Open letter to Elder Benjamin Udobia the problem with
Esit Eket Local Government Area
CONCERNED ELITES FORUM
Hoping that this long over
due epistle of ours meets you well, we write with wounds in our conscience to
convey the reality of the state of affairs of our local government to you
suspecting that those around you have not just failed woefully in their duty to
do so but also succeeded in sabotaging all previous efforts by well meaning
indigenes of our local government to inform you.
It is no longer news that
Esit Eket as a local government is suffering from a very terminal
socio-political cancer and that if something is not done immediately to salvage
the situation we may soon be dead and buried!
As it has been proven
scientifically and otherwise that nobody can solve a problem without first
diagnosing the cause we have taken time to diagnose the socio-political patient
called Esit Eket and come to identify the cause of its illness to be non else
but your very self.
Yes sir, you are the cancer
killing Esit Eket. The symptoms leading to this conclusion are countless chief of
which include marginalization and nepotism. This is conspicuously displayed in
the fact that Esit Eket Local Government Area has 3 Zones two of which comprise
3 wards each being Zones A and C while Zone B consists of 4 wards. More so, there
are three majority communities across the three zones in our local government
area namely:
I.
Edo in Zone A which consists of Wards 2 and 3 while Ward 1 (Ekpene Obo and Uqua
Isi Edoho) remains the minority in that zone.
II.
Uquo in Zone B consisting of Wards 5 and 6 while Ward 4 (Ikpa Town) and 9
(Akpautong/Uruaokok villages) make up the minorities.
III.
Etebi consisting of Wards 7 and 8 while Ward 10 (Afaha Ekpenedi, Odoronkit and
Ntak Inyang villages) make up the minorities. So one would typically therefore
expect that powers and dividends of democracy be rotated and shared equitably
among these zones accommodating both majority and minority communities.
Unfortunately,
what is obtainable in reality is outrageously far from equitable to such an
extent that in the 19 years of democracy since 1999 Edo community in Zone A
alone has occupied the office of the chairman 6 times while Ikpa and Uquo
communities in Zone B have occupied the office once each and Etebi Community in
Zone C only once also.
This
goes without saying that just one community has been dominating the entire
local government and incidentally that is your community - Edo.
Sir,
in the present administration the same community has dominated the entire system
such that apart from you being the self acclaimed Political Leader of the local
government, the Chairman from transition to alleged elected executive chairman
is from your community in the person of Hon. Iniobong Robson, the Chairman of
Labour Committee Mr Udobia Friday is your brother and also your nephew Mr Umana
Sunday Umana is the Chairman, AKS Secondary Education Board also from your
community. The S.A to Governor Udom Emmanuel on Projects monitoring Mr. Johnson
Udobia is your son, Mr. Ben Ussoh the Chapter
Secretary PDP is from your community.
As
if the fact that one community is dominating the entire local government area
is not enough you have without good conscience concentrated most of these
benefits in your own family alone. This is crystal clear from the fact that the
only person you found fit to nominate to his excellency Gov. Udom Emmanuel for
the position of an aide from Esit Eket is your first son Mr. Joseph Udobia who did
not contribute anything to the governor's emergence plus the fact that he is
actually working at the office of the Secretary to government of the Federation(SGF)
a fact which we are very eager to draw the attention of the economic and
financial crimes commission (EFCC) to. Again, when it was time to make
nomination to his excellency for a board chairman from Esit Eket it was your
own brother Mr. Imo Udobia that you found and at his unfortunate demise, may
his soul rest in peace, to replace him you capriciously picked your nephew Mr.
Umana Sunday Umana who not only contributed nothing to the emergence of His
Excellency but is gainfully employed in University of Calabar as a lecturer. At
the level of the PDP your cousin is the chapter secretary and as a business man
every single project that comes to the local government is cornered by your
company Benest Technical Services.
Sir,
even if you must subjugate the entire local government under your community why
can't you allow other families in that same community of yours have a good bite
at the cherry as well?
As
a result of this nepotic practices of yours most of the well meaning and
prestigious sons and daughters of Esit Eket have long withdrawn from the
development project of our local government. As we write now it is no news that
Barr. Dan Bassey Abia Snr who happens to be the immediate past managing
director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) a man who invested
greatly in the governor's project is no longer with us, his younger brother Barr.
Dan Bassey Abia Jnr a former member of the national assembly who has been at
loggerheads with him has equally abandoned you and your anti progress conclave.
In the sam vein Hon. Eseme Eyiboh a former member of the national assembly is
not with us. Rt. Hon. Bassey Essien the former Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House
of Assembly and Engr Imaobong Inyang former NDDC Commissioner, Sen. Etang
Umoyo. Even very revered fathers of the local government area like Chief Benson
Akansi, Chief Udo Onwong, President General O. J Asubop and others are not with
you especially as you have suppressed the likes of Princess Ini Adiakpan a
former commissioner of Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC).
With
all due respect sir it is too obvious that you are by this selfish practice the
only problem with Esit Eket regardless of party lines. You have made it
impossible for us to live together, work together and eat together. You have
totally marginalized not just the minorities but also other majority blocks in
Esit Eket and this is working serious hardship not just on the prospect of the
state governor but threatens our progress as a people.
Sadly,
you have planted around you people who either advice you against the good of
the people or lack the initiative and bones to point out your whims perhaps
that is why you have invested a fortune to impose a chairman that rules Esit
Eket from Calabar so that he will not be on ground to listen to the people.
Sir,
you may be surprised that we know all your tricks but this to inform you that
we are tired of you and your deceit and oppression and demand an immediate turn
around else we shall not hesitate to expose all your treachery and diabolic wiles
as far as Esit Eket is concerned.
To
be fore warned is to be fore armed, so let Justice prevail in Esit Eket even if
heavens will fall.
PRESIDENT
SECRETARY
AKPARAWA BASSEY USOH MR
VICTOR EDOHO AKPE
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