The
outburst by the state governor to resist the plans by the NDDC to open
new roads in the state is most unfortunate, pettiness of the highest
order and politics taken too far. It shows that the governor is placing
his second term ambition over and above the development and growth of
the state .
Such posture by the governor is not anti- people but
satanic. I believe the governor was not rightly advised in making that
statement .
It's borne out of the morbid fear of being outclassed and
outpaced by Obong Nsima Ekere, the MD of the NDDC, whose popularity,
rising profile and goodwill of the people is getting the governor
nervous.
It's all about the politics of 2019 and the governor's
desperation to frustrate Nsima Ekere's avowed commitment to award NDDC
jobs to APC members in the state. One would have expected the governor
to also award state government jobs to the members of his party rather
than antagonising Nsima Ekere and the NDDC.
Specifically, we know the
governor and members of his camp are being rattled and confounded by
the#7.5b jobs Nsima Ekere has awarded to the APC members in the state.
The governor is advised to stop envying and begrudging Nsima Ekere and
APC members in the state.
The NDDC was set up to bring the
much-needed development to the Niger Delta region, even though the core
mandate of the commission had been set aside during the era of the PDP.
It's on record that the commission was used as a conduit pipe to siphon
public funds but since his assumption of office as the MD of the
commission, Nsima Ekere has been working assiduously to change its
story.
Contractors who abandoned the commission's jobs were given an
ultimatum to return to sites or face prosecution and the agency has
recovered about#60b from such erring contractors.
The MD should be
commended for the bold steps he has taken to restore the core mandate
and mission of the commission rather than unnecessary condemnation by
the state governor. He should be encouraged to bring more projects to
the state.
A situation where the governor vowed to resist the
efforts or plans by the NDDC to open more roads in the state is capable
of creating political crisis and tension in the state. Such faux pau is
unbecoming of a state governor. In any event, he doesn't have the legal
power to stop the federal government from a project in any part of the
state.
We are waiting to see how the state government would stop the
NDDC from opening roads in communities that had no roads and the state
government has no plans to give them roads. That's why we said such
statement by the governor Is not only ant-peole, satanic but also
anti-progress.
Its wrong for the governor to say that the federal
government through the NDDC shouldn't bring development to the state
simply because he has failed to do any meaningful projects in the state
or that such projects are targeted to empower APC members in the state.
Our source at the Government House hinted us that the governor is
jittery that if the NDDC under Nsima Ekere Is allowed to invade the
state with projects when has no one project to his credit he might be
written off by the people of the state.
The governor's argument
that NDDC don't do quality jobs and they have a lot of abandoned
projects In the state and for that reason,the MD of the commission must
sit down with to agree on the projects to be sited in the state is
rather ridiculous and ludicrous.
The governor must be reminded that Akwa
Ibom state is not the only mandate state of the commission and no other
governor has so antagonised the commission.
Whoever that advised the
governor to declare war on the commission simply because the MD is his
likely opponent at the 2019 polls doesn't wish him well.
His
fears that Nsima Ekere that Nsima Ekere is using NDDC jobs to lure PDP
members and campaign to wrestle power from him is rather too petty and
infantile.
If after two years in power the governor doesn't have a
scorecard to present to the people of the state and have no jobs to
award to his disenchanted party members, it's not the fault of Nsima
Ekere.
Let me conclude this piece by stating the obvious. Nsima
Ekere is poised to use his present position to bring real development to
the state and he can't be distracted or discouraged by anybody.
Source..Iniobong John
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