Any Community That Makes Fetish Demands Before Contracts Are Executed In Its Domain Stands To Loose Such Project, Gov. Umo Eno Threatens.

Akaiso Akaiso, Uyo.

The fifth democratically elected and incumbent governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno has threatened to deal drastically with any Community who places fetish
demands on government contractors mobilized to its area for projects execution by ensuring that such projects are taken away to another location that is more accommodating.

He gave this indication Tuesday in a media press briefing he had with journalists and other stakeholders in the information subsector in Akwa Ibom State to mark his first anniversary in office.
Even though Pastor Eno didn’t mention names of communities blacklisted for the unwholesome behavior, echoes of disputes between host communities and contractors mobilized to some communities for projects execution has been a regular occurrence in Akwa Ibom State since the advent of democratic governance.

The press conference which was not business as usual during interactive section, had some commissioners who were asked to defend their performance caught in the web as almost all of them proved to their boss that they were not doing anything but stay in the office to siphon our common wealth to their private coffers.

Without sounding as if witch hunting anybody, the most affected were the commissioner for education Mrs Idongesit Etiebet, who couldn’t explain what the Ministry was doing to bring education of special children a par with that of the normal children and Brigadier general Kokoette in charge of internal security and maritime transport who could not also account for how the gunboats procured with the tax payers money were effectively utilized to protect those making a living from our waterways from activities of pirates and kidnappers. While some of them were hiding their faces from the Governor like dull pupils afraid of being pointed to stand up and say something by the teacher.

This poor outing by 99% of them during the interactive section has generated a louder outcry from Akwa Ibom populace to Governor Umo Eno to drop all of them without further ado as complacency has been identified as their major problem. Dropping them will be of a great advantage, not only to Umo Eno’s administration, but entire Akwa Ibomites, because the new appointees coming in will work assiduously to create a lasting impression, not these ones who were inherited from Udom Emmanuel’s dispensation.

Umo Eno, who however vowed to taken the fight to the lair of criminal elements in the state wherever it may be, called on community leaders whenever they see a suspicious character living among them they should not hesitate to inform the appropriate authorities for necessary action.

He used the opportunity to announce termination of four road contracts for poor performance by contractors and plan to re award same to a more competent contractors and in the same vein, said by next year rice produced in Akwa Ibom should hit the market and even ready for export.