…you have started well -Isantim Kenneth Okon
…Etinan must rise again -Justice Commissioner, Uko Udom, SAN
…the Chairman is showing what local governance should be -Dr. Okon Emah
By Ime Silas
In keeping with his focus of repositioning the area, the Chairman of Etinan Local Government Council, Hon Uko Umoh this morning, Tuesday, 30th January, 2024 flagged off massive grading of rural roads across the 12 wards in the LGA.
The event which took place at Ikot Isong Village, Northern Iman Ward II, was witnessed by the member representing Etinan State Constituency at the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon. Uduak Ufot and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for justice, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Uko Udom, SAN,
Speaking at Community Centre, Asuna during a brief ceremony before the flag off, the Chairman, while thanking all the political stakeholders and Community leaders who turned up for the event said one thing his nascent administration has achieved was peace and unity.
He said “I want to thank you all for turning up for this event. During our swearing-in, the governor told us to go into our localities for the purpose of undertaking projects that would positively affect the lives of our people at the grassroots.
Upon my assumption of office, one of the first things I did was to inaugurate a committee that would go round and take stock of abandoned and uncompleted projects and assets of government across the sixty-four villages in Etinan. The essence is for the Committee to check and note the state of those things like electricity, schools, boreholes and so on, that government did and submit a report to me so that I can have a working template to make sure that I reach out to everybody.
By the Special grace of God, we have gone far, although I am not going to stand here to enumerate all those things we have done. I can say that by His Grace, a lot of things have started changing for the better in Etinan. One of such achievements for which I thank God is peace, where everybody comes together as you all can see here.
Also, as I went to the Council, I checked for the Council’s grader and collectively, we brought it. We have put it in good condition for use because I knew that it won’t be easy to hire a grader, buy diesel and pay the operator for the purpose of grading rural roads. The next thing was to organize this flag off. By God’s grace, roads will be graded in all the wards in Etinan”
In their separate remarks, House member, Hon Uduak Ufot and a former State Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Sam Ikon commended the Chairman for all his strides within the short time in office. While calling on all well-meaning sons and daughters of Etinan to accord Hon. Uko Umoh all the necessary supports, the lawmaker and the former speaker advised host communities to take good care of the projects and secure it against vandals.
On his part, Mr. Uko Udom, SAN, sent warning to vandals, saying that he won’t hesitate to jail anyone caught vandalizing public amenities.
“I want to really thank the Chairman for all his initiatives. He’s a man who was prepared for this job and he’s going about executing his lofty plans. We heard how he said he is going to reach out to every village to see what their needs are. But the big problem that we have here and we all know it is that when these things are done, we turn and look the other way and our own people go round to destroy everything that has been done.
This time around, I want all of us to take ownership of all the projects the Chairman has set on ground. If he comes to repair a transformer in your village, let us not hear that the next day we went and vandalized the transformer and messed it up on the premise that it is government property, that government would come and do another one.
The governor has made it clear that any village that vandalizes a transformer, that is the end. The government will not fix it. Those affected villages will all stay in darkness. This things are not always destroyed by spirits or strangers, but our people.
The governor has made it clear that any vandal caught will be prosecuted and it is my job as Attorney-General to prosecute them and I will jail them. I don’t care whether you are my relatives or not. Etinan must rise again”.
Speaking, a former Commissioner, Dr. Okon Emah lauded the Chairman on his achievements, reasoning that he’s showing Etinan people how a local government should be.
Hear him “Let me thank the Chairman immensely because he is making people see what local governance should be. A local government must have an impact the way we’re seeing. The local government should not be sharing money and ‘that ends the news’. There must be evidence that when you were a Chairman, this is what you did and it shouldn’t just be one project”.
For the former Chairman of Etinan and Commander of the Ibom Community Watch, Isantim Kenneth Okon “I am very delighted to be here. Mr. Chairman, I’m happy with you. You have started well. I want to join other speakers to say that the music has changed and therefore, the dance steps must change.
The governor is so seriously against vandalism of public assets that is why he has set up the Ibom Community Watch headed by me. Each unit, we have a member of this outfit and we will not hesitate to arrest the representative of that unit under my command because you were supposed to check government assets in the unit, not even the village…. I want Etinan people to support this Chairman as they supported other Chairmen to succeed”
Highpoint of the event was the ceremonial rural road grading flag off by the Chairman.
Other notable dignitaries who attended the event included Hon Imaobong Michael, Hon. Lawrencia Etuk, Dame Ime Udom, Dr Cosmas Udofot, Obong Donald Uko and Hon. Kufre Ikono.
Others were Prince Ibanga Udofia, Hon. Emmanuel Titus, Sampson Akpan, Elder Udo Ekwere, Frank Attah, Pastor Ubong Inyang, all the Supervisors as well as PDP officials and stalwarts in Etinan.