Hon. Akaninyene Eyo is a grassroots politician and business man. He was in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003 under the platform of the All Peoples Party (APP) and played a significant role in the era. He has also served as senior special assistant, Intergovernmental Affairs to Akwa Ibom State Government from 2011 to 2015.
He speaks on developments in Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State and his native Etim Ekpo Local Government Area in this exclusive interview with Crystal Express.
Could we meet you?
I am a man God has blessed. I was born in the 60s to the family of late Mr. Eno Eyo in Etim Ekpo Local Government. I grew up in a much disciplined family, with my strong mother, a retired teacher and my father, a business man. I attended Bishop Clark’s Primary School, Holy Family College both in Abak, and then University of Abuja. I went into public life, formed a company called Earns Journey Nigeria Limited, incorporated the company and we are into contract and services. From school days I have been into social and political activism. I started politics early in life right from the days of zero party to the era of Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC). I have been very active in politics. I contested into Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly under the platform of UNCP but was not sworn into office because of the demise of the then Head of States, late General Sani Abacha. In 1999, I joined the APP and contested for the House of Representatives which I won and was in the House of Reps from 1999 to 2003.
In 2011, I was appointed senior special assistant to Akwa Ibom State Government on intergovernmental affairs in Abuja. I am a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and by the grace of God we have been enjoying successes from unit to ward, to local government and state elections. God has used us to produce many leaders after us. I live in Abuja with my family. I am presently into construction, importation and services. I am happily married with children.
You have stayed long enough in politics and could you quickly take a swipe at the fallouts of the three civilian administrations we have had in the state since 1999?
By 1999, I was already in government not just politics. Prior to 1999, I will say that I wasn’t a good fan of Obong Akpan Isemin of blessed memory but Isemin found something unique in me and co-opted me into his political machinery, to an extent I became his political secretary. That endeared me and exposed me to several politicians but in 1999, I went into government as an opposition.
I was the only one in the opposition party from the 10 federal constituencies of Akwa Ibom State in the House of Representatives. It was not easy but a palatable experience. Obong Victor Attah who was the governor then and member of the PDP was a very mature man and I doff my cap for him. Obong Attah does not care if you belong to the opposition party but rather believes in your capacity to deliver; and performance. He judges you by the above virtues. Obong Attah was one governor who picks his calls. I can recall one instance when this helped the state through me to him when the politics of 13 per cent derivation was fierce and the matter heading to the Supreme Court courtesy of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Akwa Ibom was removed as a beneficiary. I called Attah and he didn’t mind if I was in the opposition, but gave me adequate attention. I didn’t inform my colleagues but embarked on that solo positive fight for the state. Attah sought my opinion on how to handle the matter and I advised him to get his attorney general, then, Senator Effiong Bob, a very responsible gentleman in this state, to write the position of the state as it affects 13 per cent derivation and bring it to Abuja for me to raise it on the floor of the House under the order of urgent public importance. Communication then was not easy unlike now that we have GSM.
The attorney general was able to prepare the documents, arrived Abuja early and I was able to lay it before the floor of the National Assembly and an ad-hoc committee was formed and it went positively well. When it came to the then Anenih’s committee, political solution was tinkered. That is the man Obong Victor Attah, very responsive with his calls. I also do not call him for frivolities but for very important issues. Akwa Ibom has evolved though there are still some skirmishes which are expected because of politicians and their interests. There is nothing tangible in this state that the foundation was not laid by Obong Victor Attah, except the stadium or few others. The airport and science park which the incumbent administration has shown considerable interest to continue, were all started by Obong Attah. The seaport project was conceived by Obong Attah. The governor that took over from him, Chief Godswill Akpabio, continued and today Governor Udom Emmanuel is consolidating on the efforts of his predecessors. The foundation Obong Victor Attah laid is what we are enjoying today. I doff my cap for him.
Governor Udom Emmanuel in particular promised industrialization of the state as one of his cardinal agenda. Can you say it is a promise fulfilled?
Yes. With all sense of modesty he’s done very well in that regard. Akwa Ibom State has always been a civil service state without thought of becoming a producing state. But today we are manufacturing several things which we hitherto imported from other countries and states – from syringes to pencils, to plastics and now have our own people as distributors. Akwa Ibom is now producing, not just a mere enclave for civil service. Again, it is worthy of note to draw your attention to the agricultural revolution going on in the state, which is taking the state towards food sufficiency. The impact of what is going on now will be felt heavily in few years’ time.
Again the Governor Udom Emmanuel Administration has brought morality into politics. Those who thought politics is about deceit and lies are beginning to have a rethink. His political strategies are unique and I strongly believe that he is one man after God’s heart.
Notwithstanding his milestones, I was amazed to see his performance in the state even during this pandemic with the dwindling of the oil resources. I have no regrets supporting him as governor.
Do you think he has done well with the management of COVID-19 in the state?
He has over-done well. I will cite two examples. Before COVID-19 became a menace here, we were not screened at Abuja Airport on departure but were thoroughly screened at Uyo Airport. At Abuja we were shocked there was no temperature check or sanitizers there but all those things were in place in Akwa Ibom Airport. I have also seen the world-class Isolation and Disease Control Centre he built; not even the Federal Government has such a laudable plan. Governor Emmanuel has integrity and great taste for quality. He has done very well.
You have been a federal lawmaker. Can you say that Akwa Ibom has benefitted from the Federal Government in terms of infrastructure from 1999 to date?
I have not really seen anything done by the Federal Government for the state. The airport was established by the state and the roads too. The only thing we may be getting is the conversion of the Maritime Academy, Oron, to a degree-awarding institution with the recent passage of the bill. I have not seen what the Federal Government has done for the state. Maybe they think that since it is a Niger Delta state, it should only tap from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). But that will be bad if that was their thinking.
I have heard that they are refunding money to Rivers State Government for roads and other projects done, and if they are doing that for Akwa Ibom State for roads done by Senator Akpabio and the ones being done by Governor Emmanuel, we will thank them. All the federal projects: like the Nigerian Newsprint Manufacturing Company (NNMC), Oku Iboku, and others are abandoned. There is nothing new coming from them. The worst of the abandonment is the Calabar-Itu Road which is in a very deplorable state. The works minister said work is ongoing but it’s not true. The school feeding programme is a mirage in the state. The one we are asked to nominate some youths to be engaged we heard they are yet to be contacted, we are not losing hope.
How would you rate the impact of NDDC in the state, can you say it’s been felt?
Totally no. I was one of those behind the NDDC Act, to be very modest. We worked tirelessly for the bill to become an Act. It is now that I remember when Obasanjo spoke to us and we watered it down. The initial bill that came had the Presidency wanting to control the NDDC, which is the cause of the problem today.
I don’t know why another body will be supervising a commission. Is anybody supervising INEC? Is anybody supervising Energy Regulatory Commission? Is anybody supervising Nigerian Universities Commission? Why then is NDDC a commission subjected to the supervision of the Office of the Secretary to the Government and also the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs with hue and cries daily. This is one of the reasons it is not meeting up with the cardinal objectives which informed its establishment.
The quality of their jobs is very poor because of corruption and insensitivity. Look at the quantum of abandoned jobs. Contractors that did jobs are dying out of hunger and starvation because they are not paid and yet you hear billions being shared. Imagine the recent internal sharing of N1.3billion among themselves and Nigerians are yet to stone them. They are now confusing us with forensic audit and probe panels. And in these dire times, we have heard now they expended N80billion between March and now. NDDC that ought to serve as an interventionist agency has messed itself up. Nigeria stinks of corruption from NDDC to NNPC, NPA, just name it. We need divine intervention in this country.
Are you saying that the anti-corruption war of the Buhari Administration is not working?
As if you don’t know. I never supported Buhari this time around. In 2003, I was one of those who nominated him. I remember when he came to our National Assembly caucus and I asked him, ‘General, I am happy you have come to join politics but don’t you think you would have been better off playing the role of a statesman?’ And he said I was right but that it is better to fight the system from within.
In 2015 after several trials, he came with change and Nigerians fell for it. In the past five years, we have had the highest corruption index. When he came in 2015, people were panicking and returning stolen monies, thinking it was the Buhari of the 1985 era. It is now that we know that Tunde Idiagbon was the one in charge. People were shaking on his arrival in 2015 and after five months without any reasonable action, the smart thieves returned with full force and operated now on a monumental scale. You hear somebody say in Nigeria that over N700 billion was gutted in fire. Even when Nigerians are at home over the COVID-19 pandemic with their children, we are told that the same children are being fed with billions of naira. The only stealing is now in billions and no longer millions.
As I am talking to you, the President is still borrowing and has borrowed up to N33 trillion. Corruption goes in billions, borrowing goes in trillions. A government will come and probe this pillage. The Arewa big boys have shared the country’s common patrimony among themselves. One of them that owes the Central Bank did a job of constructing a car park for them at N36 billion, and Nigerians are still keeping quiet. The corruption we have under the APC ‘change’ is beyond momentum scope. There is no integrity in the government and all those who used to criticize Jonathan appear to compromise. They are no longer talking.
Where are those occupying Nigeria? Where are the Soyinkas and even the big people in the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)? Where are they? Where is the labour? Many people have compromised because they were given jobs and money. After silencing the former noise makers, they came after the judiciary and humbled them, they threw away the former chief judge and opted for a Sharia Court judge to take over Nigeria’s Judiciary. Nigeria needs more than prayers at the moment. Those who earlier voted Buhari did so thinking he would confront corruption and insecurity and on those premises he has failed. Come to think of it, how will he fight corruption when he emerged with corruption money as President? They said he was an active GOC in his military days that also fought civil war and stopped students’ riot. But see how helpless he is before Boko Haram menace. The worst is that he goes to solve problems in other African nations when he has no solution to his own. The only two reasons of fighting corruption and insecurity that brought him to power, he has failed below the woeful level. Again, what corruption is higher than nepotism? What corruption is higher than election rigging? Let me tell it clearly that APC did not win election in 2019, not just at the Presidency level but in most states of the federation under their control. They wrote the results and they are still manipulating the sensitive institution like INEC and we are keeping quiet. God help us.
Outside fighting corruption and insecurity, there are other promises he made like job creation, stable exchange rate, among others. Are you impressed?
The same people said they didn’t make promises again. They said they promised nothing to Nigerians. A house that is not built on a solid foundation of trust cannot stand. They castigated people out of office and asked Nigerians to stone them if they fail to perform. Those things are on tape. Nigeria is the easiest place on earth where anyone can misrule and go scot-free.
They told Nigerians to stone them if they fail to perform and they are yet to be stoned. Why won’t they take Nigerians for fools? I am not asking people to stone them but I am recalling what they said. They used Nigerians to get power but their deceit will haunt them.
Come 2023 the North appears to still be interested in keeping Presidency. What is your take?
I am a firm believer in equity and justice. I will fight it to the end to ensure that Presidency moves to the South-East. We are not buying into any propaganda that they agitated for self-rule through Biafra. It is my strong personal opinion. I don’t even see the seriousness in the agitation. You can be talking about self-rule when full government of Nigeria with people enjoying their salaries going on there. Prominent South Easterners like Chief Arthur Eze and others are working with the Nigerian Government; do you see such people talking about Biafra?
Equity must reign. I am from South-South and we have had Jonathan and the North will round off in 2023. When it comes to the South, the South West had taken their turn of eight years, the only zone remaining in the southern region is South-East and that is where it is going for justice and equity.
It is my candid personal opinion. Under this administration, we have unfortunately witnessed nepotism and favouritism. It is on record that Jonathan did more for the North than his southern people. Look at the East-West Road which he could not even complete but he invested so much in the North through the establishment of Almajiri schools and others, even with the fact that the North betrayed and back-stabbed him. Jonathan was totally sabotaged. However, in the current era what we are witnessing is nuclear nepotism from the Fulanised North. In the end for justice and peace to reign, power should go to South-East. It is my personal position.
Akwa Ibom is preparing for another round of local government elections, are you impressed with development so far at local government level?
I strongly believe that the laws that make up the local government should be reviewed. The system should not be scrapped but must be operated in a way to ensure the practice of true federalism. The operators of the local government areas have not also helped the system. I don’t see why chairmen of local government councils should not be residing in their domains at the local government headquarters. Councillors have also keyed in, they don’t live in their villages. The Constitution crippled the local governments by allowing the state houses of assembly to supervise them, which is very wrong. The amendment which requires 2/3 of states may not be possible because of governors’ interests. Local governments have councillors like lawmakers for the state.
The Constitution did not ask lawmakers to intervene during crisis alone but to supervise the local government system for the next council election in Akwa Ibom State. I pray we select qualified candidates. We must ensure that we choose those who will concentrate in developing the local government areas. We have urban surge because of lack of development at council areas. Akwa Ibom has good shore lines and vegetation that if properly developed can enhance tourism in most local government areas. Local markets can be improved with facilities to help people come in there for business and remain eager to stay. The government at the centre should ensure that there is steady power at the local government areas. The people should look out for those with these qualities to bring about this development and vote them massively.
How would you rate the performance of the government at Etim Ekpo Local Government Area, your place of birth?
They have tried. The chairman, Hon. Udeme Eduo, and his team are doing well. We had insurgency in Etim Ekpo which hampered the smooth administration of the area but the council chairman, a very experienced technocrat, displayed dexterity and expertise to keep the area moving in difficult times. No nation should pray for such insurgency and its attendant distractions. I thank God the governor and the chairman were able to bring the menace under control.
I thank God that Etim Ekpo still witnesses substantial development within the era. I am happy to hear that his administration cleared over N50million debt accumulated by previous council administrations. It is not easy to have a government who used almost two out of three years of its tenure to curb insurgency to still put up massive structures like Udeme has done. He has been able to pay salaries up to date and keyed into state government’s agricultural programme. He has changed the face of the secretariat, stadium etc. My local government chairman has tried to ensure total peace and development.
There are calls for him to continue in office for a second term while there are also discordant tunes. What is your take?
For me, I think he deserves to continue to stabilize the council area. This is my candid opinion. Nobody that does not have the council’s future at heart will come and pay debts he never accumulated. But Eduo came and cleared them. His dedication in reclaiming Etim Ekpo from insurgents and rebuilding the area while maintaining peace and security is what governance should be and Hon. Udeme Eduo is doing it well. I stand with him to continue his good job in Etim Ekpo.
What is your advice for Etim Ekpo people as they prepare for the next LG elections?
I advise them to maintain peace and nothing should jeopardize it. We will work collectively as a people. We will listen to ourselves, take good decision, vote credible people and support our party to win elections. The most important thing is that we must allow collective decision to override individual opinions. God bless them.
