The trending issue on facebook this evening is the unexpected
ouster of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Udo
Ekpenyong.
A terse statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and
Strategy, Mr Charles Udoh said Mr Ekpenyong was sacked as a consequence of
"a minor cabinet reshuffling" effected by Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Curiously, the "minor reshuffling" is so minor that only one
unfortunate cabinet member was its casualty.
Even more curious is the fact that the "minor
reshuffling" took place a few days after it was widely reported that the
state government gave a paltry One Million Naira(#1m)
as take off grant to the newly sworn in Local Government Chairmen. And the
aggrieved Chairmen reportedly held the sacked Commissioner responsible for that
ill treatment.
Not a few commentators believe the Commissioner was axed by the
Governor because of a perceived poor handling of the transaction with the
Council helmsmen. The state government is said to be embarrassed by the leakage
of that information.
I don't think this should worry the Governor because the illegal
appropriation of Council funds by the state government is not a secret in the
state. When the state government pays monthly Dakkada stipends to supporters
across the state ; when it donates Dakkada rice and cash at Christmas, it does
so with Local Government funds. There's actually no government at the Local
level in Akwa Ibom State.
On the other hand, pro government facebookers and bloggers argue
that Mr Ekpenyong was sacked for disrespecting Senator Godswill Akpabio.They
cite a recent meeting in Ukanafun Local Govt Area where the former Commissioner
refused to stand up at the order of the former Governor. Is this enough to
warrant the sack of the Commissioner, assuming he was doing well in the
discharge of the responsibilities of his office?
I'm sure the rumour mill will churn out more interesting stories
in the days, weeks and months ahead on this subject matter. In all these, the
state government is the ultimate loser. How can you sack one Commissioner and you
term it "a minor cabinet reshuffling"? Are we all dumb? Where is the
"reshuffling" there?
Nobody queries the Governor's power to fire those he hired but
we deserve to know why he took the decision. Otherwise we will believe any
version of the rumours and there's nothing they can do about it. Neither of the
initial two reasons stated above portrays the government in good light.
If the man didn't obtain the consent of the Governor before
dispensing the take off grant, why not state that as the reason for his
dismissal? Or was the take off grant more than #1m? Why give take off grant to
a "government" which is entitled to and supposedly receives its own
statutory allocation from Abuja?
Would the take off grant complement or substitute their
statutory allocations?
Or why would you sack a Commissioner simply because he
"disrespected" someone who insisted he must be sacked? Reports even
said the man said he couldn't stand up for the Senator because he was ill. If
this account is true, it reminds us of that better forgotten era when public
officers knelt to talk to a Governor and his wife. We must hurry and join the
civilized world.
Since Governor Udom Emmanuel hasn't deemed it necessary to
inform the state of the reason he decided to give such an unpleasant new year's
gift to the former Commissioner, I can assure him that the man will tell his
wife, siblings, friends, associates, neighbors etc why he was sacked. And they
will in turn tell their acquaintances until it arrives the doorstep of
"strangers". Of course, that will be entirely his own version.
Remember, he who is already down can't fear a fall.
So, the real reason for the removal won't be a secret for too
long. It's just that as it travels from one mouth to another, there will
definitely be additions and subtractions. That could have been reasonably
avoided if the state government knew that citizens deserved that information.
For now, each person chooses which version to believe. Some will even believe
all.
But why is government shrouded in such level of secrecy? Much as
certain information about government and governance must be classified, I
believe it's been excessively done in this clime. We make governance look
esoteric and it's one of the reasons we fail. In other climes, the reason for
the "minor reschuffling" would be given even if it's not laid
completely bare.
You sack only one commissioner and you want us to believe it's
an innocuous,routine cabinet reshuffling.Which averagely intelligent citizen
believes that? Why have we elevated falsehood to statecraft?
If you think you have a good,civilized reason for sacking the
Commissioner, why not make it public even if you withhold certain details for
security or other reasons?
The decision to withhold information is meant to protect
someone. And in the instant case, I'm tempted to ask who is the state
government protecting between itself and the "reshuffled"
Commissioner?
Omen Bassey.
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