30/05/2023
IBENO COUNCIL BOSS DUBS UDOM'S COMPLETION AGENDA A FAILED ONE IN IBENO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
.......urges Pastor Umo Eno to reverse the trend
.......Says Udom disapproved money demanded by Surveyor General of the State for a new map and bill never signed to law
As Akwa Ibom State heralds the dawn of a new administration codenamed "The Golden Era", the Executive Chairman of Ibeno LGC, High Chief Williams Mkpah has described the completion agenda of the outgone Governor Udom Emmanuel as a failed one in Ibeno Local Government.
Speaking to newsmen after the swearing in of Pastor Umo Eno as Governor of the State, Mkpah described former Governor Udom's attempt to remap the State and the lack of government presence in Ibeno for 8 years as a hideous situation that will leave a sour taste in the mouth of Obolo people for years to come.
Mkpah expressed dissapointment that no developmental infrastructure was sited in Ibeno under Udom Emmanuel, except an uncompleted highway project, referencing the former Governor as one that hated the Obolo people. This, he noted was the reason he refused to attend any project commissioning in Akwa Ibom State in protest of the absence of commissioned projects in Ibeno.
"Obolo people are sad and bitter that we could be described by the Governor as an insignificant minority despite being the economic nerve center of the State, meaning he had no reason to listen to our yearnings. No Obolo child born and unborn will forget Governor Udom Emmanuel", he said.
High Chief Mkpah noted that when he took Ibeno stakeholders for a meeting with the immediate past Governor, he disrespected them and refused to give them a listening ear and the meeting ended inconclusively because he outrightly hated Obolo people.
The Ibeno Council helmsman stated that his romance with former Governor Udom dated back to 2015 when he brought him to campaign in Ibeno under the platform of Akwa Ibom Consolidation Alliance (ACA). He disclosed that the former Governor during his visit to Ibeno was amazed at how filthy, dirty and undeveloped the oil producing area was and pledged to clean up the place when he becomes Governor, ensuring that Mobil uses Ibeno as a role model and case study for oil producing communities in the country.
Mkpah further noted that his belief in Udom was strengthened when upon receipt of his first State allocation as Governor, he brought the manager of CCECC to commence the construction of the Ibeno road only for it to be abandoned afterwards.
The Ibeno first Citizen stressed that he used his personal money to campaign for Udom in 2015 with the hope that as Governor he will liberate Ibeno people but sadly, he gave them a painful payback by trying to cede their land through the idea of remapping.
"Sad to say, at Udom's exit he has not done well for Ibeno people. This issue of remapping will leave a bitter taste in the mouth of Ibeno people for hundreds of years to come.The map doesn't stop any Governor from providing social amenities to a State, Attah being an architect and the father of modern Akwa Ibom State should have been so worried about a map but he never did. Akpabio used the same map to build and transform the State to an uncommon destination, but Its surprising that at the tail end of Udom's administration, the map became a problem. Its a sad development that different people now have different versions of the map of Akwa Ibom State in their hands, courtesy of Udom Emmanuel", he mourned.
"The signing of the Petroleum Industry Act ( PIA) into law is the reason the former governor wants to tear us apart, he is only interested in making his local government litoral, thereby annexing other people's villages to Onna his home town, and one will ask, why is the remapping only in the coastal communities and not the upland?"
"Udom wanted to give Onna people a parting gift and he feels the best gift he can give to Onna people for eight years is annexing other peoples land to them? He should have thought of another better gift to his people, not the Obolo land. I was Udom's very good friend but the Akwa Ibom Map Bill divided our friendship" - he opined.
Responding to questions on his response to the fragile security situation of the Local Government, Mkpa noted that former Governor Udom Emmanuel rebuffed his request for speed boats and engines to aid the fight against sea pirates, prompting him to recruit a special police force from Awka and put on ground a small police unit to commence the security project. This efforts he noted had yielded fruits with the decimation of many of the pirates and reduction in water way related crimes.
However, in a very shocking revelation, High Chief Mkpa stated that contrary to reports in sections of the media that a new map exists for the State, the former Governor categorically told him he had not signed the remapping bill neither had a new map for the State been produced because he didn't approve the financial request from the Surveyor General of the State for a new map to be produced. He described the news as mere propaganda.
"The Former Governor met with me and we discussed and he told me he has not signed any bill concerning the map into law, nor has he produced for Akwa Ibom a new map. The Former Governor in a conversation with me few days to his handing over told me he did not approve the financial request the State Surveyor General brought for him to produce a new map. I am coming home to tell my people that what you heard in the media was fake news" he stressed.
Describing Governor Umo Eno as humility personified and convinced in his capacity to do things differently in his regime in accordance with the will of the masses, Mkpa promised that the Obolo youths will vacate the roadblocks, give peace a chance and allow normalcy return to the area as a mark of respect to the new Governor.
He stated that justice will speak for Ibeno people as they have welcomed Pastor Umo Eno with open arms, expressing willingness to work with and support him.
"Pastor Umo Eno is a Governor we love and ready to support. Udom Emmanuel is alone in this project of remapping Akwa Ibom State as critical stakeholders in the country and State and even the Suveyor General of the federation is in support of the Obolo people. We are in court to challenge the anomaly and I can assure you that justice will be brought to bear on this matter" he concluded.
