JOE EFFIONG, UYO
The special assistant to the president on Niger Delta Affairs, Sen Ita Enang, has accused Akwa Ibom State governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, of project gerrymandering and greed for attempting to take every development project to his native Onna local government area.
But Udom has in turn accused Enang of suffering from “strategic historical amnesia and mirror syndrome.”
Enang while addressing the press on Saturday in his house in Uyo , told Gov Emmanuel to hands off his attempt to manipulate the proposed federal university of technology recently granted to Akwa Ibom by the federal government to by sited in Onna, even as he announced that the federal government has now approved that the institution be sited at Ikot Abasi.
While congratulating the state and the former minister of national planning, Sen Udoma Udo Udoma, whose domain the institution is to be sited, Enang however asked the entire state to rise up and condemn Gov Emmanuel’s avarice to projects to be sited only his local government area at the detriment of all other sections of the state.
“ I want to say that the whole of Akwa Ibom people should rise up; the traditional rulers, the elders, the leaders, politicians across political parties and try to encourage Gov Udom Emmanuel, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, that he should work for the establishment of this university in Ikot Abasi and not Onna.
“He has formally made a request that the university be sited in Onna. I consider this as improper, imprudent and that he is not acting as governor of Akwa Ibom State. If everything that comes to Akwa Ibom State has to go to Onna, the governor is acting in a manner that can be considered Udom-centric. Onna-centric, and IMM (I, me and myself), self-centric and ungubernatorial .
“Governor Udom Emmanuel was chosen to be the governor of the whole Akwa Ibom State and not the chairman of Onna or a counselor of any of the wards in Onna or Awa Ikot Akpan Ntembom. Therefore, the whole state should rise up and grapple with him and snatch the federal university from him so that he would not take it Onna. It is not only Onna that is in Akwa Ibom.
Onna had the university teaching hospital built by Abdul Samad; Onna had the flour mill; Onna had the plywood mill; Onna had the syringe factory; all the roads are built in Onna; Onna had the biggest private estate owned by one person. How?
“Every person who isin a position of responsibility should know that he is in that position as a trustee of the people and there is a terminal date; and when you come out, if you don’t face the consequences of your action while in office, you will face it after, and you will not be able to correct it. So I pray Gov. Udom Emmanuel not to try and push for the federal university to be kept in Onna. He should support that it goes to Ikot Abasi and be a great part of the success of that institution.” Enang said.
He averred that university was his brainchild which he had prepared a place in his community, Ididep, in Ibiono Ibom local government as it its site; but lamented losing it just he had lamented losing the Federal Polytechnic Ukana he wanted sited at the same Ididep, but the then governor, Sen Godswill Akpabio took it to his community in Essien Udim.
But reacting to Enang’s outburst, the state commissioner for information, Mr Ini Ememobong, said the presidential aide was suffering from strategic historical amnesia and mirror syndrome.
“Ita Enang is looking at the mirror and the person he thinks he is seeing in the mirror is Udom Emmanuel whereas he is seeing himself.
“Now let’s take history back. Recall this same Ita Enang, during the construction of Calabar Itu Road forced a spur on that road to Ididep, not to ibiono, but to Idipep, his community. Remember that his grouse with Sen Akpabio was that the federal polytechnic which he wanted brought to Ididep-o, was taken to Ukana. When the federal university was promised by the president, where did Ita want it sited? Ididep; not even Ibiono.
“And when you look at the topography of this Ididep, you would know that it doesn’t leave room for expansion . So Ita is not even talking about ibiono or Uyo senatorial district, but Ididep. So he seems to see through the mirror, where he sees himself but thinks the person he is seeing is Gov. Udom Emmanuel. That’s our reply for him”. Ememobong quipped.