It is about two months since Governor Udom Emmanuel dissolved the Akwa Ibom State Executive Council. Many questions have piled up since. Most pertinent are questions like who will occupy which positions? And how effective will these individuals be in the industrialization crusade of Udom Emmanuel?
However, considering Udom’s antecedent as a prudent manager in the banking sector, the delay may be carefulness in selecting from a long list of qualified Akwa Ibomites. But the overwhelming feelings of Akwa Ibom people is that Udom’s delay may have stemmed from confusion.
A minor disagreement between officials of the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps and Tanker Drivers which caused petrol price ot jump from N145 to N200 and N250 in the state for over a week and Udom’s sack of 5,000 teachers employed by the last administration, among others, are seen by some as fallouts of lack of commissioners to advise him.
“The permanent secretaries are there to work, but administratively if they do not work beyond three months, some economic and administrative setbacks may occur,” warned an expert. However, according to a veteran journalist, whether commissioners are there or not the work of the ministries would go on. “It might be a money-saving device in the state.”
But a CLO leader, Clifford Thomas, said, “It is not suitable to govern without state executive council. There is need to have Exco made up of commissioners and special advisers to encourage the government. But despite any pressure, I know the governor is a very intelligent man, he knows who he wants and he knows those he doesn’t need. We’ll wish him the best. He needs to succeed in things like ground-breaking. People want to see factories everywhere. People want to see employment going on, people want to see people engage actively.”
Another theory on the delayed appointment is pressure from lobbyists. Some community activists allege marginalization. It was even rumoured in some quarters that the former governor, Godswill Apkabio, is demanding slots for finance and works commissioners. This and the sacking of 5000 teachers employed under Akpabio are believed to have created a strain in Udom-Akpabio’s relations.
However the Chief Press Secretary a nd Senior Special Assistant to Udom, Mr Ekerette Udo, dismissed such speculations as baseless. “Appointment of members of the State Exco is the sole prerogative of the governor and he has absolute powers to choose those he believes will help translate his vision. And also, when the governor is ready to do that he will do it and the world will know. So we don’t response to innuendos or rumours. Their relationship is exceedingly cordial! Am sure you follow what is done in some other states where you have cold wars between certain immediate past governors and the incumbent. We don’t have it in this state and people should not raise issues when none exists. Gov. Udom Emmanuel enjoys a cordial relation with former governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio.”
Whether there is a froost in the relations or not, Udom certainly needs to prove his ability to convert Akwa Ibom’s commonwealth into investment and income -generating assets. Posterity will hold him accountable and not his commissioners.
For a Professor of Financial Economics, University of Uyo, Leo Ukpong, one to three months without commissioners is not a bad idea. “It could be that the process is not completely in place to appoint new commissioners. But in the long term, it is not good because strategic decisions are handled by the commissioners. Sometimes, the good part of using temporary heads like the Permanent Secretary is that decisions are made quickly. But besides that, it losses all advantage because the head of the unit should make decisions long-term and that is the job of the commissioner. Anything more than three months will affect the effective management of the organisation. Major decisions are not made in time. So, it is a cost to the system. You don’t save cost unless the commissioners are over-priced. Not paying commissioners is insignificant to the budget of the ministry unless naturally they bloated their allowances. The benefit you get from a commissioner if doing what is expected is higher than the cost.”
A reliable source said Akan Okon and Ephraim Inyang are among the likely returnees to Udom’s cabinet. Others speculated to likely make the list are Dr Glory Edet, Etido Inyang, Ekerette Ukpong, Dominic Ukpong, Okpolom Ette, Udo Sam Umoattan, Ekong Sampson and Enobong Uwah.
The allocation of slots for political supporters is another delicate task that may be delaying the cabinet. A political expert warned: “If Udom is not careful in balancing that, it could backfire and the All Progressives Congress, APC, will take advantage of that. If he misses a powerful constituency and APC capitalises on that, it could affect his long-term ambition as a governor.”
In the opinion of APC spokesman in Akwa Ibom, Hon Ita Awak, Udom has every right to pick his cabinet at his own time and believes there must be a genuine reason for the delay. He however advised the governor to consider as foremost the growth and development of Akwa Ibom, “We only hope that he (Udom) will find the courage to break free and be his own man and take decisions for the general good of Akwa Ibom people. Take decision, constitute a cabinet that will help him fashion those programmes that will heal the deep ethnic wounds that Akpabio left in Akwa Ibom State.
One only prays that for the good of Akwa Ibom, he bring those people into his cabinet that will help him prosecute those policies and do those developmental programme, infrastructural programmes that will help develop the state and help us, I repeat, heal the deep ethnic wounds that Akpabio inflicted on us. We hope he will come up with a cabinet that is transparent, that is sincere, and that is accountable to the people of Akwa Ibom State,” Awak declared.
