TheNewsGuru

Tag: Udom Emmanuel

  • Gov. Emmanuel commends INEC, complains about aide’s arrest

    Gov Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the improved electoral process, adopted for the 2019 general elections.

    Emmanuel made the commendation after casting his vote in Awa Ward 1, Unit 1, in Onna LGA on Saturday.

    However, the governor said the level of intimidation from security personnel was unbearable.

    He said people in the state, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters were being intimidated and harassed.

    “I urge security officers to maintain peace because Nigeria is a peaceful country and we have adequate rule of law. And if they don’t obey, we will challenge it in the law court. They should stay off intimidations.

    “The level of intimidation in Akwa Ibom is unbearable. People are being intimidated and harassed.

    “If you go to their police cell now, it is filled with PDP supporters, l don’t know whether they have a cell that can take the 2.1 million voters in the state because they all belong to one political party.

    “So if they can arrest the 2.1million, that’s when the elections will be thwarted,” Emmanuel said.

    The governor condemned the arrest of his Senior Special Assistant on security, Capt. Iniobong Ekong by the army.

    He said that if his aide had any question to answer, the police should have been the one to question him and not the army.

    “You cannot have a perfect process because the card readers are man made, but the readers are authentic. Its just the issue of authentication of finger print, which I hope will be promptly rectified to avoid delaying the process.

    “The corps members are well trained but the machines can fail because they are man made.

    “Not that he was picked, I think he was tricked into the army barracks and just kept there.

    “I don’t know what they think one man can do. This is just one human being and we are ready for the election.

    “If he has any issue, I think it is just the police that should have questioned him but why invite him to Six Division, not even the 2 Brigade that is in the state.

    “I doubt the genuineness of such detention. I just don’t want to pre-empt until we check with the army,” he said.

     

  • Saturday polls: Soldiers arrest Gov Emmanuel’s security aide

    The Senior Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Udom Emmanuel, Capt Iniobong Ekong, has been abducted.

    It was gathered that Ekong was picked up midnight Friday allegedly by soldiers, purportedly on a petition written by Senator Godswill Akpabio.

    The Commissioner for Information, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Charles Udoh, who confirmed the abduction, said Ekong was picked up at his residence in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

    It was gathered that he has been taken to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for interrogation.

    The commissioner, who recalled that the military had said it would have no role to play in the elections wondered why it become the duty of the Army to investigate petitions, arrest and detain people

    “When has it become the responsibility of the the Army to arrest and detain people”

    The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Odiko MacDon, when contacted, said the Police was yet to receive such information.

    He, however, promised to make necessary contacts and swing into investigations.

    Meanwhile, Senator Akpabio had, after voting in his polling unit at Independent Primary School in Essien Udim, Ukana West Ward 2, said as a lawmaker, he would never get himself involved in anything that would bring disrepute to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    In his reaction to the allegations against him, Akpabio, who said that the state PDP-led government was jittery over the elections, denied the claims.

  • Gov. Udom, 36 Governorship Candidates sign Peace Accord in Akwa Ibom

    Thirty seven governorship candidates in Akwa Ibom on Wednesday signed peace accord to ensure peaceful conduct of the forthcoming election in the state.

    The event was organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for candidates seeking elective positions in the general election in the state.

    INEC Residential Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr Mike Igini said during the event in Uyo, that the accord would help the commission to conduct free, fair, credible and non-violent election.

    He said the spirit of the accord should reflect in the lives of politicians and candidates in the state.

    “For us it is a great one to have all candidates and political parties signing the peace accord.

    “The fact that we are talking of peace accord, is an indicative of the kind of people that we have,” he said.

    Igini said the commission would stand tall and mighty to defend democracy and rule of law, adding that democracy cannot be completed without rule of law.

    According to him, election period is not a period that people will be talking about violence.

    Igini noted that the commission would not use incidence form during the general election in the state.

    He said accreditation of voters would be done with card reader machines and voters’ register.

    Igini advised political parties and candidates to nominate agents that would assist in the election procedure as set out by the Electoral Act and INEC.

    He reminded voters that the commission had banned the use of mobile phones within polling units to check vote buying.

    He appealed to politicians to be peaceful and assured that INEC would be an unbiased umpire.

    Also speaking, ACP Augustine Aruk, the Chairman of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), said the police were determined to ensure that elections are conducted in a peaceful in manner.

    “It is our role to protect electoral materials, personnel and this time security agencies are very ready for the general election.

    “We are aware of our role during the election to provide security to all sundry,” he said.

    Aruk said security agencies had been trained for the general election in the state.

    Former governor of the state, Obong Victor Attah commended INEC for bringing the parties together to sign the accord.

    He, however, stressed that a collation process devoid of manipulations would go a long way to ensure free, fair, credible and violence free election.

    Attah called on politicians to conduct themselves in a manner that would not mare the election.

     

  • Akwa Ibom state to establish an airline company

    Akwa Ibom state to establish an airline company

    The Akwa Ibom State Government says it plans to establish an airline company to ensure maximum utilisation of its modern airport.

    Gov. Udom Emmanuel said this in his speech at a solemn assembly to usher in the New Year in Uyo on Wednesday.

    Emmanuel said government would bring joy to the people of the state in 2019, adding that the state would blaze the trail as the only state in the country to wholly owned and run an airline.

    “We promised you improved electricity and you all witnessed that our electricity has improved significantly, we promised our youths, women and our elders, traders empowerment, we have done just that,’’ he said.

    He said since his assumption of office in 2015, he has not disappointed the people saying that that explain why the state is attracting investors and enjoying peace and progress.

    “That is the reason we are able to embark on numerous capital projects when others can’t even pay salaries of their workers, the reason why we are expanding and consolidating our infrastructure amenities such as the construction and commissioning or ongoing works of over 1700 kilometres of roads,” Emmanuel said.

    He also said government has remodeled health facilities in Etinan, Ikot Okoro, Ituk Mbang, Iquita, Ikono, Emmanuel Hospital and Eket adding that he came as a governor to serve the people.

    “The resource available to our people has been used to take care of our people. As they say, a good job executed demands more job to be done. That is what I am committed to doing when you return me to the hilltop mansion,’’ he said.

    He urged the people to participate fully in the forthcoming general election and not to give in to lies by the opposition in the state.

     

  • Governor doles out N62m Christmas package to youths, women

    Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has doled out N62 million as Christmas package to youths and women across the 31 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

    Emmanuel made the donation at the end-of-year get-together party for youths in the state at Eket Local Government on Sunday.
    He also donated 3,100 bags of rice to local government areas across the state to youths and women.

    Emmanuel told the youths in the three senatorial districts that he came to celebrate Christmas with them.

    “I did not come to Eket Senatorial District to campaign but I come to celebrate yuletide season with the youth and women in the state.

    “I wouldn’t come this Christmas period to thank youths and women with empty hands. I brought something for the youth and women of the state.

    “Each local government area will get 100 bags of rice and N2 million each, for the youth coming to show me love during this Christmas, ‘’ Emmanuel said.

    He said that Akwa Ibom is Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and enjoined the people to vote for all the PDP candidates in the 2019 general elections.

    Also speaking, Mr Aniefiok Iwadudofia, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Youths Matters, thanked the governor on behalf of the youth of Eket Senatorial District.

    “We are pleased with what you (governor) are doing with the youth of the district and God will bless you because you have done so much for us, ‘’ he said.

    Iwadudofia assured the governor that all the youth in the state would vote for all the PDP candidates in the state.

    “Be assured that in 2019, we will return you for second term in office.

    “We are here to reiterate our commitment that we will stand by you and support you till 2023, ‘’ Iwadudofia said.

     

  • EFCC lacks locus standi to meddle into client-lawyer relationship – NBA

    The Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) lacks the locus standi to meddle into client-lawyer contractual relationship, the Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA) said.

    In a communique issued at the end of NBA’s National Executive Council, (NEC) meeting held in Abuja, the association insisted that the fees that are paid by a client to his lawyer was not only a matter of privilege but also contractual.

    Briefing newsmen on Sunday, the NBA President, Mr Paul Usoro (SAN), revealed that the NEC deliberated and adopted as its resolution, a report he forwarded to the EFCC in respect of criminal charges filed against him by the Federal Government.

    Copies of the communique and Usoro’s report were made available to newsmen on Sunday.

    Usoro was speaking against the background of his impending arraignment on Monday in a Federal High Court in Lagos, over money laundering allegations leveled against him by the EFCC to the tune of N1.4billion.

    The alleged sum was said to have been received from the Akwa Ibom State Government.

    The NBA noted in the communique that Usoro was investigated by the EFCC based on a Zenith Bank N300 million inflow into his law firm’s account on March 14, 2016.

    The president also said he was investigated based on the subsequent outflows from the account to various senior counsel between March 22 and 23, 2016.

    NEC observed that the inflow was payment by Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state in respect of an Election Petition Appeal that was determined by the Supreme Court, of which Usoro served as the coordinating counsel.

    NBA NEC said it observed that the EFCC appeared to be straining hard to criminalise the fees that were earned by lawyers for their legitimate work.

    “Usoro’s case is not the first of these intrusions; we all recall the case of Mike Ozekhome, (SAN) when the EFCC attempted to forfeit his fees on the pretext that the funds came from illegal sources.

    “If these EFCC incursions are not checked, the Bar and the practice of our profession are doomed.”

    According to the NBA, the practice of law is founded on the independence of the legal practitioner and his courage to advocate on behalf of his client to the best of his ability and conviction.

    “That independence and the courage of the advocate are now being threatened and trampled upon by the EFCC.

    “Lawyers now have to work and walk on tip-toe, looking over their shoulders to determine whether the EFCC would be coming after them solely on account of their courage and independence in advocacy.

    “That does not bode well for the profession or for legal practice generally.”

    The association held that client-lawyer privilege had judicially and historically acknowledged that issues of fees, as between a lawyer and his client, was a matter of privilege.

    “The recent decision of the Court of Appeal that was delivered on June 14, 2017 between Central Bank of Nigeria v Registered Trustees of the NBA affirmed this position.

    “By questioning lawyers on the legitimate fees that they have earned from clients, the EFCC is breaching the lawyer-client privilege and showing complete disregard for the judgments of the courts in this regard,” NBA said.

    “As we all know, non-parties to a contract are complete strangers thereto and lack the locus standi to question and/or determine the propriety of such contract(s).

    “The EFCC stands in that position in this and other matters of this nature; it lacks the locus standi to question the basis for the fees.”

    On the 2019 general elections, NBA averred that several actions of government and its agencies continued to threaten and undermine the rule of law in the country and must be resisted.

    “As we approach the general elections in 2019, vigilance must be our watchword as there are already signs of storms in our horizon.

    ” It behooves on us as lawyers and the conscience of society to be vigilant, vocal and remain on the vanguard of fighting for free, fair and credible elections where the will of our people will not be subverted.

    “The votes of our people must count, and their will must not be sabotaged or subverted howsoever, and this applies to all the levels of polls – Presidential, Gubernatorial, National and State Houses of Assembly.”

    The NBA also condemned in the rampant killings of lawyers in the country, attacks on court premises, spate of kidnappings, menace of herdsmen, and other forms of criminalities across the country.

    The umbrella body of all lawyers in Nigeria called on the Federal Government to be more proactive in addressing the hydra headed challenge of insecurity in the country.

     

  • Akwa Ibom govt. names airport after Attah

    The Akwa Ibom Government has renamed Ibom International Airport after Obong Victor Attah, a former civilian governor, who governed the state from 1999 to 2007.

    Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom made the announcement at a banquet held in Uyo on Sunday to commemorate Attah’s 80th birthday.

    Naming of the airport after the former governor was sequel to a resolution passed by the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly on Nov. 19.

    “Obong Victor Attah’s developmental strides during his eight years tenure such as the Ibom Deep Seaport Project, Ibom International Airport with Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, Ibom Hotel & Gulf Resort, Phase one of the State Secretariat Complex cannot go unnoticed,” Emmanuel said.

    He commended Attah for his commitment to the development of the state, Niger Delta region and the country.

    The governor acknowledged the contributions of Attah toward making the MRO unit of the airport functional in spite of his exit from office.

    “Such demonstration of zeal, patriotism and forthrightness is worthy of emulation by all leaders.

    “His doggedness for the actualisation of true federalism and resource control had paid off well for the state and the south south region with the result being tremendous increase in the revenue accruing to the oil bearing states.’’

    He congratulated the former governor for making it to the age of 80 and prayed God to grant him good health and more years of existence to enable him impact more on the society.

    Responding, Attah said that he will eternally remain grateful to Emmanuel and the people of Akwa Ibom for the respect accorded him.

    Attah called on politicians to play politics devoid of rancour as the country prepares for the next general elections.

     

  • Gov. Udom aims to exploit ICT for wealth creation in Akwa Ibom

    Governor Udom Emmanuel said his government is exploiting the option of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Science and Technology for employment generation and wealth creation in Akwa Ibom state.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Governor Udom stated this, as part of policy objectives, while presenting a N670.718 billion 2019 budget he proposed for Akwa Ibom before the State House of Assembly on Wednesday.

    The Governor said ICT and the knowledge of science and technology are major catalysts for economic growth, social development and job creation.

    He said science and technology have been recognized as a strategic tool for community development, wealth creation and advancement of the human condition at all levels.

    “This Administration aims to build a strong and rich intellectual human capacity in science and technology for Akwa Ibom citizens without discrimination in gender or age and to emphasize the advancement of knowledge of ICT at all levels,” Udom said.

    He said this would be achieved through the training of unemployed graduates on ICT under the Graduate Assistant Programme (GAP) and setting up of ICT academy for the training of Civil servants in the State.

    “The world today is going green through the adoption, development and use of renewable energy and efficient utilization of nature’s energy resources.

    “Since renewable energy can be used in electricity generation and production of cleaner vehicle fuel. There is a paradigm shift from an energy system powered by increasingly expensive, dirty and unsustainable fossil fuel resources towards the one powered by abundant, clean, local and affordable renewable energy sources.

    “The State is not left behind in the global renewable energy and energy efficiency trend, as a Directorate of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency has been created in the Ministry of Science and Technology to specifically develop, install and maintain Renewable Energy Technology in the State.

    “Government also intends to pursue e-governance, establish Resources and Development Laboratory, Technology Workshop. etc.

    “The 2019 budget proposes the sum of N2.800 billion, to execute these activities,” the Governor stated.

     

  • Gov. Udom highlights 13 strategies for Akwa Ibom N671bn 2019 budget

    Governor Udom Emmanuel has highlighted thirteen implementation strategies for the N670.718 billion 2019 budget he proposed for Akwa Ibom before the State House of Assembly on Wednesday.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Governor Udom christened the 2019 budget as the Budget of Industrialization for Poverty Alleviation.

    He said to realize the objectives of the N670.718 billion budget, the following strategies and measures would be adopted by the State Government in 2019:

    1. Expand the revenue base of the State by eliminating wastages and leakages in expenditure, and improving IGR collection and development of tourism potentials.

    2. Employ effective public-private partnership strategies to provide much needed industrial and infrastructural development.

    3. Attract potential investors and donor agencies to invest in the relevant and key sectors of the State economy and also undertake robust human capital development.

    4. Strengthen the industrial base of the State through the development of a Mega Industrial City “Liberty Free Trade Zone” and 2 mini-AKEES Industrial Parks, which will provide a conducive environment for rapid industrialization.

    5. Setting up of new industries and maintaining existing ones, in the oil and gas, information technology as well as the agro-industrial sectors.

    6. Stimulate the Agriculture and Agro-allied industries to boost production of local farmers to ensure food sufficiency for local consumption, exports as well as the provision of raw materials for the industries.

    7. Pay priority attention to the completion of all on-going projects in the key sectors of the State economy.

    8. Expand and improve services in Health-Care Delivery at Primary and Secondary levels.

    9. Provision of Educational facilities with emphasis on science and technology, as well as information and communication technology.

    10. Enforce Child Protection Laws and empower women and youth through capacity building, empowerment, skill acquisition and elimination of gender discrimination practices.

    11. Enhance service delivery in the public service to ensure that the benefits of good governance are enjoyed by all.

    12. Ensure enforcement of peace, law and order by building an efficient and proactive security network to make the State conducive to live and invest in.

    13. Continue the on-going work on Sport Academy in the State and Sports Centres in the 10 Federal Constituencies of the State in order to boast of representatives of the State at local, National and International Sporting competitions. This will also create employment, generate wealth and reduce poverty among the youths.

     

  • Gov. Udom proposes N671bn budget for 2019 fiscal year

    Governor Udom Emmanuel has proposed a total budgetary outlay of N670.718 billion for the 2019 financial year for Akwa Ibom state as against the approved provision of N646.649 billion of 2018.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Governor Udom presented the budget proposal before the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly on Wednesday with recurrent expenditure at N97.096 billion, capital expenditure at N445.936 billion and consolidated revenue fund charges at N127.686 billion.

    “In 2019, government intends to build more industries and attract more Foreign Direct Investments, while ensuring the consolidation and sustenance in our already actualized and on-going socio-economic programmes in Health, Education, Roads, Electricity, Water Supply, Agriculture, Information Technology, Capacity Building, Infrastructure, Housing, Commerce and Industry Aviation, General Administration, Political Posterity and Security, Legislature and Judiciary.

    “A lot had been put in place in term of infrastructures already, but we need to do more. Our belief and conviction is that through industrialization, the fortunes of people would be greatly improved and employment opportunities will abound for our people thus, lifting the standard of living,” the Governor said during his presentation.

    The 2019 budget was christened the Budget of Industrialization for Poverty Alleviation and the 2018 Budget was named Budget of Consolidation on industrialization.

    “It was so named as the State had started witnessing a breakthrough in industrialization through the construction and commissioning of some industries that are currently in full operations. We also attracted more Foreign Direct Investments, boosted the fortunes of our people and improved employment opportunities,” Udom said.

    He said his administration is encapsulated by the five-point agenda of job creation, poverty alleviation, wealth creation, economic and political inclusion, and infrastructural consolidation and expansion to further transform the state into an industrialized entity.

    Akwa Ibom 2019 budget proposal

    He further stated that the 2019 Budget is prepared in accordance with International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) – Accrual Template.

    “The Policy thrust of the 2019 Budget is aimed at reducing dependence on statutory allocation as the main source of revenue to the State. This will be pursued by establishing more industries, improving IGR and providing the enabling environment which will encourage private investments in the State.

    “The State Government will also create employment opportunities and improve the living standard of our people by providing basic infrastructures, enhancing security, develop human capital and continue to boost services in education and healthcare,” Udom said.