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Tag: Akwa Ibom

  • Why I’m threatened by politicians – Akwa Ibom gov, Eno

    Why I’m threatened by politicians – Akwa Ibom gov, Eno

    Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno has alleged that he’s been threatened by politicians in the State.

    Eno said he received threats from the political class to share money or risk forfeiting his second term.

    He disclosed this while addressing journalists in Uyo, the State capital on Saturday.

    According to Eno: “I have received a lot of threats from the political class that I won’t do a second term.

    “I am putting money in rural development because a good first term is better than a useless second term.

    “I don’t want to put more money in one person’s hands to the detriment of the 7.9 million population.”

    Eno called on politicians to give him time till December to put the structure of governance on the right track in the State.

  • Enonomics and Akwa Ibom Economy – Anie UDOH

    Enonomics and Akwa Ibom Economy – Anie UDOH

    “The ultimate purpose of economics …is to understand,

    and promote the enhancement of well-being.”Ben Bernanke

    Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, the new governor of Akwa Ibom State, inaugurated on 29 May 2023 to take charge at the Hilltop Mansion in Uyo gave an early signal to his keen interest in the Akwa Ibom economy.

    The appointment of an economic adviser among his first batch of appointees, mostly media and administrative aides, seems to indicate the importance he places on the economy.

    His key Campaign Manifesto, tagged the ‘ARISE AGENDA’ lays emphasis on “Growing our Economy, Developing our People.” The thirty-two-page document is being promoted as the ‘Blueprint for Economic Consolidation & Expansion.’ It highlights five key aspirations focused on Agriculture, Rural development, Infrastructure, Security, and Economic advancement.

    The ‘ARISE’ acronym is derived from these five major collectives. There are other secondary economic sectors mentioned in the development blueprint. Beyond the release of a policy document and the accompanying sound bites, will Governor Eno deliver on his Enonomics, a new coinage referring to his hyped economic development agenda for Akwa Ibom State? Only time will tell. His time started ticking at 12 noon on 29 May 2023 and he has four years, in the first instant, to show proof of his stewardship and the efficacy of his Akwa Ibom economic rising aspirations.
    Economics, as is well known, is an inexact science. Meaning that economic ideas cannot be tested in a controlled environment and proven as potent before application. The laboratory for economic thoughts and ideas is the real world.

    So, Governor Eno will have to launch out his Enonomics live in the real marketplace with the attendant fallouts on the people and the state. He ought therefore to seek competent subject experts to help him implement his economic proposals and ideas considering the enormous and profound implications on the wellbeing of the people and indeed the state. As a proud economist, I applaud the appointment of a fellow economist, Dr Uduakobong Inam, as the key point person of the governor on economic affairs. Her impressive resume indicates she holds a doctorate degree in economics, an active academician who is adept in and comfortable with quantitative. She’s said to also possess professional qualifications in accounting and taxation. She has the important advantage of striding the ‘gown’ and ‘town’ worlds of theory and practice respectively, as conveyed in her career history. It’s a given that she will really be taxed in her new role as economic adviser.

    She will equally be burdened by many noneconomic issues particularly of a political nature often distracting and scathing. So called veteran politicians will start preaching on the need for rewarding party faithful, campaign contributors, and hangers-on.

    The odious attack aims to discount the relevance of professionals and attempt to crowd-out such appointees who they perceive to be usurping their positions in government. The contrived rivalry between economics and politics has a long history.

    Thomas Sowell, an American economist, captured the apparent conflict in a cautionary note asserting that “The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.”

    And John Maynard Keynes, the legendary British economist and statesman, whose ideas fundamentally influenced the economic policies of governments in the 20th century, had a response to naysayers of economic thoughts, which remains instructive and valid.

    He assured that “Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.”

    Dr Inam and her principal must learn to not only develop and try new productive ideas but also resist and jettison the old unproductive and wasteful ways and approaches to governance. Engaging skilled men and professionals in the governance process will pay good dividends.

    Particularly in our clime, it will illuminate the dark alleys of haggard, rudderless, and burdensome bureaucracy that has long frustrated and crippled genuine economic development. It will effectively enable the activation and transformation of the enormous potential of the state to truly “growing our economy” and “developing our people”, as ambitiously envisioned by the governor.
    Leaders in authority should be reminded that the ultimate objective of governance is to improve the living conditions of the people on whose behalf the leadership is entrusted with authority to exercise for the good of all.

    The political and governance enterprise, as obtained in Akwa Ibom, is predictably intense, competitive, and volatile.

    It demands the dexterity of perceptive leadership to moderate and stabilize the complexity of apparent divisive politics, ethnic rivalry, and grandiose expectations of entrenched and wanton interest groups. The leadership ought to appreciate and imbibe the wisdom in possessing and exercising such skill sets of gracious statesmanship for broad mindedness, levelheadedness, and lead all with disciplined foresight. Governor Eno must demonstrate the agility to soar above the storms and transform his grand ‘ARISE AGENDA’ to reality. Opportunity, they say favours the prepared minds, and I should add primed hands too. Governor Eno comes to office with a robust career history including being a serial and accomplished entrepreneur. He also had useful stints in the public sector working as a commissioner and member of the executive council in the immediate past administration in the state before he emerged to occupy the exalted office of the executive governor. It will be safe to assume that he is familiar with the essential determinants of governance.

    These will include developing vision and strategy; formulating, implementing, and evaluating policies for the delivery of services to citizens.

    Indeed, Akwa Ibom State currently is in dire need of leaders with the right ‘mental magnitude’ to arrest and begin to redress the sliding state of under-development evident from the recent depressing economic indices from the National Bureau for Statistics.

    The economic fundamentals for the state have been largely weak if not abysmal. Unless for those who choose to live in denial, it is obvious that the economic indicators for the state have been disappointing and appalling to say the least.

    The elite acquiescence and mass silence in a docile atmosphere of ‘maintaining the peace’ despite the worsening state of economic affairs has been shocking and dumbfounding.

    In truth, it has created and deepened unemployment, mass suffering, hunger, instability, hostility, ignorance, illiteracy, hopelessness, and all the familiar and perennial woes afflicting the generality of the people. The panacea to these afflictions is a healthy economy.

    The economy remains the bedrock upon which societies blossom and thrive or are doomed. Governor Eno’s enlightened focus on the economy as the key driver of development is imperative and in the right order. Good economic policies and practice can help the people move to the places of the future with enhanced living standards.

    The call to action is not just for academic economists. As the saying goes, ‘Economics is too important to be left to economists.’ The ultimate call is that of the executive governor on whose shoulder the burden rests on account of the mandate given to him to lead. It remains his duty, and his responsibility, to rouse the drab economy of Akwa Ibom State to its true potential. His ARISE Agenda, if diligently implemented, may well transform the slogan of the “Land of Promise” to the reality of the Promised Land of a truly Happy People with genuine opportunities for improved livelihoods and the good life.

     

    Anie UDOH
    Email: aniesudoh@gmail.com

  • Ex-A’Ibom military gov’s wife chases away step-children from family house in Abuja

    Ex-A’Ibom military gov’s wife chases away step-children from family house in Abuja

    The wife of a former military governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mosun Nkanga,, has evicted her step-children from the family house in Abuja, on Thursday.

    It was learnt that Mosun drove all her four step-children, identified as Utibeabasi Nkanga, Etietop Nkanga, Lance Nkanga, Ini Idara Nkanga, out of the five-bedroom duplex apartment situated at No. 3B, Mary Slessor Close, off Udo Udoma, off Yakubu Gowon Road, Asokoro, Abuja.

    This followed an order of a High Court in Abuja which issued a warrant on March 24, 2022, for the possession of the five-bedroom duplex apartment in her late husband’s estate.

    In a video obtained by SaharaReporters on Thursday, the children were seen stranded outside the apartment with their luggage and personal property thrown out of the house.

    However, in a court document filed by the four aggrieved children and their mother before the FCT High Court on Thursday through their lawyer, Mr Inibehe Effiong, to seek a new order of the court to set aside the subsisting orders granted to Mosun to evict her step-children from the apartment in dispute, it was claimed that the house was willed by Mr Nkanga as a family house to all his six surviving children.

    Mr Idongesit Nkanga, a retired air commodore, died of COVID-19 in December 2020.

    It was also revealed that the late Nkanga said the apartment should be returned to Mrs Mosun when his last born, Ini Idara, became 30 years old.

    Mr Effiong, however, said Mr Ini-Idara was 25 years old, and thus Mrs Mosun lacked the exclusive rights to the building until Ini Idara turned 30, as stipulated in the will.

    “The 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Judgment Debtors/Applicants are beneficiaries of the Estate of their father, including the subject property, and have the right to continue to reside in the said subject property as Family House,” a copy of the document filed by Mr Effiong on behalf of the aggrieved children and their mother was obtained.

    Mrs Nkanga was reached to further clarification on the issue, she said, “The eviction was done by the court and you can go to the court if you need any information.”

    The four aggrieved children have again approached the court to seek the following orders:

    “AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT setting aside the Warrant for Possession of Premises in Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/168/2021 issued on the 24th day of March, 2022 signed by His LordshipHon. Justice O. A. Musa, for an immediate vacant possession of Two (2) rooms apartment situated at No. 3B, Mary Slessor Close, off Udo Udoma, off Yakubu Gowon Road, Asokoro, Abuja.

    “AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT setting aside the execution of the Judgment in Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/168/2021 and the eviction of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Judgment Debtors/Applicants from No3BMary Slessor Close, off Udo Udoma, off Yakubu Gowon Road, Asokoro, Abuja.

    “AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT reinstating and restoring the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Judgment Debtors/Applicants forthwith into possession of N3B, Mary Slessor Close, off Udo Udomaoff Yakubu Gowon Road Asokoro Abuja.

    “AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT directing the Judgment Creditor/Respondent, Director – Department of Enforcement, Sheriff(s) and the Bailiff(s) of this Honourable Court jointly and severally, to immediately return and restore into their positions before the eviction of the Applicants, all the properties and items removed and taken from No3B, Mary Slessor Closeoff Udo Udoma, off Yakubu Gowon Road, Asokoro, Abuja, during the eviction of the Applicants.

    “AND FOR SUCH FURTHER ORDER OR ORDERS as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance in Applicants favour.”

  • A/Ibom assembly moves to induct Hilda Baci in hall of fame

    A/Ibom assembly moves to induct Hilda Baci in hall of fame

    Apparently excited by her successful record – breaking feat in cooking for over 93 hours and subsequent certification as the current record holder with her name enshrined in the Guinness World Record book, Ms. Hilda Effiong Baci, has been slated for the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly Hall of Fame.

    It was at tne plenary session in which the 26-member House overwhelmingly concurred a Motion sponsored by the member representing Nsit Ubium State Constituency, and Deputy Leader, Rt. Hon. Otobong Bob.

    Bob, in his Motion recalled that Ms. Baci, a daughter of the state, had on completion of the 93 hours and 11 minutes Cooking Marathon, created more than 55 recipes and over 100 meals, including local delicacies peculiar to Akwa Ibom state, a feat he stressed, should not be ignored.

    He said: “Also recall that this epoch-making event gathered momentum globally and throughout the federation, as various Nigerian citizens, celebrities and dignitaries thronged in to support our very own daughter.

    “From available records, the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly has a custom of officially giving credence and commendations to true ambassadors of our state, who achieve successes in various feats globally.”

    He recalled notable Akwa indigenes who had attained such heights and were generously honoured to include Ms. Ime Ime Umanah, who was the first black African President of the prestigious Harvard Law Review and Master Stephen Udotong, a Nigerian Whiz-kid in the United States of America (USA), who built the first Nuclear Fusor in 2017, among others.

    Therefore, members of the House including Rt. Hon. Asuquo Nana (Ikono): Rt. Hon. Effiong Johnson (Mbo); Hon. Jerry Otu (Ikot Ekpene/Obot Akara) and Hon. (Mrs) Itoro Etim (Uruan), supported the Motion, maintaining that Ms. Hilda Bassey, has through her cooking prowess, projected the state in good light, the more reason she was more deserving of the honour.

    They noted that a recognition of Ms. Bassey’s success would serve as a morale booster and encouragement to other Akwa Ibom citizens who may wish to attempt such positive feat in different endeavors.

    Responding, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong, directed the Clerk of the House, Mrs. Nsikak-Abasi Orok, to on behalf of the House, issue an official congratulatory message and forward same to Ms. Hilda Baci.

     

  • Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom appoints SSG, CPS

    Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom appoints SSG, CPS

    Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom has appointed Mr Enobong Uwah, as the Secretary to the State Government.

    According to a statement by Dr Nathaniel Adiakpan, Permanent Secretary, Government House in Uyo on Tuesday, Uwa’s appointment takes immediate effect.

    The statement also announced the appointments of Mr Ekerete Udoh, as the Chief Press Secretary and Mr Anietie Usen, as Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the governor.

    The statement also announced Mr Otobong Idiong, as the Chief of Protocol and Dr Uduakobong Inam as Economic Adviser.

    “The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, has approved the following appointments with immediate effect, Prince Enobong Uwah as Secretary to State Government; Mr Ekerette Udo – Chief Press Secretary.

    “Mr Anietie Usen as Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity; Mr Otobong Edem Idiong – Chief of Protocol and Dr Uduakobong Inam – Economic Adviser.

    “Please accord them necessary support to enable them discharge their duties creditably,” the statement said.

    Udoh was the CPS and Senior Special Assistant on media to Mr Udom Emmanuel, the immediate past governor of the state for eight years.

  • SAD! Sudden d3ath of SS3 student in Akwa Ibom sch sparks controversy

    SAD! Sudden d3ath of SS3 student in Akwa Ibom sch sparks controversy

    The sudden death of a Senior Secondary School 3 student in Akwa Ibom State has become an object of controversy.

    The deceased, Edima Ini Umoh, was until her death a student of Full Life Academy, Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

    It began as a minor complaint for headache but within the next few hours, Edima was no more.

    Her death has now sparked allegations against the school authority.

    But the school management on its part believes the mother of the deceased has a lot of questions to answer.

    According to the Principal, Full Life Academy, Pastor Aniefonteabasi Victor- Williams, everything happened in a flash as no one had the premonition of her death.

    She said the deceased student complained of having a headache in the morning of that fateful day and the nurse gave her paracetamol, adding that she felt better and joined her mates for lunch at about 2:30 pm, during which she even demanded for extra food.

    The Principal revealed that, “at about 4:00 pm of same day,, Edima complained of headache again, at that point the school nurse wanted to commence a malaria treatment so that the headache would not result to full blown fever; she brought out a Coartem- an antimalarial drug to administer to her but the deceased refused to take it and said instead they should inform her mother to get Amathem for her.”

    She explained that at that point, the school matron called Edima’s mother and handed the phone over to the deceased to speak with her mother.

    She further explained that “Edima was telling the mother to pray for her about three times and asked her to come to the school immediately with Amathem and pepper soup; the mother felt that she was over-panicking and asked her to calm down.”

    The Principal continued, “The matron told us that shortly after Edima spoke with her mother, she became calm, and asked the hostel parent and hostel prefect who were on ground to allow her to rest and because of the headache, they felt it was proper to let her rest, the hostel parent assigned the school senior prefect who is her classmate to stay with her.

    “When we asked the head girl about what happened, she said that Edima was calm and later slept off, so she left her room to also sleep upstairs, not long after she (Edima) started snoring, being that they know her to snore while sleeping, they felt that it was normal.

    “After a while, the hostel parent said she returned to check those on Prep, if they were reading and to check on Edima who complained of headache.

    “That was when she saw white substance mixed with blood coming out of Edima’s nose, at that point, she said she raised an alarm and there was panic everywhere, by the time they carried her out of the bed, she had already messed herself up.

    “She said they cleaned her up and the nurse tried resuscitating her while waiting for the doctor’s arrival. We are affiliated to Premier Clinic. Our Executive Director was called and every other school leader was called and they all ran down to the school immediately, even the owner of Premiere clinic, our ED called him and he came immediately and tried his best.

    “I was told that when it was as if nothing was happening, they took the girl to the Premiere clinic where she was placed on oxygen. We prayed, hoping she would respond and come back to life.

    “When nothing happened, we reached out to Jeconiah Specialist Hospital; the consultant said we should bring her, it was when we got there that she was confirmed dead by the doctor.

    “At that point, we could not do anything else. We and the family were hoping that she would wake up before morning because her body was warm. I was even squeezing her fingers, praying that she would come back to life.

    “She was taken home that night, we followed the uncle to the house and we got to our homes at midnight.

    “In the morning, I went back to see if she had woken up, and the uncle told me they had taken her to the morgue.

    “So after the school session that Friday, I and my team went back for a condolence visit to the mother’s residence, that was when the family informed us that they wanted to carry out an autopsy and that they will carry us along, we accepted.”

    Asked if the deceased had an underlying sickness or any known medical condition, the principal said there was nothing of that nature to the best of her knowledge.

    “Everything was confusing considering the speed with which the whole thing happened, because we have had cases where parents came to carry their wards at 10pm to hospital and they survived.

    “We also have children with serious asthmatic attacks, but they survive.

    “We have Nebulizing machines here, we nebulize them before taking them to hospital. This girl was one of our best and we were even preparing her to be our Valedictorian this year until this incident,” she lamented.

    However, the family appears not ready to buy into the narrative by the school management.

    In a letter through their lawyer, Edikan Lawrence, Esq. obtained by DAILY POST, tagged, “Demand for full Disclosure of Events Leading to the Unnecessary and Unfortunate Death of Miss Edima Ini Umoh”, the family insisted that the school authority should furnish them with a detailed account of what led to their daughter’s death.

    The letter, which was copied to the commissioner for education in the state and the commissioner of police, regretted that four days after the incident the school authority had failed to give a full and detailed account of what transpired within the school that culminated into the “untimely, painful and unfortunate loss.”

    The letter said, “Predicted on the foregoing, we have our client’s instruction (and indeed that of the entire Richard Essien Umoh family) to demand a full disclosure and formal statement of all events, including the minutest details, leading to the death of Miss Edima Ini Umoh, addressed to the family through our office within 48 hours of the service of this letter.

    “Take note that where you fail or refuse to act in terms of this demand within the time stated above, we have our client’s instruction to resort to other legal measures to ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done in this case and this will be without further recourse to you.”

    But the school lawyer, Barr Iniobong Udoh, in an interview, said the school was not perturbed.

    Udoh said the whole event was out of negligence on the mother’s side, wondering how a mother would waste over three hours to visit her daughter who was sounding desperate on the phone that she had a headache.

    According to her, what I noticed from the whole story was that the mother was negligent. She delayed taking the drugs to the daughter for over 3 hours after she was informed.

    “Everyone knows the history of their children, she was supposed to rush down to give her the drug or if need be, take her to her personal doctor and later go for the pepper soup.

    “From the lawyer’s letter, she sent someone to go to market to buy chicken to prepare pepper soup and that was what delayed her.

    “That is why there is provision for students to call their parents in case of sickness. Also in the child right law of Akwa Ibom state, you can’t force anything on a child, as soon as the child said she doesn’t want this particular drug, we don’t have the right to force her to take it.

    “The mother was supposed to rush down to see what was happening first before going for a pepper soup which can even be bought in a restaurant.

    “She never gave the school any instruction, that since she was delaying they should do something to the child as others do, the school hoped on the mother to rush down.

    “We are meeting with the lawyer as a team this evening before we write officially and copy all the places the letter was sent to.

    “Since the letter was asking us to disclose the cause of the death, as we don’t know, we are expecting the mother to tell us the cause, except the mother agrees to tell us if there is any family history concerning the child’s health, we will not know.

    “During admission, there was a space to write about any underlying medical condition, the mother wrote none, and the medical report of the child she gave us proved that she was a healthy child.”

  • Senate Presidency: Don’t judge me with my performance as Minister – Akpabio

    Senate Presidency: Don’t judge me with my performance as Minister – Akpabio

    Former Akwa Ibom  governor, Godswill Akpabio has called on Nigerians and members of the incoming 10th National Assembly not to judge him with his brief tenure as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

    The Akwa Ibom politician said that he wished to be judged with his performance as a Minister, Commissioner of six years and governor for eight years.

    He stated these in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Saturday night.

    Akpabio, Akwa Ibom North West Senator-elect, is one of the contenders for the office of the Senate President for the 10th National Assembly, scheduled for inauguration on June 6.

    “I do know that I have not changed in any way. I am somebody God has given the opportunity to be an uncommon transformer wherever I go. I will not like to be judged by ministerial appointment for Niger Delta, which everybody knows is a problematic place. But I would like to be judged by my record as a lawyer of 36 years, Commissioner of six years and a governor of eight years”, Akpabio told journalists.

    He was first elected to the Nigerian Senate in 2015 from where he became the Minority Leader on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party but later defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

    Akpabio resigned his position as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to contest the presidential primaries of the APC for the 2023 general elections but later stepped down for the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    Though he is the preferred candidate of the President-elect and APC, a former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari and the Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, have vowed not to step down from the Senate Presidency race.

    He promised that if elected Senate President, Nigerians he would sustain the January-December budget cycle initiated by the 9th National Assembly.

    According to him, the introduction of the January-December budget cycle was one of the major success stories of the outgoing Assembly.

    Akpabio said, “If given the opportunity by my colleagues to lead the 10th Assembly, one of the programmes I will like to sustain would be the January to December budget cycle

    “The Introduction of that is what I commend the 9th National Assembly for very seriously because it allows for proper planning and allows the government to take off on a good note and also help bring about foreign direct investment into the country.

    “So I think that will be sustained by the 10th Senate and that is whether I am Senate President or not. I believe working with my colleagues, we shall sustain it, because it is a collective idea. Everybody is important.”

    He also explained his relationship with some of his colleagues opposing his ambition.

    The 10th National Assembly will kick start in July 2023 a month and few days after inauguration.

  • Eyiboh VS Etteh: NBTE Denies Existence of 1st Respondent’s Claimed Institution of Study

    Eyiboh VS Etteh: NBTE Denies Existence of 1st Respondent’s Claimed Institution of Study

    The National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, on Monday denied existence of the School of Management and Technology, Aba.

    NBTE stated this during commencement of hearing at the Akwa Ibom State Elections Petition Tribunal in the case of Rt Hon. Eseme Eyiboh and Hon Okpolump Etteh.

    Recall that Eyiboh approached the Tribunal that Etteh presented forged certificates to INEC, thus making him unqualified to have contested the election for Eket Federal Constituency seat.

    Mr Eyiboh’s petition is premised on the single ground of eligibility.

    In the resume hearing, Eyiboh subpoenaed the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, an agency empowered to approve, regulate, accredit and sanction Polytechnics, Monotechnics and related institutions.

    The NBTE was represented by its director of legal, Rekiya Shuaibu, Esq who confirmed the non existence of the school that issued Etteh the diploma certificate.

    Meanwhile, Gyang Dung Esq who represented the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, also tendered the disputed certificates that were submitted by Etteh to INEC.

    The testimonies set the stage for the star witness – Rt Hon. Eseme Eyiboh who entered the witness box to adopt his witness’ statement on oath and reply to Etteh’s response.

    Rt Hon Ette’s counsel, Ekpenyong Ntekim Esq met a resilient and sharp witness in Eyiboh.

    In the face of barrage of questions from INEC and PDP lawyers, Eyiboh remain resolute, consistent and vehement in pursuit of his claims.

    The case is adjourned to Wednesday, May 17 by 12noon for Etteh to open his defense.

  • Umo Eno of PDP emerges winner of Akwa Ibom guber polls

    Umo Eno of PDP emerges winner of Akwa Ibom guber polls

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made the announcement on Sunday after Eno won in 29 of the 31 local government areas in the state.

    Umo Eno, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, has been declared the winner of Saturday’s governorship poll in the state.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made the announcement on Sunday after Eno won in 29 of the 31 local government areas in the state.

    Eno polled a total of 354,348 votes to defeat Bassey Albert of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

    Albert polled 136,262 votes.

    Akanimo Udofia of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 129,602 votes.

    The total number of valid votes cast is 656,422 while 12,342 were rejected votes.

    The total number of valid votes is 644,080.

  • Little things that matter – By Francis Ewherido

    Little things that matter – By Francis Ewherido

    The last one week has been tense for many Nigerians including me. While we were gripped by election fever, a news item eluded some Nigerians. On Sunday, February 19, Shooting Stars of Ibadan hosted Akwa Ibom United in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). Before the match started, something bizarre happened. The Camp Commandant of Shooting Stars, Auwal Mohammed, went to the centre circle of the pitch, brought out his penis and urinated on the spot.

    Some people took it as the typical attitude of some undisciplined Nigerians. They urinate anywhere they are pressed. On the ever busy Ikorodu Road and Lekki Expressway, if there is a serious tragic jam, people simply come out of their cars and urinate on the road, not even by the side of the road. A Nigerian who has been living abroad for many years returned to Nigeria some years ago. Then the Murtala Mohammed International Airport had not been upgraded, but the airport has always had toilets. But the guy got outside to the lawn where the car that came to pick him up was packed and urinated on the lawn before entering the car. I just shook my head; he could not have dared do that in America where he was coming from. The one that amuses me most are some visitors. They visit and spend time with their hosts in the house. When they want to leave, their hosts would walk them to their vehicles. The next thing, they urinate in the open drain or any available space outside before entering their cars. Meanwhile, they could have requested to use their hosts’ toilets before stepping out. I can never understand it.
    People often blame indiscriminate urinating on the absence of public toilets in Nigeria, but it is not true. It is not as if public toilets are all over the place in Europe and America. In some train stations in Europe, for instance, you can only have access to the toilets if you are a passenger. They are situated in places where non-passengers do not have access to. But I concede that public toilets are more readily available there than in Nigeria.

    But as far as I am concerned, it is indiscipline that makes people to urinate indiscriminately. Before I leave my house, the last thing I do is to use the toilet. If I visit you that is also the last thing I do before leaving, unless I am not pressed. If I find myself on a “wicked” Lagos tragic jam and I am pressed, I stop at a petrol station, bank or any other public place and ask to use their toilet. I have never been denied unless it is not available or faulty. I concede that many of such toilets are either dirty or in a terrible state. If it is just to urinate, no problem, but if you want to do the big one, the experience can be terrible. We do not have good maintenance culture in this part of the world. But I do not accept the excuse of absence of public toilets makes Nigerians to urinate indiscriminately. My policy is: if it is wrong when I travel abroad, it cannot be right when I am in Nigeria. The only exception is when I travel, for instance, from Lagos to Delta by road. If the driver stops for others to ease themselves, I sometimes join them, but if we are going to stop at Ore for passengers to eat, I wait until I get there and use the toilet of the eatery.

    Anyway, I did not believe Auwa Mohammed urinated on the pitch because he was pressed. The spot where he urinated makes me suspect he did it for fetish reasons. I grew up to know that many people believed you needed to do juju to win a competitive football match. When we were in secondary school, inter-school soccer matches were very popular. The sports prefect would collect N50 kobo or N1 per student (a tin of sardine was between 14 kobo to 20 kobo and a tin milk was from 9 kobo to 20 kobo. That should give the younger generation the value of 50 kobo and N1 then). I remember a particular match. My school lost to the other school. To justify our loss, the sports prefect came back with a tale that the same native did the juju for both teams, but he found out that if we won the match, there would be bloodshed because the other school had numbers and they were very brutal. So he made our juju weaker!
    Looking back, I feel it was all scam. To start with, the sports prefect never wrote the names of all the students he collected money from. When the principal asked him to give an account of the money he collected, he submitted the list names he wrote. We heard he shared the money unaccounted for with some prefects and powerful seniors. No be today scam start.

    Our social prefect was also caught in such a scam. He allegedly collected about N500 to buy music records, but did not spend up to N200. Then he was an enigma and no one had the courage to ask questions. What finally demystified him was during GCE examinations. Then the culture was for the final year students to contribute money and buy expo (leaked examination question papers). He was one of the ones in charge. When the final year students got to the exams hall they found out that the questions were different from the expo questions that guided them in preparations. His mates, especially those who put all their hopes in expo to pass, were livid. They requested for a refund, which of course was not forthcoming. There was tension and a big fight followed later in school.
    Back to juju and soccer, let me say ab initio that I was born into a Christian family. I have remained a Christian all my life. I do not patronise native doctors, so I am not in a position to discuss the efficacy of the practice. But I have a strong feeling that the so called native doctors who did juju for us in secondary school scammed us. They just took advantage of our teenage naivety.

    Is there a correlation between juju and sports, soccer, to be specific? If yes, how come no African country has won the world? Even Haiti that is known for voodoo practice has played in only one cup, 1974, and lost all the three matches they played. I can confidently say, as a soccer fan, that when it comes to soccer, success is dependent on hard work, natural gifts, dedication, organisation, among other factors that have nothing to do with juju.

    GOVERNORSHIP AND HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ELECTION
    Next Saturday is the governorship and senatorial elections. INEC promised so such, but has fallen short of expectations so far. Notwithstanding the outcomes show that voters are the kings. Some former and current political office holders have been repaid for their wickedness, high handedness and poor performance. No reward for poor performance. The electorate must punish more contestants next weekend. INEC should clean up its act before the governorship election to avoid previous lapses. Nigeria is making progress.