*Government is using poverty to suppress the people
*Govt is doing well in aviation sector
*Incoming administration should be transparent, accountable
As Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria’s 21st state, grows in leaps, many have mounted the saddle to articulate and implement their programmes.
In this down-to-earth interview, Straightnews newspaper team pins down Idorenyin Umanah, a public affairs commentator, who x-rays the Udom Emmanuel administration: achievements and failures and expectations of the incoming governor, and key issues that need more attention for the state to attain greatness and prosperity.
Excerpts:
On call to donate 100 hectares for agricultural purposes
That is it, if you have a governor who knows that he will be held accountable. But when our governor made that announcement calling on local government councils to donate 100 hectares of land for agricultural purposes, he was being celebrated everywhere. Looking at 100 hectares of land in 31 LGAs- that is a very large piece of land which whatever that would have been planted must have yielded much for the people now. But, I am sure, if you ask the governor about that project, not much will have been achieved. But I think that is a policy somersault which the governor should be held accountable, which I know he will not answer anything.
Also read: Govt keeps people in the dark on the projects’ costs- Umanah
On Governor’s statement of spending more than he receives from FG’s allocations
The governor knows that he was not sincere about that. You know since he was brought in from Lagos, he feels we are naive and we don’t have knowledge about how things are going on and that the people he came to meet in Akwa Ibom are not sensible. There is no way you can tell your people that you have spent more than what you received from Federal Government. There is a time he said he used his own house (sometimes his property) as collateral to get money to pay salaries to local government staffers. That is complete lie, deceiving the people you are supposed to govern with truth and transparency. He has not been transparent from the beginning of his administration till now. The governor believes that we don’t know anything.
I want to tell the governor that there are a lot of intelligent people and I am one of them. I know that governance is about income and expenditure. That is why he goes to Abuja to get it. Where did he get the money he says he’s spending? This is the same governor some years ago would have spent over N5 billion on a private jet, while the budget on education that same year would be about N1 billion. From day one, the overhead cost is more than what he spends on Akwa Ibom people. If I may ask the governor: what are those things you have spent money on that we have not seen, although there are some sectors that he is doing well?
Non-declaration of the monthly internally generated revenue
I think when it comes to internally generated revenue, the governor has done another blunder. He brought some people – the consultants- but they have not said this is the amount they have generated for the months. During the days of Godswill Akpabio, he used to declare that about N1 billion was generated. But now, we have been left in the dark. They don’t mention it again and we are tired for seven years now; we don’t know how much we generate monthly. Even sometimes when money comes in, it will take Policy Alert to mention before government will accept that there was money like that. There was a time we talked about N946 billion accrued to Akwa Ibom State from the excess crude oil account arrears. The state government collected the first tranche of N172.1 billion and the governor called it ‘miracle money’ and it was not declared. And Policy Alert came and declared it. I think it was this same issue that I was sent to jail. They petitioned me because I asked: what did you do with the money? I think in the area of internally generated revenue, government has been shady.
Construction of roads in the state
Government is not justified at all. In Ibiono Ibom, the government has constructed only three kilometres of road and many local government areas don’t have roads. Since you initiated a road construction and mobilised a contractor to site, the contractor has not done the job; yet you have not sacked the contractor. You see some of the projects have been left on the ground level; some will be abandoned. So, you see the governor cannot brag about it.
Before 2019, government said it has constructed about 1,700 km of roads, yet many of these roads have not been completed. If you go to places like Nsit Atai-Okobo Road which was initiated in 2015, it has not seen the light of the day. Now, the government has done few roads and the government handlers make so much noise about it. Look at the Etinan-Ndon Eyo Road, imagine what they call cable bridge. Except the governor is ready to complete the road projects he initiated; otherwise, he has failed the people.
Areas government is lagging behind in education sector
The governor has done well in the education sector especially the provision of such infrastructure as classrooms, and desks in some schools for free and compulsory education, and stipends he said to be paying to heads of schools. But, I think where the governor has not done well in education is the welfare of teachers, training and re-training of teachers with the modern teaching techniques which is why our education is dwindling. Some children have good desks, but their teachers are still using archaic teaching tools because government has refused to make concerted efforts to train and retrain teachers. Some years ago, the state government organized an Educational Summit. After the summit, we have not heard anything about the summit because it would have tailored our educational sector toward success.
Payment of gratuities and pension arrears to retired civil servants and primary school teachers
I will give the governor zero on the welfare of primary school teachers, local government staffers and the welfare of entire workers. Akwa Ibom civil servants are lamenting, because we have friends (my mother is a retired primary school teacher) who are not paid their gratuities. I have a programme we have been calling on the governor for seven years now. We have pleaded with the Governor, even if you want to pay in bits, but the governor has indirectly ‘murdered’ many Akwa Ibom people – those retired primary school teachers whose children have not been gainfully employed- because they have not collected the money to take care of themselves. The government has paid deaf ears to this completely, just for them to come up with pocket of lies ‘we have paid, we are not owing anybody.’ But my mom retired in 2014 and has not collected her gratuity. There are some pension arrears she has not collected- the money she wanted to use in getting a shop for business – is not forthcoming and the government has blatantly refused to pay the money.
Akwa Ibom people are not happy about it. We have seen scores of protest by retired primary school teachers and their next-of-kin. Instead of government to address this (maybe take out and pay N2 billion and after two months you take another), you would have paid up to N24 billion in two years to clear gratuities. There was a time I asked the governor what did the teachers do to you because your parents were teachers? The answer he gave me was quite unfortunate. He answered ‘‘Id Umanah, I am a son of a teacher. The day you want to go for the protest, call me. I will lead it.’’ And it was quite sad to the sensibilities of these senior citizens who have invested 35 years in service.
Now because of what ex-Governor Goodwill Akpabio did on governor’s pension, when Governor Udom Emmanuel leaves office after 8 years, he will start collecting huge amount as pensions; a new house will be built for him; he will start taking N100 million for medical bills; his children will be paid salaries; his wife will be paid; he still has four aides, two drivers and a cook paid to him. Meanwhile, those who work for 35 years with little entitlement, you have not paid them. That is injustice!
Government should intervene in poverty alleviation
The governor and government in the state have used poverty to fight people in the state. Akwa Ibom Youths Fund Bill which was supposed to gulp N3 billion every year for Akwa Ibom youths to be engaged in meaningful activities is still lying before the governor. He has refused to sign it after Akwa Ibom House of Assembly had passed it into law. The governor has refused to assent to it till today. Now when a government is a product of the people, it will know where to channel money into so that your own people can also be making money. But in this administration, there is nothing like that.
Akwa Ibom people are suffering; the masses are suffering. Where are the inter-ministerial jobs Akpabio used to give to people? Where are the loan schemes? They will bring their people and channel the money there and then get it back. There are many sources youths can make money, but like I said, this government is using poverty to suppress the people. In 2023 when they will bring money, Akwa Ibom people should not be naive to get it and vote for whoever they are going to bring. If the governor brings someone, he is fighting for his future; but if the people have their own person, they are fighting for their own as a state.
What people will remember Udom administration for
The present administration will be remembered for its strides in the health sector. I have witnessed modern facilities in the renovated general hospitals in Ituk Mbang, Ikot Okoro, Ikono and I learnt all the 10 Federal Constituencies will get a general hospital. So, I think in the health sector, the governor has scored 90%, and our people have access to it. In aviation development, he has done well. I have seen modern facilities in our airport. In the education sector, it is 50/50. Well, he has captured some schools only if he had used some of the N5 billion funds used in servicing the private jet yearly into education. There would have been a lot of difference. In the industrial sector, the governor is the only one that understands the blueprint in that sector, because few of the viable industries are located in Onna. And we don’t even have equity shares. Here I can give him 40% in a few like the syringe industry, metering and flour mill, but others are a scam.
Akwa Ibom’s position in national politics
Yes, we are. Akwa Ibom has become a recurring decimal in the political terrain. Now, you can hardly mention politics without Akwa Ibom because key actors are here. Governor Udom Emmanuel has played national politics and he’s been recognised by PDP government. Senator Bassey Albert Akpan (OBA) as the then PDP senator has been recognised as the most outstanding senator in 2021. So, have we done well politically? Yes, we have political actors like Senator Godswill Akpabio and the rest.
Advice to incoming Akwa Ibom governor
My suggestion to the incoming governor is that, once you are sworn in, (the problem I have with some people is that governance is not something you can learn on the job, from the inception), let your movement alone give hope to your people. Let your policies, body language, everything about you becomes the policies of the people. Once you come in as a governor – as you give your acceptance speech- give hope to the people. Be transparent, although we know the person we are going to vote when the time comes, accountability should be the watchword. If you come in as a product of imposition, you will be answerable to one person.
But if you are a product of the people as Senator Godswill Akpabio came in 2007, (you could see in his administration), he was always doing things to make his people happy because he knew they brought him there. Whoever comes in there should know that Akwa Ibom people don’t want him to live as if he is our god. He should see himself as a messenger and one who has been entrusted with power to protect us, and not to use it against us like the present administration is doing.
Akwa Ibom electorate and 2023 general elections
We have tested party politics, 22 years down the line. There is a time we used to say that a party is a religion. And we have seen how religious it has done damage to the fabrics of the state. So, my advice to Akwa Ibom State electorate – as we go into the general elections in 2023- we should know the capacity of the men who have aspired to become governor in the state and their endeavours. Let’s ask: how was your relationship with your people and with your customers? How did you live with them because there is no one who lives in the moon or space? So, I believe Akwa Ibom people should know who will be good with us. Let’s vote in a man who, if he goofs tomorrow, we all know we made a mistake; if he performs, we all clap and say we knew you will perform. Let us not make mistake at the ballot. Let us come out with ballot revolution. Again, if you see a good PDP candidate in another position, you vote for that person and I can assure you that even the party chairmen will be voting different people because of capacity. So, let’s vote for capacity in the next year’s elections.
Concluded
