Yesterday, in what was purely a routine affair, the immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, CON, honoured the invitation by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This, he did, seamlessly in his undaunted spirit of patriotism and sense of responsibility.
It is worth emphasizing here that this invitation has been extended to thousands of Nigerians, both the rich and the not-so-rich, political and corporate titans. An invitation, therefore, is not a conviction. .
But a section of the media, egged on by Mr. Emmanuel’s traducers and political adversaries, has made the invitation seem like he was convicted. Dispassionate minds need to note the elementary distinctions between an invitation and honouring same, and an arrest which demands some legal mechanics.
Mr. Udom Emmanuel had since yesterday evening left the EFCC headquarters in Abuja to his home. He was not detained, it must be emphasized, as was reported yesterday by a section of the press.
As a statesman, Mr. Udom Emmanuel is open to interactions within the confines of the law as one who has nothing to hide dreads no query.
Mr. Udom Emmanuel presided over a robust growth in Akwa Ibom State. He faced two harsh economic environments: the economic meltdown that occurred shortly after he was sworn-in in 2015, which saw the price of oil drop to historic lows, and the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the world shortly after he was sworn in for a second term.
In spite of these, he presided over eight years of economic growth that saw many expansions in the infrastructural profile of the state, earning Akwa Ibom the singular distinction of the state with the best road
network of all the subnationals in the nation.
He established Ibom Air, which today, has been adjudged the best airline in Nigeria, and ran a deeply transparent government where the budgets and government expenditures were regularly published.
His performance was applauded across party lines, leading to the award of the Commander of the Order of Nigeria (CON) bestowed on him by the immediate past President and Commander-in-Chief, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, despite being a Governor elected on the platform of the PDP.
The teeming admirers of the unassuming personality, a God— fearing leader,blessed with a peaceful disposition and nationally celebrated superlative performance which Mr. Udom Emmanuel epitomized while he was the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, should, disregard the antics of detractors. God did not only call Mr. Udom Emmanuel, CON to lead Akwa Ibom State at the time He did, He qualified him, squarely leading to the legacy of impact he left in Akwa Ibom State.
Let this media feeding frenzy stop now; Udom Emmanuel is an icon of transparency and integrity.
Barr. Stephen Abia,
Media Aide to Mr Udom Emmanuel
Akwa Ibom State
