By The Progressive Youth Forum Of The All Progressives Congress
Your Excellency, we bring you greetings from the more than 12 million Akwa Ibom youths of Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket Senatorial Districts making up the land of fulfillment. We write this letter to you as one of the billions of people you’ve impacted directly and indirectly while you served the State as Governor, before your glorious elevation as Minister, Senator and now, President of the Senate of the Federal Republic, to the credit of our dear State.
Your steady movement on the ladder of leadership is not a coincidence but a divinely orchestrated stride to enable you spread your wealth of influence both to those with whom you share culture and tribal ties as well as others who by virtue of your charisma have come to identify with you. As such, we know Your Excellency, that you have become a man of a people heterogenous by geography but homogenous by humanity.
Having climbed to a high echelon on the seat of governance and being consumed with responsibilities overboard, we felt a need to bring you up to speed on matters requiring urgent attention at home, arising from the nonchalance of the present administration which has left bitter taste in mouths of Akwa Ibom people. We dare say that all is not well at home and like the Christians in Macedonia, we cry for help.
The administration of Governor Umo Eno has become a complete nightmare, with lamentations ringing out of every household like that of the biblical Jeremiah. We’ve been hit like a thunderbolt and wailing has become the order of the day. Never has it been like this in the history of the modern day Akwa Ibom. Your Excellency, the State you loved and its people have been plunged into economic darkness with hunger pervading every home; and like sheep without a shepherd, your people go about starving with no end in sight.
To sum it up, Governor Umo Eno has taken breads off the mouths of people and replaced them with stones. We saw this coming when he announced that no one should celebrate his birthday on Newspaper or television/radio advertorials but rather celebrate him by donating to charity. This was a clear-cut attempt at hampering the patronage of Newspaper publishers in the State and thus, impoverishing them. “Why put that caveat when it comes to celebration that would have assisted publishing houses with advertorials? Don’t they pay staff salaries? Don’t they employ Orphans as Staff?”, someone had questioned. To further buttress his harsh disposition towards the media, he stopped the payment of the long-established ‘Danjuma’ to journalists and has completely cut down their take-home at briefings.
Thereafter, he initiated the defunct audio bulk food purchase scheme which no one has heard of till date. Even when he claimed he was going to give the food free of charge to the elderly and vulnerable, the Social Register which was to be used in administering the food was shrouded in secrecy and made inaccessible to people. Till date, no one knows who and who have benefited from the scheme and who have not. But meanwhile, Umo Eno merely raised people’s hopes and dashed them for nothing.
Just recently, Umo Eno through the Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA) demolished shanties belonging to poor and vulnerable members of the society which offers the least avenue for those people to make a living for themselves. These poor people have remained stranded till date while the destroyed places which were said would be used for beautification purposes are lying waste.
Meanwhile, Eno has completely ceased the circulation of money in the State, due to his frugality. In the past, Your Excellency, Interministerial projects was one way through which money got into the hands of the man on the street. Contractors were sure to employ the services of locals to supply water, sand, cement, rod, wood and other building materials with miscellaneous of such contracts. But the case today is that contracts are measured and calculated in exactitude before they are awarded; every material needed is provided by Umo Eno’s henchmen to the latter, without an excess. Even his aides who are recipients of the contracts find excuses not to be awarded; they don’t want to be part of something they won’t benefit a dime from, haven been treated unfairly too.
It’s worth recalling that Governor Umo Eno was accused months ago of crippling the survival of his supporters and appointees. Unfortunately, the situation has worsened. Today, many are owed months’ worth of entitlements, including officers of the Ibom Community Watch, Media, and Youth structures. Apart from meager salaries, political appointees receive nothing else – no mobility, no decent housing, and no means to support those around them.
Shockingly, the Governor’s aides are no better off than the average citizen who can’t afford a liter of fuel. When you became Senate President, Governor Umo Eno hastily appointed former lawmakers as Honorary Special Advisers with a paltry N250,000 monthly allowance, likely driven by fear.
This Governor has devastated the state with his so-called “audio policies,” failing to deliver tangible benefits to the people. Let’s examine his record:
How many jobs has he created in the civil service?
How many roads has he initiated and completed?
How many appointees can boast of owning a decent vehicle or house, despite the substantial monthly funds at his disposal?
The truth is stark. Governor Umo Eno’s administration has been marked by neglect, poor governance, and a lack of vision for the state’s prosperity.
Worse still, they’ve lost access to the Governor. Honestly, Your Excellency, Governor Umo Eno’s administration is run like a sole proprietorship, where he’s the only decision-maker. Nothing moves without his meticulous evaluation and approval, especially if it doesn’t align with his priorities. He treats the state’s resources as if they’re his personal wealth.
Consequently, commissioners and appointees have been marginalized, unable to attend events or donate even N50,000 to individuals. In stark contrast, during your tenure, even personal assistants lived comfortably, driving nice cars and owning homes. The common man could afford land, build houses, and celebrate milestones. The media, youths, and elderly enjoyed a good life, not just a superficial ‘happy hour’ like we see now.
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The administration’s centralized control has stifled progress, leaving many disillusioned and struggling to make ends meet. It’s a far cry from the prosperity and joy that once characterized our state.
Despite the pressure placed on him for a relax of these stringencies by persons who know at least, a little; nothing seems to change Eno’s mind when he’s made up. It’s even worse that Umo Eno has no mumu button, an indirect button (person) one can press to access him. For all he cares, he calls the shots without anyone’s permission. A mumu button in this case, is a liaison or intermediary between the governor and the people.
For sure, no single individual would be able to attend daily to the unique demands of everyone hence, the imperatives of a go-to person. This person would therefore be that emergency button one can easily reach the Governor with. Obong Victor Attah had, Prof Akpan Ekpo, his siblings and others as ‘mumu buttons’ when he was Governor.
You Excellency, you had Sir Etekamba Umoren; your wife and our mother, Unoma Akpabio, your siblings and Umana Umana differently as ‘mumu’ buttons. Your successor, Udom Emmanuel had the then Ephraim Inyangeyen, Emmanuel Ekuwem, Nathaniel Adiakpan, Ekerete Udoh, few Commissioners and Special Advisers as well as some members of his immediate family differently as his ‘mumu’ buttons. And these were persons you could beat your chest to say that you would have seen the Governor if you saw them. Differently, they accommodated complaints and suggestions from various angles of the society, while providing positive feedback to those concerned when such was needed. By so doing, they watered down several pressures on the Governor thus, making the job of the number one citizen less cumbersome.
But the acclaimed ’golden boy’ who knows better is not towing that route. Virtually all areas of the economy has crumbled under this administration, Very recently, Your Excellency, the Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community rated this administration the weakest in insecurity and other social issues of primary concern, while expressing displeasure over the Governor’s nonchalance to the plights of the people.
They affirmed that the Governor’s administration has been criticized for its failure to address the surge in robbery and other crimes, unemployment among youth, and widespread hardship, despite the state’s substantial monthly allocations. These assertions can be verified through independent inquiry, Your Excellency.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists has suffered the loss of four members due to the Governor’s unavailability to provide medical support. They couldn’t approach the Commissioner for Information or the Chief Press Secretary for assistance, as the Governor hasn’t approved any extra funds for them. In fact, he publicly stated that he doesn’t approve miscellaneous or logistics expenses.
The Governor has a habit of referring memos and proposals related to Media, Youths, and other sectors to the Chief Press Secretary, Commissioner of Information, or other commissioners, effectively burying the ideas. Unlike your tenure, where the Permanent Secretary handled many engagements informally, and similarly during Mr. Udom Emmanuel’s tenure, Governor Umo Eno insists on a rigid bureaucratic approach, forgetting that he holds a political office and that government’s primary function is to spend money for the people’s benefit.
This excessive caution and refusal to adapt have hindered progress and exacerbated the state’s problems.
We therefore ask in all humility that you come to our rescue as a father, mindful of his children’s wellbeing. We’ve been beaten and battered, so much that we groan under the weight of these sufferings. We call on you to call a meeting of stakeholders in the APC across the three senatorial districts on possible ways to save Akwa Ibom State of an extension of these ills by 2027. While we seek divine strength and resilience to wait for the end of this terrible administration, we cannot afford to fold our arms and see it go beyond 2027.
We ask that you carefully expedite action on this information and treat as a SOS for a people and State you love. We pledge our readiness to work in full support of the outcome of the stakeholders meeting to this effect.
We crave a new Akwa Ibom where policies are made in favour of the masses and we’re confident in your ability to make it come pass. We wish you wisdom and divine insight as you take this into consideration, while praying God’s protection and guidance upon you as you keep steering the affairs at the Senate.
Long live the Senate President!
Long live Akwa Ibom State!!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Comrade Inyang Aaron
International President
Chief Sylvester Martins
International Secretary
