UYO This-Day “Peace” Concert Ends In “Disaster”

Editor, A “baptism of flying missiles” visited our Governor, Chief (Dr) Godswill Obot Akpabio on the night of Sunday December 20, 2009 at the Uyo Stadium, venue of

the much publicized post-amnesty THISDAY Music Festival of Peace: Angry youths hauled at the governor sachets of pure water and canned drinks. It was a disgraceful situation and was saved from degenerating when the governor's security details rushed him under cover into his official car and sped off. The irate crowd continued with the hauling of stones and other things at his entourage as they move out of the venue.

The fracas ensued in the middle of the concert when the governor mounted the stage to announce that he spent N140million of the State's resources to stage the concert which featured mostly foreign artistes. At that point of his speech, the angry crowd did not allow him to continue, but instead hauled missiles that forced him out of the stage; and the concert came to an abrupt end. I was at the Stadium and unfortunately one of the canned drinks hit me but (again) fortunately for me because the of loss velocity it did not cause much injury on me.

I travelled all the way from Ikot Ekpene (my place) to Uyo for the scheduled all-night concert and have never experienced thing of the sort before in my life. People started taking to their heels as the fracas erupted and I believe the incident should give the governor probably an insight of what awaits him when he starts real campaign for a second term in office; as the campaign seems to be the major thing happening in Akwa Ibom, in the last one and half years.

Udy Etop Akpabio, Umuahia Road, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.