THE SPEND THRIFT MAN OF THE CENTURY: GOV AKPABIO
The above award is awaiting claims by Governor Akpabio; he richly deserves the honour and cannot be rivaled by any other governor in Nigeria or anywhere else. We therefore call on our dear “uncommon transgressor” to please step up on the podium as erected by PDP to claim his award of excellence in profligacy.
The dialogue below aptly captures the mindset of the winner of the award above; please take time to go through it.
Akwa Ibomites: “Your Excellency, you are a reckless spender”.
Akpabio: “No I am not. I only gave out N50million to Madala bomb blast victims; N230million to Jonathan's home church, and compassionately offered N1 million each to those hungry South South PDP chairmen. Nothing much”; sorry I remember, I also “dashed” Tuface and wife chicken change, Prado (SUVs) Jeep and sponsored just 20 or was it 29 people to his wedding in Dubai. Is that too much for a state governor to donate?” Yes, again I sprayed some dollars/pounds in Olusola Saraki's home during my condolence visit. You know they were crying and I hate to see people cry”. There are a couple of other tens of millions of Naira donations I have made here and there.”
Akwa Ibomites: “Your Excellency, you have no right to do that. We are starving, poverty- stricken and can't feel the impact of our huge earnings.”
Akpabio: “Who said I have no right? All the money I am wasting and squandering away was approved by the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.” “My private jet was approved by the House, my ATC bullet proof vehicles, my yatch, my houses in UK, USA, Spain and South Africa, not to mention the ones in Nigeria were similarly approved by the House.” “As for your not feeling the impact of your so-called huge earnings, let me tell you that the entire money is meant for me and my family; so learn to live with that until you become governor yourself.”
The above dialogue would have been funny if it did not happen in real life. Sadly though, it is the pitiable condition that is daily assaulting the sensibilities of Akwa Ibom people. It also denigrates PDP (who named it the devil's umbrella Party)? It portrays Nigeria in a humiliating and uncivilized light. That a governor in the 21st century Nigeria would be shameless enough to admit scornfully that all the billions of Naira thrown down the drain during the life of this administration was approved by the House Assembly. So whatever he spends the money on, the House Assembly had approved the expenditure.
If Rt Hon Sam Ikon, the Speaker and his co travellers in the “Akpabio House of Assembly” are not jittery by now, then they don't know what has hit them yet. If they don't realize that the statement of defence made by Gov Godswill Akpabio as indicated above is exactly what He will be telling the EFCC, then they are living in self-delusion. The magnitude and impact of this allegation by Governor Akpabio is very indicting though self-serving. It's a lame thing to say.
The import of this is that Hon Sam Ikon and others should start preparing their statement of defence in respect of the monumental rape that Akpabio has subjected Akwa Ibom to under their watch. Now they ought to understand what the people have been telling them; “side with us and always protect our collective interest as enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria”.
Already, Governor Akpabio has started shifting blame of his squander mania to the state House of Assembly even before the cock crows. This is absurd.
It serves the House of Assembly right. The chicken, they say, has come home to roost. They refused to scrutinize and give the state budget a living face rather than approve whatever is sent to them. If they had served the people as they are constitutionally empowered to do, they would have discovered that budgets sent to them have always been padded with huge waste sub heads and conduit pipes. After all, did the House not appropriate money for Ibom Science Park even when nothing has been done there since Attah left? Did the House not approve money for the relocation of Mechanic village, Uyo; the renovation of Ibom Hall and a host of other untouched projects in the state whose implementation is begging for explanation?
The House has no place to hide because it has been an active partner in the fleecing of the state in more ways than one. Take a look at the Cinema house called Tropicana and juxtapose that with amount spent on it and you would be shocked that there is an institution like the House of Assembly which duties include calling the Executive to account for funds appropriated.
If I were in the shoes of Rt Hon Sam Ikon, I would have resigned as the Speaker forthwith. He has been painted with a tar brush darker than the image of Satan. It means all the malfeasance committed by Akpabio is blamable on the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
The Akwa Ibom House of Assemby can't even summon the governor to come and explain his indicting statement. They will only grumble and go back to sleep, slumbering like an elephant wounded on all fours.
In an article published in the social media on November 09 2012, a writer remarked and I quote “The AKHA otherwise called “Akpabio House of Assembly” is the main reason the governor has so badly derailed. The House has completely abandoned its constitutional duties and responsibilities so much so that it has become an appendage of the state governor. As I observed somewhere else in another write up, were the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly alive to its responsibilities and forget for once fighting over pecuniary interest, the economic and social burden carried by the citizens would have been mitigated. It is obvious that it cannot stand up to the governor to demand accountability and transparency in the conduct of government business.”
“Where members put up a feeble fight, it would be because they want some 'pocket money' from the governor and once obliged they become recluse in their self-comfort zone, leaving governance to dither and totter.”
“Consequently, governance is completely abandoned in pursuit of self-aggrandizement thereby negating the whole essence of having a watch dog like the House of Assembly. “
“Governance is made to breakdown when institutions that should otherwise provide checks and directions to the other arms become system-compliant making itself the weaker partner; its main functions subjugated or relegated to the background. This, unfortunately, is the case in Akwa Ibom State today.
“The state is therefore providing and expending resources in funding an arm of the government that has refused to grow up. The House of Assembly is like a man with healthy limbs who rather prefers to use crutches instead of his God given healthy abilities. This is an institution with so much powers and influence to make the executive sit up. Yet this is an institution that has completely failed to use its constitutional powers to provide good and responsible leadership.” Unquote.
As can clearly be seen, this writer has been proved absolutely right. There is nothing more to add.
The interesting angle to this display of absurdities by Governor Akpabio is that Olisa Metuh, PDP's spokes- person has stood up stoutly in defence of Governor Akpabio. To him and the PDP hierarchy, Akpabio can never do any wrong. After all, Akpabio's profligacy is only a tip of the iceberg of what is happening at the center. One is therefore not surprised that PDP would abandon its leaking umbrella in need of mending to defend bizarre waste of public fund.
Now Akwa Ibom people know who their real “friends” are. With friends like PDP, Akwa Ibom people do not need an enemy.
UNCLE FRANK
Email: [email protected]