Ekere Billboard Palaver: AKSG Dragged To Abuja
By UbongAbasi Ise
Obong (Dr.) Nsima Ekere’s proposed
campaign billboard at Akpan Andem Market seems to be fetching more troubles for
the Akwa Ibom State Government as the state Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Iniobong
Essien, and Uyo local government council chairman, Elder Imoh Okon are reported
to have been moved from the State Police Headquarters at Ikot Akpan Abia to
Abuja for further questioning.
The Commissioner for Information
and Strategy, Mr. Charles Udoh, who was at Ikot Akpan Abia police station
yesterday, expressed frustration during his interaction with newsmen over the Federal
Government’s involvement in the billboard dispute between the state government
and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
“We all woke up one day and found
out that an official of the state, the Commissioner for Environment has been
invited for a discussion with the police on instruction from Abuja, over a dispute
on a billboard location
“The billboard is located in a
densely populated area. The approval before locating the billboard was not
followed to the later because it was not located where it should have been
located. Secondly, structural standard was compromised, so the Commissioner for
Environment whose duty is to supervise issues relating to environment in Akwa
Ibom State took necessary steps to ensure that the properties around the
vicinity were secured, especially as the design and structural integrity of the
billboard were compromised.
“So on that, account he was
invited by the police and that was two days ago, government stepped in, and it
required the SSG to sign an undertaking to bail him, today the instruction was
given that he and the Chairman of Uyo Local Government council, Mr Imoh Okon
should be brought to Abuja for further questioning, and the question I ask is;
these are officers of government, appointed and elected, carrying out their
legitimate duties and here they are intimidated by the officers of the law,”
said the exasperated commissioner.
Meanwhile, the Akwa Ibom State
APC, in a second press statement released yesterday which was signed by its
State publicity secretary, Mr. Nkereuwem Nyongekere, expressed shock at what it
described as Governor Udom Emmanuel-led government's efforts at falsifying and
distorting accounts in a bid to commandeer a billboard erected by the APC at
Akpan Andem Market.
“We are shocked by the Governor
Udom Emmanuel-led government's efforts at characteristically falsifying and
distorting the accounts of its failed attempt to commandeer a three-faced
unipole billboard erected by our party at the Akpan Andem Market in Uyo, Akwa
Ibom State. The billboard was erected in strict compliance with due process,
which includes obtaining valid approvals from the appropriate authority and
payment of all statutory fees to the State Government's agents,” the statement
reads.
APC further narrated how the
State Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Iniobong Essien and Chairman of Uyo
Local Government Elder Imoh Okon made attempt to take over the billboard
belonging to the party.
“On the night of Sunday, October
14, 2018, we were informed that welders had moved into the market to mount the
PDP and Mr. Emmanuel's campaign advertisement materials on our billboard. We
dismissed it as a huge joke because we believed that there are still some
sensible people in government who would counsel against such impunity. We were
rather shocked when our team discovered in the morning of Monday, October 15,
2018 that finishing work and painting had started on the unipole by totally
strange persons. Our men who complained about the theft were briefly detained
and released by officers from the Area 'C'Crime Unit. Thereafter, we reported the matter to the
State Police Command who stepped in to investigate. Both parties were immediately counselled to
stop work until the ownership of the board was established and all issues in
contention were tabled, hence a meeting was scheduled with the parties
concerned for 10.00 am the next day.
“In spite of this however, the State
Commissioner for Environment, Dr Iniobong Essien and Chairman of Uyo Local
Government Elder Imoh Okon, led thugs and a team of heavily armed Policemen to
the market at about 7.00 pm to continue work and install Governor Udom's
materials on the billboard paid for and erected by us. It took the intervention of the Deputy
Commissioner of Police (Operations) to persuade the people and Environment
Commissioner, Dr Iniobong Essien, to stop the daylight robbery by the State Government
at about 1.00 am,” the party submitted.
However, one of the traders who
spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity at Akpan Andem market
yesterday slammed the Commissioner for Environment in the state for failing to
evacuate the waste along Ndiya Street near the market which has caused serious
stench, thus throwing the traders, buyers, and the residence of the area into
serious health concern. He wondered why a harmless billboard could be a
priority to the state government while the common plights of the citizens are
neglected.
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