GOVERNOR EMMANUEL, ILLITERACY AND APC SMEAR CAMPAIGNS  

Illiteracy is a social problem the world over. It is a agreed by social scientists that illiteracy is one of the major impediments to sustainable livelihood and development. The MDG posits too, that illiteracy has affected the GDP and net income of African nations negatively.

Aside the political economy perspective, socially, 60 percent of deviant behaviors such as rape, truancy, poor mannerism, recalcitrance, among others are occasioned by or reinforced by illiteracy.

An illiterate is defined by the Chambers Dictionary as: (1) violating acceptable standards in reading and writing, (2) having or demonstrating little education, (3) a person with some ability to read and write but NOT ENOUGH knowledge to know the meaning of what he reads and writes, (4) lacking culture, especially in language and presentation.

Though often used interchangeably with ignorance, illiteracy differs from ignorance. But they are mutually reinforcing in the sense that an illiterate is propelled by ignorance, which is "lack of knowledge of subject matter".

An illiterate engages in inter personal relations without knowledge of the rules of engagement, plays politics without principle and with bitterness. He lacks a clear cut understanding of the imports and nexus of his utterances and social cohesion in the society. Aristotle, famous Greek Philosopher added impetus to this as follows: "The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living differ from the dead"

The approach of the All Progressives Congress, Akwa Ibom State to politics, elections and political power defies acceptable standards in a democratic culture and typify the apogee of illiteracy, because whereas politics should be a platform and process of showcasing programmes capable of bettering the lots of the people, the APC in Akwa Ibom State has constituted a social nuisance by serving as a ready platform for launching smear campaigns and mendacious blackmail against the state governor, Udom Emmanuel and every institution of government.

This, perhaps informed Governor Udom Emmanuel's description of this pivots of the anomie as illiterates on a live radio/tv programme to signal six months of his administration. "Some illiterates went on radio to misinform Akwa Ibom people on the programmes of government...", said the Governor.

He was literarily, logically and politically correct in his description, and going by the Chambers Dictionary definition of an illiterate as "a person lacking culture, especially in language and presentation" and as "a person with some ability to read and write but NOT ENOUGH knowledge to know the meaning of what he reads and writes" most of the key players in APC and those engaged in smear campaigns on the Governor and governmental institutions in the state on the television and radio are either illiterates or have engaged in acts and practices associated with illiteracy.

For instance, very many persons have been granting televisions and radio interviews on matters of social importance, and within the ambit of the rule of law and fundamental right to expression as enshrined in the 1999 constitution.

While some functionally criticize government policies with the view of drawing government's attention to issues of concern, there are others whose primary object is to undermine the government of Governor Emmanuel, by pitching the people against it.

That the APC is the most culpable in this regard is not debatable; the leadership of the party, particularly, its media and publicity wing has devised a conspiracy theory to actualize this.

Recently on radio, the publicity secretary of APC, Engr Ita Awak was quoted as saying that, "Senator John Udoedeghe was promised by the party to nominate 5 commissioners, 5 local government chairman 5 statutory board members and a ministerial slot if he supports Umana Umana in the election.

That was a clear demonstration of illiteracy by a party's spokesperson in that he had little or no knowledge of the import and implication of his utterances on public perception. If one person was actually promised all that Ita Awak claimed on radio, what would have been the fate of the remaining over 4 million Akwa Ibomites? The APC, through its spokesperson had revealed that "it is bourgeois network, designed for the aggrandizement of a few Nigerians". That, again, reveals Ita Awak is an illiterate.

In Isreal today, there are still in abundance, Jews, under the Judaism doctrine who are awaiting the first coming of the Messiah. These people are illiterate of the abundant Christian tourists who visit their country everyday to reflect on Jesus Christ’s life on earth some two thousand years ago. The APC may need more than a miracle to realise that elections had since been concluded just like the Jews.

It also smacked of illiteracy when The APC, through Ita Awak criticized the PAYE tax policy of the state government. In his illiteracy, Ita Awak had generalized that the state government was deducting 50 percent from workers' salary. What he was ignorant of was that government was actually giving them a rebate by requesting only 50 percent of their PAYE as tax. This also put paid to the definition of an illiterate as "a person without enough knowledge to know what he reads and writes.

Furthermore, the illiteracy of "some of those who sit on radio to castigate governor Udom Emmanuel and the government in general was again exemplified when the APC and co-travellers accused Governor Emmanuel of putting up a massive building worth over 6 billion naira in his home town, Awa Iman, Onna local government Area. Can that building owned by a successful public servant who just retired from a rich private sector background, equate with a multi billion dollar estate in Ewet Housing, owned by their principal, whose only source of income has been as an employee of government.

What made this irony lamentable was that the APC and it's co-travellers were oblivious of the fact that that compound actually is where PDP faithful and supporters of Governor Emmanuel were hosted on the 29th of May, 2015, when the governor was inaugurated. Another logic which contradicts the sensibility of the architects of these smear campaigns is that Governor Emmanuel, at age 36 sat on the Board of about 12 multinational companies, with an annual earning of $1m. The question, whose answer would leave these agents of mischief in a state of disillusion is, what magnitude of home could elude a man of such standing and financial pedigree?

These lies and smear campaigns by the APC and it's co-travelers are intrinsic parts of a conspiracy to misinform the Akwa Ibom people, destroy the goodwill which His Excellency the Governor has garnered over the years, and ultimately reposition their ill-fated party for future elections in the state.

As Ismail Haniyeh, a philosopher noted: "some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. But as time goes by, what is true is revealed and what is fake fades away".

It is therefore crystal clear that the governor was not referring to responsible citizens who are always ready to constructively criticize the government as illiterates, and well meaning elders of the state are on hand as a pool of wisdom for the listening governor.

Thus, the truth is, as Governor Udom Emmanuel said few days ago, that those who engage in unverifiable smears on the government with the aim of misleading the people of the state, are propelled by ignorance, and are the illiterates.

Uwemedimoh Umanah, a Diplomatic Scholar, Peace & Conflict/Development/Public Affairs Expert, writes in this piece from Uyo

Posted by
Atangakpaniko Essien Ndueso
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
@essiendu
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