The governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel, declared that rather than picking a fight with the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, he would concentrate on executing excellent governance to save Nigeria and Nigerians from their current problems.
At Monday's APC rally in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, in reaction to a rumoured insult from the candidate, Governor Emmanuel stated Tinubu had nothing to offer Nigerians, which is why he turns to personal assaults rather than concentrating on policy.
At a rally on Monday in Uyo, Tinubu reportedly said, "Akwa Ibom, dat Boy were brought Atiku here, were de name himself state Governor, tell him enough is enough!" according to Prime 9ja Online. He resides in my Lagos backyard; if no one told us we were one, I would drive him home. If I were to live in the mansion where he does, I would simply utilise scorpions, pigeons, and lizards.
In a subdued reply, the governor said he would ignore the former governor of Lagos State and instead focus his time and efforts on putting in place effective governance to free Nigerians from their current problems.
The governor said that for peace to continue in the country, one party must “play saint,” so he would not respond to Tinubu during the inauguration of the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and Government, Chairmen and Members of Boards and Commissions, and a Transition Committee to ensure a smooth transition of power to the next administration in Government House, Uyo.
“I also go to other states, and if you watch our campaigns, my principal (Atiku Abubakar) has never spoken about any Governor, he has never spoken openly about Asiwaju before,” the governor who is also the Chairman of the PDP presidential campaigns said.
Emmanuel expressed regret that Tinubu, who had been given the use of state-owned facilities like the airport, security, stadium, and a positive atmosphere to come in and sell his manifesto, had insulted the integrity of over 7.9 million Akwa Ibom people.
The governor of Akwa Ibom State pondered, “Is it possible for any Akwa Ibomite to go to Lagos, that Tinubu stays, or the actual state, that he hails, and insult him in a manner and still be allowed to return safely?
“But here, our people at the stadium, including some state governors, just laughed and applauded him.
“What makes him think he will govern Nigeria? If I reply to him now, people will call me and say, haba! oga you are not like that. But I will reply to him one day. There is nothing like ’emilokan’ (it is my turn) here, Nigeria is in God’s hands,” he said.
He congratulated the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries for taking on the challenging public service role. He asked them to view themselves as ambassadors, trying to raise the standard of leadership to boost productivity and foster strong working relationships with subordinates.
“This is one thing I promised Akwa Ibom people that appointment of Permanent Secretaries shall be totally on merit; let those that can do the work be given the opportunity. Permanent Secretary is not a promotion, it is an appointment on merit.”
Governor Emmanuel reaffirmed his dedication to bolstering the effectiveness of the Civil Service, saying that under his watch, civil servants have been promoted annually and that before he leaves office, additional Permanent secretaries will be appointed to fill the vacancies left by the retiring officials.
In his address to the Chairmen of Boards and Commissions, Governor Emmanuel called them “pillars of government”. He praised their dedication, singling out Prince Akpan Ikim, Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection & Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), for earning accolades for the state through his outstanding performance in maintaining and making Akwa Ibom the cleanest state in Nigeria for five consecutive years from 2018 through 2022.
To this end, the members of the Transition Committee have been tasked with verifying all initiatives carried out by the current administration and ensuring a smooth handover of power to the next administration.
Mfon Inuaesiet Edemekong Esq., Dr Stephen Effiong, Atim Chelly Okoko, Iquo Okon Abia Esq., Uwem Sunday Andrew-Essien, Isaiah Robson Ntekim are the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries. Emaeyak Nyong Akpan was also appointed as Auditor General for Local Government.
Ekereobong Umoh serves as chairperson of the Transition Committee, which also includes Uko Udom SAN, Augustine Umoh, Ini Adiakpan, Nathaniel Adiakpan, Nsemeke Daniel, Esther Inyang, Uwem Andrew-Essien, Isaiah Ntekim, Effiong Ekpenyong, and Bella Akpanya.