Akpabio Stops Robinson Uwak’s Documentary on AIT
The anti-democratic tendencies of Akwa Ibom state governor, Chief
Godswill Akpabio received a major boost with the stopping on
Monday of a documentary scheduled for airing on the network of African
Independent Television (AIT) at the instance of the governor.
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| Hon. Robinson Uwak and His Excellency Mr Nsima Ekere at a public function |
Hon Robinson Awak, the member representing Oron Federal
Constituency at the House of Representatives, had following his recent crusade
for attention to the rot in his constituency, had prepared a one hour
documentary on the utter decay of infrastructure in Oro land. The documentary
was scheduled to be aired Monday August 4, 2014. Few minutes to the time, the
television station got in touch with him that the programme has been
“differed”.
Not satisfied with the import of his documentary being differed, the lawmaker made further inquiries and was told that the Akwa Ibom state governor had ordered that the tape should not be played. Uwak was thereafter asked to come and get back his money,
Satisfied with his executive use of powers, the governor put a call through to the Representative and spent an hour on the phone, cajoling him on the why he should not put his government in bad light by showing the documentary. He told Uwak to come to the lodge for a better approach to the special case of Oro marginalization. He promised that the lawmaker would be accorded access when the lawmaker informed him that he had remained inaccessible.
The documentary was a response to the challenge by government apologists that Oro land has been treated the same way other areas in the state had been treated by the Akpabio administration.
Speaking to our correspondent on the issue, an aide said, “It (The documentary) showcased for the world to see firsthand another side of the uncommon transformation going on in Akwa Ibom state. It was supposed to be used as a counter poise to the serial and wanton use of the media to give an impression that all is too well with the state.”
Not satisfied with the import of his documentary being differed, the lawmaker made further inquiries and was told that the Akwa Ibom state governor had ordered that the tape should not be played. Uwak was thereafter asked to come and get back his money,
Satisfied with his executive use of powers, the governor put a call through to the Representative and spent an hour on the phone, cajoling him on the why he should not put his government in bad light by showing the documentary. He told Uwak to come to the lodge for a better approach to the special case of Oro marginalization. He promised that the lawmaker would be accorded access when the lawmaker informed him that he had remained inaccessible.
The documentary was a response to the challenge by government apologists that Oro land has been treated the same way other areas in the state had been treated by the Akpabio administration.
Speaking to our correspondent on the issue, an aide said, “It (The documentary) showcased for the world to see firsthand another side of the uncommon transformation going on in Akwa Ibom state. It was supposed to be used as a counter poise to the serial and wanton use of the media to give an impression that all is too well with the state.”
Meanwhile the Oro-born lawmaker has threatened to put the
documentary on CNN and dared the governor to bribe his way out of the global
media attention it would present.
He wrote shortly after the botching of his documentary show on his facebook;
“Only the guilty are afraid. Everyday Your Excellency, you air your documentary "Uncommon Transformation" across television stations. I have never gone to bribe any television station to stop it. Your actions today is undemocratic as you have attempted to silence the voice of the voiceless. I will still advice that the concerns of the Oro people be urgently addressed otherwise you may need to fuel your jet and head to CNN to stop the next documentary. I wish you a safe flight Sir”.
This is one of a series of statements put out by the lawmaker to call attention to what he calls “criminal and indecent marginalization” of his Oro land. He insists that if his crusade for attention to Oro land would cost him a second term ticket, that he was ready. He decried the lopsided development going on in the state, referring to the governor, for effect, as the “uncommon transformer of Annang land”.
In an attempt to dispel the insinuation that Oro had been marginalized, the Akwa Ibom state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, took a swipe at the lawmaker calling his statement a “dishonourable verse”. Umanah noted that the governor has developed the state evenly and drew the attention of the lawmaker to such infrastructure as airport, 49 urban roads, Ibaka seaport and the bridge at Etebi Ewang.
He wrote shortly after the botching of his documentary show on his facebook;
“Only the guilty are afraid. Everyday Your Excellency, you air your documentary "Uncommon Transformation" across television stations. I have never gone to bribe any television station to stop it. Your actions today is undemocratic as you have attempted to silence the voice of the voiceless. I will still advice that the concerns of the Oro people be urgently addressed otherwise you may need to fuel your jet and head to CNN to stop the next documentary. I wish you a safe flight Sir”.
This is one of a series of statements put out by the lawmaker to call attention to what he calls “criminal and indecent marginalization” of his Oro land. He insists that if his crusade for attention to Oro land would cost him a second term ticket, that he was ready. He decried the lopsided development going on in the state, referring to the governor, for effect, as the “uncommon transformer of Annang land”.
In an attempt to dispel the insinuation that Oro had been marginalized, the Akwa Ibom state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, took a swipe at the lawmaker calling his statement a “dishonourable verse”. Umanah noted that the governor has developed the state evenly and drew the attention of the lawmaker to such infrastructure as airport, 49 urban roads, Ibaka seaport and the bridge at Etebi Ewang.
But the Oron Progressive Youth Assembly disagreed with the
information boss that there are no 49 roads done by governor Akpabio in
Oron. In a statement signed by Isong
Edet and Okon Uko, the group stated, “show us the 49 roads he mentioned. Pictures do not lie. Let him also show
pictures of the Ibaka Seaport. Let him show
pictures of Etebi-Ewang Road. We are too wise to be intimidated. He is answering for the governor because he
is paid to do that. He knows in his
heart of hearts…We will not be intimidated to leave our mandate for another
tribe. It is Oron turn no matter what
they say”, the statement said.
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