Babatunji Wusu –
The newly recruited personal assistants have been cautioned by Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Éno to live in their ward areas or risk being fired.
Any of them who were found to not be residing in his ward would be subject to immediate dismissal, he declared, adding that they would be let down because they had been appointed.
On Tuesday in Uyo, the state’s capital, as he inaugurated the state’s 368 PAs, the governor issued the warning.
Follow my example of treating everyone with respect, and work to bring the residents of your wards together, said Éno. You are now the governor’s personal assistants as a result of your appointment. Your only allegiance is therefore to the governor.
According to our party’s motto, “power to the people,” we have pledged to give the people back their power, and by ‘people,’ we primarily mean the common people. That is what we are attempting.
“We mandated that everyone who was chosen reside in their wards. I also hope that this circumstance is accurate. However, I must forewarn you that we will not think twice about having you removed if we ever learn that you are not residing in your ward. We need individuals who can provide us with updates on the situation in their respective wards.
“Therefore, note that the same way that we appointed you today, we will disappoint you tomorrow because the hands that has appointed can also disappoint,” they said. “So, if you take this appointment and we later find out that you are in Uyo or you are not living within your own ward.”
He gave the PAs the responsibility of using their roles as government representatives to maintain peace and harmony in their particular areas by spreading the A.R.I.S.E. agenda blueprint at the local level.
The governor announced the construction of a two-step liaison structure to interface between the 368 PAs and his office in order to promote easy coordination and orderliness in the structure of communication and task delivery.
In light of this, Eno chose Dr. Godwin Ntukudeh as his political adviser in addition to three honorary advisers from each of the state’s three senatorial districts.
Other appointments are Bishop Sam Akpan (Eket senatorial district), Dr. Henry Archibong (Uyo senatorial district), and Udo Akpan (Honourary Special Adviser, Political) for the Ikot Ekpene senatorial district.
“Having 368 people report to me would be very challenging,” he remarked. We’re going to set up certain mechanisms to help energize you all and make it easier for us to collaborate.
He underlined that the appointments do not affect how the Bureau of Political and Legislative Affairs performs its tasks.
He urged the new appointees to adopt a disposition of humility to mend fences, accommodate different interests, and show respect to leadership across levels while warning them against the abuse of office and display of dishonest tendencies that are detrimental to the unity of the party and society at large.
He urged those who were competent but had not yet been appointed to have patience because more opportunities will present themselves eventually.
