Akwa-Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, has reiterated that, contrary to insinuations, he will not probe the activities of his predecessor, Obong Victor Attah.

Governor Akpabio, who recently set-up a committee to probe the contract of DYNCORP construction company of U.S.A on the state’s abandoned airport project, which was awarded by Attah said the action should not be misread for an outright probing of Attah’s regime as that was not the intention.

Akwa-Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, who made this clarification yesterday at an interactive media session in Abuja further said the government of Chief Akpabio has its hands-full with execution of developmental projects within the state and as such would not entertain distractions which he claimed include probing of the state’s immediate past governor.

The state government is for now focused on ensuring that developmental projects are executed in the state as fast as possible because some areas are in dare need of massive infrastructural inputs, especially in the area of roads, and as such probing Attah’s regime as a matter of fact is not our immediate priority or agenda.

The commissioner, also at the occasion, assured Nigerians that the state government is doing everything within its powers to ensure that the Bakassi returnees, irrespective of the fact that some of them are indigenes of Cross River, Bayelsa, Rivers and Ondo states are all adequately taken care of.
He added that as soon as the committee set up by the state government to look at the remote and immediate effects of the ceding on the returnees, as well as their needs submit its report, the state government would relocate appropriately the returnees with basic need of livelihood provided for them to enable them start their lives and live better.

Reacting to the insinuations that Akwa-Ibom State government has a working relationship with the Niger Delta militants, a reason perceived to be responsible for the low militant activities in the state, Umanah cautioned that such insinuation was mischievous and that no responsible government will work in collaboration with any militant group.

According to him, “though Akwa-Ibom state has never hidden its stand on the need for the country to declare state of emergency on infrastructure in Niger Delta states, it will never join force with any militant.”