INSECURITY: MY WORRIES ABOUT AKWA IBOM STATE

Our governor (Godswill Akpabio) had promised that by December 2010, kidnapping activities would be a thing of the past in Akwa Ibom (refer to Nigerian dailies - Nigerian Tribune page 53, Nigerian Compass page 6, and NEXT page 14) of Monday November 1, 2010. December has come to an end but political kidnappings, assassinations and discriminations continue in Akwa Ibom. The government authorities would always blame it on the position but Akwa Ibom people seem to have continued discountenancing this.

It looks like the situation is now beyond the governor; probably he thought that mere proclamation would assuage those hoodlums who had been empowered earlier by the government. It happens that whirlwind is now being harvested because there is no way you would sow cassava and expect to harvest yam.

It is important to draw the attention of those not living with us (here) in Akwa Ibom that almost all the appointed and ‘elected’ government officials whose primary duty posts are within Akwa Ibom (Commissioners, Special Advisers and State House of Assembly members and even some Local Government Chairmen inclusive) have their families living in the nearby peaceful Cross River State or Lagos or Abuja. It is a verifiable fact that Akwa Ibom’s First Lady, Mrs. Unoma Ekaette Akpabio and her children, live in Lagos and London. Her Excellency’s children do not attend school in Akwa Ibom but Lagos and they do this with police escorts that turned embarrassing to their school’s authority.

This has now mellowed after the school authority threatened. Her Excellency, whenever in Lagos, worships regularly at the Catholic Church located at Falomo; but she also spends some periods in London. She flies into Akwa Ibom when there is any compulsory occasion for her to attend. Governor Akpabio himself lives more in Abuja NICON Hotel & Towers than the ‘prestigious’ Uyo Governor’s Lodge he reconstructed with N6.5billion.
One question resonates often: If Akwa Ibom is as safe as being propagated by the governor, why then are people in power preferring to live and/or their families live in other places? This is an existing situation which many may not believe; but it is easily verifiable. We need someone to come over to Macedonia (Akwa Ibom) to help us who live in fears all day long.

Itoro Akpabio, Umuahia Road, IKOT EKPENE, Akwa Ibom State.