BY TOROBONG EKPO
What we are witnessing in Akwa Ibom State in recent times could be described as invasion of "afia ino".
The last time we had such case was during the colonial era where the Whites invaded the country and quenched every indigenous pride we had and in place replaces it with theirs.
"Afia ino" as the name implies is a kind of administration where leaders pretend to be sincere, but a second look exposes such leader otherwise.
If the Transition Chairman of Itu Local Government Area didn't say at plenary on the floor of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly that Council Chairmen in the state do not get their monthly allocation, the public would have branded such statement as OPPOSITION or DEFEATIST THEORY, apologies to Udom Emmanuel.
Despite the Change Begins With Me Mantra, which the Federal Government advocates on a daily basis, it is somehow difficult to believe that aside from inability to release monthly allocation to Local Government Areas in the state, the governor's wife, Martha Udom Emmanuel, could be fingered among those who allegedly fingers the Internally Generated Revenue of Itu LGA.
Via the manner Esara was busy exonerating herself from the whole mess, even a novice may agree that she has said all that was written on the petition earlier endorsed by five Transition Members led by Hon. Ubong Edem aka WHITEBOY.
What baffles me is the rationale behind the chairman of an illegally constituted committee taking a legally constituted Arm of Government (AKHA) to court.
It can only get bizzare in Akwa Ibom under the insular bankers regime.
Methink, as a former Deputy Director of a federal ministry, Mrs. Esara ought to have known that court operate on equity, which maxim claims that HE WHO GOES TO EQUITY MUST GO WITH CLEAN HANDS.
Could an illegally constituted committee be said to have clean hands in the eyes of the law after Supreme Court has ruled otherwise? Well, known perhaps to legal expert.
The perceived proud, cocky, "chop alone" but pretty beautiful Esara, (who could only succumb to authority such as AKHA,) had earlier claimed that she refused to attend the summon as a result of a "BLACK OUT", but later withdrew the excuse maintaining that she was Ill advised by Senator Anietie Okon to approach court and seek redress.
The question is, could a Senator who (mis)understands the working of the law, himself an elder in the PDP counsels a political novice such as Mma Esara to undermine the integrity of the legislative arm of government?
That to me is a pointer to the fact that the problem in the PDP is caused by members, not fans of the party. So pathetic!
Okon, in his response to the allegation had said that he mandated Mrs. Elsie to go to court as the Assemblymen were "harassing" her.
I may know know what he meant by harassment, because I only heard of an invitation to answer to a certain petition, I never knew harassment was included.
But could that be the reason why Esara's husband had to stay at the assembly galleria and witness how his wife was "harassed" for three hours, fifty one minutes.
On a lighter note, I want to plead with our elders who could lay hands on any video clip showcasing Sen.
Anietie Okon in his early 20s to please help a brother, because watching such a video will help me compare and contrast his political antecedence with the likes of Senator Udoedehe, both Senators from Uyo Senatorial District.
As I watched Esara trying to exonerate herself, I see a misnomer in the present administration.
A disaster personified. It can only occur when politicians are pushed to the stream while political novice are bestowed with political powers.
Which politician can stand on the floor of the assembly at plenary and mention his or her political mentors, let alone mentioning the one who mandated her to approach the court against the state legislature.
That was too childish Mrs. Esara. You showcases your high level of political "Johny Just Come". I doubt if your utterances didn't irritate the legislators the more.
For the very first time, Barr. Onofiok Luke regretted sitting on the speakership seat. Off course, 10th May, 2017 has been recorded in the Guinness Book of Record.
Even when she was asked about some sections of Local Government Administration law, it was glaring that she is neither here nor there.
She admitted with astonishing acceptance that she knew nothing about the law, after all, knowing the law was no precondition for her appointment.
To me, I must commend her husband for sitting and watching his wife fumbling for more than three hours.
I also thank the children for not disowning their mother because in some homes, both the husband and the children would have sent Elsie Esara either on asylum or disown her completely.
The shame Itu Transition Chairman placed on her family, ward and Local Government Area could not be erased in decades to come.
The same fate may likely befall some of these commissioners if interrogated by the state legislators at plenary too because we are experiencing the new era of "afia ino" dispensation.
How to distinguish such dispensation are as follows.
First, they will come with a strange policy unknown to the norms and culture of the governed.
During the colonial rule, it was via Indirect rule and policy of assimilation, today, it is via Dakkadda Philosophy with "shegge" as an insignia.
A certain comedian during Dakkadda launch had said, "Indeed, a new set of "Anini" have arrived from Lagos."
Also, appointees in such dispensation are mere ceremonial Queen. The Oga on top takes all.
The colonial days had Warrant Chiefs, as Ceremonial Leaders but accountable to the white.
Today, aside from the Commissioner for Project Monitoring, is there any appointee who is not accountable to those five cabal men with the oga pata pata included?
From aides to the governor, elected officers, party men and women, the entire people are complaining, suffering and smiling... Such is life!
The last features I want to X-ray is the introduction of foreign ideas.
The colonial masters brought about missionaries, schools, hospitals and so on.
Today, we are witness to the introduction of Mexican cows, which we are yet to compare our climate with theirs, source for Mexican weeds in Nigeria which may serve as food to the cows, verify other factors.
This is one government that has dealt wholeheartedly with the same supporters who piloted the ambition of Udom Emmanuel.
Mrs. Unoma Akpabio at a point was labelled Mma Chibok Girls because of her role in engaging women to vote for Udom Emmanuel.
But could you believe that the road to the nursery school allegedly owned by Unoma at Shelter Afrique is in a deplorable state till date?
So what if inevitable hands had taken the former First Lady away when she was sick?
Is that the way Udom would have rewarded Mma Uloma?
Thank God, man is not God. God will surely reward that woman according to her sown seed in Jesus name. Udom has not done well in that direction.
So shocking to know that many parents have long withdrew their children from that school as a result of deplorable road, yet the governor has given a deaf ear to their predicament.
Uyo - Ikot Ekpene road is not a kind of road that work should have stopped no matter what, considering the role played by Godswill Akpabio towards the emergence of Udom Emmanuel, but today the place is a caricature and an eyesore.
It is rumoured that Udom Emmanuel has identified with a former governor with a view of using the two former governors from Ibibio extraction to solicit for Ibibio factor and possibly win another term.
That is the least of my worries, because power can only come from God, but my worries is the fact that but not for God, Barr. Emmanuel Enoidem who accompanied Udom to Awa Iman and met with PDP executive and members would have been short change as a political leader of Etim Ekpo LGA for one ex this and that.
But not for kidnapping and assassination, Akpabio's reign as the governor was a bit better than what Udom Emmanuel is showcasing, his business school background notwithstanding.
I am optimistic that God will rescue his children from the new "afia ino" dispensation currently plaguing Akwa Ibom, a state where a Governor's wife is accused of been "settled" monthly by an alleged rogue chairman.
Even if the case between Elsie Esara and her Transition members has some diplomatic settlement like that of Akwa Ibom Federal lawmaker who was indicted of sex scandal in US, one thing is certain, Deaconess Martha Udom has emerged the first First Lady to be accused of fiddling with IGR of a Local Government Area, which her alleged childhood friend, Elsie is the chair lady.
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