Thomas Thomas
A lot of people may be “browbeaten” to believe that Mr. Udom Emmanuel is hated in the State “because of his underperformance” as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, whereas this is not the case. The idiotic talk against the Governor is a hogwash by some amateur propagandists who are hellbent on discrediting the Governor and his good works simply because he has taken the State away from the Sons of Idi Amin, viz: cultists, Squanderers, profiteers and evil forces. In fact, I am told that the recent display of rascality by a section of the State’s civil servants during this year’s Workers Day celebration was orchestrated by those sons of Idi Amin who have collectively and individually failed in their several attempts to seize power in the State to once again return the State to the Warsawic era (2007 — 2015) they once thrown us into.
It was silly for workers in the State to allow themselves to be used on their Day by the sons of Idi Amin who now disguise as lovers and messiahs of the masses. Why the silly act of booing the Governor? Is it because he owes them salaries? No! Akwa Ibom State is one of the States that pay workers salaries regularly and on time too. Some civil servants talk about “entitlements” such as leave grants and promotion arrears, but I can tell you those things have been taken care of, and what’s remaining will be sorted out, after all Government is continuum.
Mr. Udom Emmanuel inherited backlog of leave grants and promotion arrears and gratuities from Chief Godswill Akpabio, and has made a lot of efforts to deal with it. So many retirees have gotten theirs, and those remaining will sure get theirs soon. Is that why you should allow yourselves to be used by your enemies?
Gov. Udom Emmanuel has done great things in Akwa Ibom State. He has restored peace and sanity in the State. Cultists, kidnappers and assassins are no longer on the prowl in the State as they were during the Akpabio years. This has been so because the Governor is never a cultist, never thirsty for the blood or heads of his opponents. The Akpabio administration bequeathed cultism and violence to the people. In fact, cultism or membership of cult groups was a criteria to get an appointment from the government. Local governments were handed over to cultists as compensations “for job well done”. Indeed, the younger generation was made to see cultism as a way of life, and as the only way or short cut to becoming relevance in the society; hence the youths were scrambling for memberships of cult groups. Alas! The coming on board of Mr. Udom Emmanuel in 2015 aborted that silly era!
The conglomeration of the sons of Idi Amin to discredit the good works of Mr. Udom Emmanuel cannot in anyway pave the way for them to ascend the the political echelon of the State at this particular time, and never will they. Trying to extol the evil regime of Akpabio because of hatred for Udom whom they think has blocked them from profiting from the state’s coffers cannot take away the achievements of the Governor. Demonizing Udom and canonizing Akpabio is a clear case of the politics of Barabbas (which is a very idiotic game, after all). How can you extol a man who budgeted billions of Naira for industries (and called it Budget of Industrialization) in 2012, took away all the monies earmarked and actually allotted for industries to only- God – knows – where, and repeated the same in 2013 with impunity, but turn round to insult a man (Udom Emmanuel) who has built over 10 industries in the State? Mr. Akpabio built roads, but Mr. Udom has built more and better roads in the state. So, why the insult and unnecessary comparison?
Maybe acts like the ones exhibited on Workers Day by ill-informed civil servants in the State constitute some of the reasons some people claim that Akwa Ibom people are of the Jewish descent. It was the Jews who preferred a thief in the person of Barabbas to Jesus Christ. They rather wanted Barabbas to be set free while Jesus Christ should be crucified. But Governor Udom Emmanuel can never be crucified because we are no longer in the days of yore, and the Romans are now Christians (they know the truth, and have seen the light shinning everywhere in the State).