in time of excruciating pains and difficulty like this that John F. Kennedy said, "ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country".
The task of Nation building doesn't reside with government alone, citizens also have a role to play.
This is a clear example of citizens working against it's own country's progress and stability.
No matter how little or insignificant, let's always think of what we can do to build our country, and not what we can get from our country.
Isn't it funny that more than 48hrs since NNPC announced the new petrol price of N567, and confirmed by Independent Marketers, they are yet to adjust to the new price.
This morning, I made a stop to buy fuel at NNPC opposite Shelter along Oron Road, it surprised me that they are still selling at N610 per liter.
When I asked why they are not selling at the new pump price, the guy told me they will start selling at the new price next month.
When it was for price increase they didn't wait for a minute, now that is time to reduce the price they are saying next month.
What a funny country that enjoys making their countrymen, women, and children suffer.
It is very clear that our country institutions have collapsed giving way for strongmen and women to hold the soul of our country to ransom.
Unpatriotic businessmen are destroying our country for lack of political will to hold them accountable.
It was in time of excruciating pains and difficulty like this that John F. Kennedy said, "ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country".
The task of Nation building doesn't reside with government alone, citizens also have a role to play.
This is a clear example of citizens working against it's own country's progress and stability.
No matter how little or insignificant, let's always think of what we can do to build our country, and not what we can get from our country.
GOV ENO DISMISSES POLICY ALERT'S LOAN ALLEGATION
* Challenges the group to present evidence, warns against deliberate falsehood.
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has dismissed as spurious and unfounded, the allegations of government take loan and controversial appropriations in the 2023 Supplementary Budget credited to Policy Alert, saying that his administration will remain focused on delivering dividends of good governance to Akwa Ibom people in line with the ARISE Agenda.
The governor who was fielding questions from journalists at the Victor Attah International Airport before departing for an official engagement outside the state, reaffirmed his resolve to pursue the implementation of his development blueprint and positively touch people's lives.
The Governor challenged those peddling the false allegation of borrowing to show Akwa Ibom people one piece of document that signed by the governor to borrow one naira since he became governor.
"The truth is that this government will not be responding to frivolous allegations. I won't be distracted. I have a mission to serve Akwa Ibom State in line with the ARISE Agenda . I'll keep to that mission and let Akwa Ibom people judge at the end of the day," he said.
On the issue of revisiting old projects and frivolous borrowing, the governor reiterated his campaign promise of completing all yet-to-be-completed projects initiated by past administrations and funded with the people's money, while challenging the publisher to show proof of any borrowing by his administration.
"What's wrong with funding old projects? These projects are for Akwa Ibom people. For example, we have to get Airplanes for Ibom Air, these are continuous things that we should do.And even while doing all of that, we haven't borrowed a dime.
"We will soon take delivery of ten brand new Airbus planes that we ordered . And I know we have to pay them, there is a payment plan and as it is due, we pay. We're meeting our financial obligations," he added.
Governor Eno however clarified that it was not out of place for the government to borrow out of necessity, if it has to do with meeting the needs of the people of the State.
"...they talked about borrowing, I challenged them to show me one piece of document that I've signed to borrow one Naira since I became governor.
" I've not borrowed money and I don't intend to borrow money until I present the budget, maybe next year. If we borrow at all, it would be for specific projects."
He further clarified that he has been running government with vehicles inherited from the previous administration because he has not purchased any vehicles since assumption of office.
He stressed that even vehicles for Legislators which he acknowledged as a necessity, were yet to be provided due to the present economic realities.
"Since I became governor, I've not bought one vehicle, you can see my vehicle. The House of Assembly members too have not got new vehicles because of the rate of inflation in the country and I've been appealing to them to hold on.
"Even the SSG has no new vehicle. So where did they see ninety vehicles? Who signed it? How?" Governor Eno queried?
NUJ Press Centre, Information Drive Off IBB Way
Uyo Itam
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This is humanity beyond boarder.
