IF UMANA IS THE SAINT, WHO IS THE CORRUPT?

                 

By Emmanuel Nicholas

Obong Umana Okon Umana is a saint. He is a saint because any man who crosses over from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) automatically becomes a saint. The APC has a perfect beatification and canonization programme that cleanses her members of their previous sins. Or so I think. Recently, the EFCC arrested both the Spokesman of the PDP and an APC chieftain, a friend of Mr President. Before Nigerians could open their eyes, the anti-corrupt body had released the APC chieftain and Mr Olisa Methu is still in the custody of the EFCC.

Sensing that Nigerians will protest against their double standards, they quickly told Nigerians that the APC chieftain had returned the funds without presenting any evidence of such payment to the public. But do this people think Nigerians are fools?

Before I digress, my article ‘’UMANA OKON UMANA: CAN A 'THIEF' PROBE HIMSELF?’’ stung the APC like a bee. I opened their can of worms and expectedly, they were gasping for breath. I have read the ridiculous rejoinders from the APC megaphones, occultic manipulators and necromancers who hitherto believed they alone had the right to demonize others with all shades of blackmail. The difference is that I am speaking the truth and I say so very clearly. Umana does not mean well for Akwa Ibom state. He says he wants to probe the Godswill Akpabio administration and I insist that he lacks the moral authority to do so. It smacks of self-indictment.

Most of Umana's cultic hirelings, instead of focusing on the kernel of the issue, stoop so low to take screen shots of my musical video titled ‘’ODESHI’’ a song I released in 2001. I was a music artist and did songs and videos that featured backup singers and dancers. How that affects Umana's plan to probe Senator Akpabio is beyond me. The most prominent broadcaster of that mischief is a fellow I know well. He resided then in the Ijesha Area of Lagos. I'm aware he has been smoked out of Ghana because the last woman he defrauded vowed to jail the Abak born fugitive who also impregnated two sisters in his home town before absconding to Ghana. Let me be charitable enough to spare his name.

Back to Obong Umana Okon Umana, I am so sorry, Sir, for trying to question your integrity. But, Sir, I would not confront you with these facts if there were no documents to back up my claims. What drives me to question your moral authority to demonize others is your recent sanctimonious posture. It is further worsened by the stand of your cultic followers who are out to demonize others with lies, when we know that you do not have a place with the saints.

Even with that, I remained silent for a while, until your APC news alert broke the news of your intentions to forensically probe past administrations, including the one in which you were the engine room.

Obong Umana, my noble elder brother, sir, there are lies you are peddling around in the name of politics. Take the last advertorial of names of decampees you published. Did you go through that list before rushing to the press? How could you stoop so low to include names of top members of the PDP as a decampee. It is a crystal sign of your utter desperation. How could you mention names of people like Prof Sunny William Peters, Chief Okokon Etuk as people who have joined the APC? They have at no time been members of your deceptive fold but I understand your situation. It is not easy with you.

The one thing that keeps me wondering is how you intend to sustain this deception. When you returned from God knows where and held a prayer summit, what exactly did you tell God? What prayers did you offer? Did you confess your past sins of enriching yourself at the detriment of the poor? What exactly has God to do with occultism practices? See; Saint Umana God is not mocked. You cannot project with God and Satan in one long window. You cannot mix up these things. It’s a function of time and the revolt of heaven will make nonsense of your being.

My father once told me that no celestial being will compromise the standards of God. Sir, you are compromising the standard of God, and you won’t succeed. Let me allow you to face the rhythm that is coming, though you may be blinded from seeing it; just in a while it will surface.

As the engine room of the administration of Chief Dr Godswill Akpabio CON for seven years of the eight year administration, you were the de-facto Deputy; you hired deputy Governors and sacked them at will. I vividly remember when sacked Obong Nsima Ekere and told the press that he was fraudulent and was fond of presenting excessive estacodes. I know you will not fail to probe him of his frauds against Akpabio’s administration as you told the press. But, how do you intend to probe Obong Nsima Ekere when you used his campaign grounds to offer prayers to God? You know you are full of surprises, so let me not predict your next line of action.

Obong Okon Umana, sir, I simply brought up questions that needed clarification, but your cult groups believe they can threaten me with calls and inbox messages not to confront you with these facts. I’m not blackmailing you as they do against the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Deacon Udom Emmanuel and the Senate minority Leader, Chief Dr Godswill Akpabio CON.

In your seven years as the secretary to Akwa Ibom State government, sir, you were the chairman of almost all events organized by government and head of the joint accounts committee. Will you question all the monies spent on those events and why. Sir, please will you probe the Ibom Science Park Project? If it is discovered that something fishy transpired as recommended by the House of Assembly committee, will you willingly submit yourself as Governor for arrest and prosecution? According to the House of Assembly public hearing resolution, Engr Frank Okon indicted the then Commissioner for Finance  for not releasing the entire funds to his firm. Sir, the records show that you were that commissioner for finance. The Documents from your office as commissioner of Finance shows you paid Five million, Seven hundred thousand dollars, but the contracting firm say you only remitted to them One million, three hundred dollars. Is that fair sir? Did you tell God about that too?

Sir, the public inquiry of the Ibom international Airport by the House of Assembly shows that you were indicted as Commissioner for Finance. The funds that were meant for the construction of that Airport were diverted. You frustrated Obong Attah and his lofty airport dream. As at the time he left, only heaps of sand on a cleared area was all there was to show. The Dynacorp people and Engr. Ime Ekanem say in their reports that you did not release the total sum as recorded in the books of the Ministry of Finance under your watch. They say that the funding they received was N23 billion lower than what you documented for the Government of Obong Victor Attah. Please where are these funds? Don't remain silent, say something, anything at all. Tell the people of Akwa Ibom state your position.

Please tell Akwa Ibom people what happened to the contributory funds of the State Civil Servants at First Bank of Nigeria, which when the then incumbent Governor ordered the bank to refund to the owners, the bank report showed that you had earlier ordered for the money to be transferred to a certain personal account that was later discovered to belong to your wife’s sister, as the name ended with Ubiam. Akwa Ibom people are simply asking for these simple answers. We all know you know less than a little about industrialization. So, we wouldn't bother you.

Akwa Ibom state urgently needs money for developmental programmes, hence the need for probes. That probe should spread its tentacles to one Construction Company called AEC Works Limited. The company is notorious for abandoning the popular Use Ikot Amaama road. The corporate name of the firm is registered in One Florence Umana's name but however managed by one Anietie Umana. Are those names familiar sir? That company has received over One hundred billion naira from your Finance and General Purposes Committee. They had written for variation twice which you approved as the chairman of FGPC and the funds were released to the firm. It appears that job was criminally abandoned. Do some findings sir. We can recover something there.

There is also a little sum we can recover from the servicing of Toyota vehicles at Government house. It was worth about Three Billion naira yearly although you did present the receipts on Yahoo forum. Ikpafak Thompson Essien still contends that those receipts were forged. Sir, I feel if we looked again at the contract books, we could recover something.

Also sir, there is also a tiny matter of the sales of Akwa Ibom shares in Econet wireless. Successive administrations say the State’s shares were sold and that the money was given to your ministry, Ministry of finance then, but sir, it appears there is no trace by successive government as to how much the shares were sold for and where the money is. When His Excellency Obong Victor Attah was interviewed recently, he said the record of that transaction was kept under your ‘honest’ watch. I know ‘these new guys’ are not experienced enough to know where you kept that money but if they allow you go in yourself, you will bring it out. Isn't it so? That's why they should vote you in as Governor. If we wait till 2023, someone else may find that money and we will be finished.

The truth is that this ambition of yours to become Governor is strange. You are not from Eket Senatorial district. You have never managed a kiosk before, what do you know about industrialization? You are used to big monies and huge spending but the current indices show that these are trying times for our economy. You are not Governor yet, but you fly private jets; I wonder what you will fly if you become Governor. I have it on good authority that you have agreed to hand over our internally generated revenue to strangers. How sad! You want to probe the past government, are you a saint? 

Eket Mega Rally: APC Recruiting For Udom Emmanuel?

The people of Eket senatorial district have certainly increased their support for Governor Udom Emmanuel, and have, as a people, publicly affirmed their allegiance to him; if the turnout at the Eket sports stadium in a mega reception for the Governor is anything to reckon with.

An independent researcher and public relations specialist who witnessed the event approximates that 40,000 people attended the rally, which held over the weekend which was not even a political campaign.

As the single Senatorial District which produces 40% of Nigeria's total oil revenue, the people of that region have repeatedly protested against what they consider as perpetual acts of injustice done against them by the federal government.

Beginning with the political ‘war’ mounted by the ruling party APC against the government of Deacon Udom Emmanuel, who is the first son of Eket senatorial district to govern Akwa Ibom state since creation 28 years ago; the Eket senatorial people consider the APC as an enemy to their destiny. And it has not helped the APC their campaign to seize power from Governor Udom, as the people through their leaders have declared that they view it as an attempt to rob them of their turn to govern the state; a project which was agreed upon unanimously by all Akwa Ibom people since 1999 at the inception of the 4th republic. .

Already, the APC-led federal government has demonstrated a disregard for the yearnings of the Eket senatorial district people for equity in two other notable gestures. One, the replacement of an Eket Senatorial district son with a non indigene of Akwa Ibom as rector of the maritime academy in Oron; and two, the removal of another Eket senatorial son, Bassey Dan abia, from leading the NDDC, a commission which was originally created for the development of oil producing communities of the Niger delta. His tenure was truncated and he was replaced by a non indigene of Akwa Ibom and a renowned mentee of Rotimi Amaechi, who, besides being a chieftain of the APC, is a well known arch-rival of the Akwa Ibom socio-political yearnings.

The attempt by the APC to take over power from Governor Udom Emmanuel, as revealed by their national leader John Oyegun, who announced their plans to take the Akwa Ibom government at all costs saying; “I am more confident of winning Akwa-Ibom than any other state in the South-South…we are going to win”, sounds therefore like an attempt by the APC to finalize their takeover of the oil wealthy Eket senatorial district.

An analyst recently remarked; “one does not need to wonder why the APC seem to be after the Eket senatorial district so desperately; their sponsors are interested in crude oil and are willing to axe down anyone to possess it”

These gestures by the APC and federal governmentt and more, have been perceived by the Eket senatorial people and indeed entire Akwa Ibom people as repeated acts of aggression and disrespect for their existence as a people with destiny, and gone a long way to stir the sociopolitical hornets’ nest. It is well known that it has taken the leadership of deacon Udom Emmanuel, PDP elders and indeed the collectively peaceful nature of the Akwa Ibom people, for the situation to remain just verbal.

Taking the foregoing discourse into perspective, it becomes easy to explain the mammoth size of turnout and tangible passion of the people of the Eket Senatorial district area at the mega reception for Governor Udom Emmanuel. And it is as if the APC have only been busy recruiting thousands more people for Udom Emmanuel.

by Uduak Umo

Umana Umana: Can A ‘Thief’ Probe Himself?

When I first heard the news of the All progressive Congress (APC)’s intention to use forensic methods to probe Senator Godswill Akpabio’s administration in Akwa Ibom state, I laughed my heart out. Honestly, I couldn’t believe my ears until I listened to a recorded radio interview by Mr Ita Awak, the APC megaphone with a perforated mouth repeating the claim.

The loquacious Ita Awak analysed how Umana Okon Umana after taking over office (may be in 2023, Who knows) would probe Akpabio’s government. The Obong Umana Umana I know is a very orderly and reserved person; you cannot take that away from him.

However, this is quite a desperate time for him and he has to say something that would be pleasing to the ears. He has to encourage his foot soldiers to keep the fire of propaganda burning; else he will be overwhelmed by the strength of public opinion.

However, I expect Mr Umana to know that there are reasonable limits for him to make empty promises especially considering that he played a fundamental role in the last administration. How exactly does Umana intend to probe an administration he was the chairman of the FGPC that awarded all the contracts for almost seven years of the government.

How? In those seven years , his signatures adorned the several contract papers and books of government. He was all over government like a colossus.

During his seven years as the secretary to the Akwa Ibom State government, Umana was nearly the chairman of all government organized events and head of the joint account committee. He was rightfully christened the engine room of government.

How Umana Okon Umana forensically intends to probe himself and return the looted funds he took from the State is the next wonder of the world we are expecting to witness. Umana reminds me of the late Audi Abubakar who bluntly admitted during his campaigns that he stole from the state but that he will make refunds if re-elected as Governor of Kogi State.

Yes, I know Obong Umana Okon Umana will probe himself and return the Ibom Science Park Project money that he reportedly embezzled according to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on the Science Park. The committee gathered that St Umana was indicted by Engr Frank Okon and accused of not releasing the entire funds to his firm, contracted to deliver the project. I wish Umana will begin the probe from when he was Commissioner for Finance under Obong Attah.

The Documents from his office then as commissioner of Finance showed he had paid the whooping sum of five million, seven hundred thousand US dollars whereas the contracting firm said they only received one million, three hundred dollars. Ete Umana, you see your life?

Who else knows where Akwa Ibom state’s monies have been diverted to- A former Director of budget, former commissioner for finance, former secretary to state government. Such a man can trace funds even to private cash dumps at Osongama road and its current location in Ewet housing. I am sure those funds are not yet exhausted. They are still wrapped in the clothes of old banks like Citizens bank, mercantile bank, Societie Generale bank. You know these banks sir. Please probe.

I am one of those who believe in Obong Umana’s capacity to probe the looters of Akwa Ibom treasury. What inspires my belief is a Zambian proverb I once read on the portals of BBC which says, “Catch a thief, make him your guide, he will take you to where he kept your money and he will also lead you to other thieves”. Doesn’t it take a monkey to catch a monkey?

Before I digress, another committee that looked into the books at the Akwa Ibom International Airport indicted you, Mr Umana as the man who looted the funds that was meant for the construction of that Airport. The company, Dyncorp and our own Engr Ime Ekanem said in their report at the public enquiry that you did not release the total sum as recorded in the financial books of the Ministry of Finance under your watch, that the funding they received was 26 billion naira lower than what was documented in the books during Obong Victor Attah’s tenure in office.

Yes this is one loot I’m very sure you have the proper know how to trace. In fact, you can trace this loot to the purchase of Kaniex oil block for one hundred and thirty billion naira. You may not find your name as the owner of that oil block but as an excellent forensic auditor, you will find the name of your wife and first son clearly written on the papers. Please, say me well to them when EFCC gets to arrest them.

The excellent fact about having Umana as Governor is that he won’t need binoculars to trace stolen funds. He will walk up to where the holes are in the system and identify the rogues who have been stealing the state silly. I know Ete Umana will probe the contributory funds of the State Civil Servants at First Bank of Nigeria. The interesting fact about those funds is that when the then state Governor ordered that those funds be returned to the owners, the Bank report showed that the homo sapien called Umana had earlier ordered for the money to be transferred to a certain personal account that was later discovered to be his wife’s sister as the surname was Ubiam. Sir, can we trace this fund? It will be very sweet to have over 45 billion naira returned to the coffers of our dear State, Akwa Ibom State. I mean, can you imagine what difference that will make, especially with the current paucity of funds?

Akwa Ibom state urgently needs money for developmental programmes, hence the need for probes. That probe should spread its tentacles to one Construction Company called AEC Works Limited. The company is notorious for abandoning the popular Use Ikot Amaama road. The corporate name of the firm is registered in One Florence Umana’s name but however managed by one Anietie Umana. Are those names familiar sir? That company has received over hundred billion naira from your Finance and General Purposes Committee. They have written for variation twice which you approved as the chairman of FGPC and the funds were released to the firm. It appears that job was criminally abandoned. Do some findings sir. We can recover something there.

There is also a little sum we can recover from the servicing of Toyota vehicles at Government house. It is worth about three billion naira yearly. Though you did present the receipts on Yahoo forum. Ikpafak Thompson Essien still contends that those receipts were forged. Sir, I feel if we looked again at the contract books, we could recover something.

Also sir, there is also a tiny matter of the sale of the Akwa Ibom shares in Econet wireless. Successive administrations say the State’s shares were sold and that the money was given to your ministry, ministry of finance then but sir, it appears there is no trace by successive government as to how much the shares were sold and where the money is. When his excellency, Obong Victor Attah was interviewed recently, he said the record of that transaction was kept under your honest watch. I know these new guys are not experienced enough to know where you kept that money but if they allow you go in yourself, you will bring it out. Isn’t it? That’s why they should vote you in as Governor. If we wait till 2023, someone else may find that money and we will be finished.

On a serious note, Obong Umana should know that there are reasonable limits to which he can hurt the sensibilities of Akwa Ibom people. The eras of empty promises are over. The APC cannot pull a wool over the eyes of Akwa Ibom people again. I know no sooner than later, Umana will deny he made those promises or simply say, and those promises were made on his behalf. If there is anything Umana forgot at the government house during his long sojourn there, he is at liberty to delegate someone to help him get it out.

As part of his plans to recover stolen funds, has he also told Akwa Ibom people the unholy agreement he has entered with the like of Atiku and Tinubu to surrender the entire internally generated revenue of Akwa Ibom state into the hands of strangers? Has Umana in concrete and practical terms explained his plans for Akwa Ibom state within the context of the paucity of funds in the country? Sentiments and hate speeches will not be enough to pull a wool over Akwa Ibom people’s eyes. The APC strategy is now well known to Nigerians- they cannot make promises again and turn around to deny those promises.

There is no vacancy in Akwa Ibom state. No amount of unholy alliances will force the hands of Akwa Ibom people. Bayelsans have shown the way and other oil producing states in the region will follow suit.

It is a sad commentary on our politics that people who were a part of the last administration for seven of its eight years like Umana Umana and his co-travellers would now turn around and demonize the administration. They claim that the administration was wasteful, irresponsible, corrupt etc. He even says he will probe the government and recover stolen funds. How funny. This sounds like cutting your nose in order to spite your face. You cannot absolve Umana of hypocrisy without convicting him of self-indictment. How can a man who stole public funds recover the same public funds?

By Emmanuel Nicholas