The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State on Research and Documentation,Mr. Essien Ndueso, has refuted suggestions that the former governor, Udom Emmanuel, currently retains ownership of the official aircraft utilised by the governor.
The actions of Pastor Umo Éno, the state governor, have been subject to criticism following his decision to board a passenger plane (Ibom Air) on a trip from Uyo to Abuja. During this journey, he voluntarily underwent security screening at the Ibom International Airport.
His critics had said that he resorted to flying with Ibom Air since the former governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, was still maintaining the governor’s official private plane.
Ndueso, however, claimed that the governor’s choice to support the state-owned airline was consistent with his pledge to encourage Akwa Ibom State Government investments to thrive and expand in order to meet the demands of the current economic realities in the country. The radio interview was heard by our correspondent in Uyo on Friday.
“Remember, His Excellency, Pastor Eno, said he is not a governor who sits in his comfort zone in the office to receive reports from the fields, but one who will go out to feel and experience the realities of investments and public utilities funded with public funds.
“The governor has told his people that in appointing aides, he is not appointing aides that would carry his umbrella and phones since he is carrying them himself, but he would rather appoint people with the capacity to add value to his administration.
“Even at the airport, you could see him subjecting himself to thorough checks and other airport procedures, and that is because he wishes to lead by example. Such actions should not be misinterpreted, but seen as actions that make him more connected to his people,” Nduese said.
The governor’s aide referred to the charge as a frivolous “beer parlour gist” intended to damage the former governor’s reputation and said it was sad that his principal’s good intentions in having first-hand experience with the state airline were misinterpreted. He urged the populace to disregard such claims because they contained absolutely no reality.
He clarified that Emmanuel, although having been the present governor’s superior and the outgoing governor’s boss, had not been oppressive towards his successor and had even come to say during the state discussion that there could only be one leader in the state at a time, which was Governor Eno.
