UMANA APOLOGISES TO EFFIONG BOB

Says, we were victims set up to fight and destroy each other.
For the first time after his disengament from the government of Akwa Ibom
State as SSG, Mr. Umana Okon Umana spoke to the press. He has been
press shy since he left office,but recently the technocrat-turned politician
decided to break his silence. The reason for doing this underscores the imp
ortance he attaches to the main reason for the request for the interview,
which is his recent reconciliation with his Nsit Ubium brother and top-
notch politician, Senator Effiong Dickson Bob. During his constituency
briefing recently in Nsit Ubium, the member representing the area in the
Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon Onofiok Luke, tried a
reconciliation gambit. He called on Apostle Isaiah Isong to lead a prayer of
reconciliation that would mark the breaking of the proverbial ice on the
frosty political relationship between the two key politicians in the area.
Prayers said and signs of forgives exchanged, the press went to town with
the historic reconciliation. Days later, a post was made on Ibom Forum
and Ibibio Nation, two prominent yahoo groups of Akwa Ibom people on
the Internet. Mr. Thompson Essien, Oregun-based Akwa Ibom political and
social commentator, said in the post that he spoke on telephone with
Senator Effiong Bob and went on to reproduce the content of his telephone
conversation with the Distinguished Senator. Among other things allegedly
said by Bob was that the reconciliations only exist in the imaginations of
those who reported them. He accused the former SSG as being a part of
the ills of the Akpabio era and distanced himself from both men. In his
response Umana maintained that whatever was the problem between him
and Senator Bob was nothing personal, rather than political differences
that should in the spirit of "No permanent friend and no permanent
enemies" are forgiven and reconciled.There is a statement credited to
Senator Effiong Bob, now trending on the internet, saying that the
reconciliation effort initiated by the member representing Nsit Ubium state
constituency, Hon Onofiok Luke was a ruse and the figment of people's
imagination. What is your reaction to that?First, I must say that I have the
greatest respect for my brother, Senator Effiong Bob. He is a distinguished
personality and a very successful politician from my local government
area. What people thought was a frosty relationship was nothing personal.
It was political. Having said that, I will also add that I respect what the
man of God did at the event organized by Hon Onofiok Luke. He prayed for
peace and reconciliation. As a politician I know that in politics there are no
permanent foes but permanent interest. As Christians we must embrace
peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.In the statement, Senator Bob clearly
distanced himself from the reconciliation, why do you think he would do
that?I am not the one to answer that question. The Distinguished Senator
is in a better position to answer that question.You did not support his
ambition to return to the senate for a third term; could this be the real
issue that is causing disaffection between both of you?Senator Effiong Bob
is my brother, as I have earlier told you. I supported him fully in his first
senatorial contest. When he wanted to contest for a third term, he did not
seek my support. Senator Ita Enang sought my support and I gave him my
support. Maybe Senator Bob felt my support was of no consequence. But
that was purely a political contest. It had nothing to do with my personal
relationship with my brother. The Distinguished Senator is an experienced
politician and so, he understands that in any political contest there will be
a winner and a loser. We are all living witnesses to his political
conquests. In his first term, he confronted and won against Senator Anietie
Okon in very controversial circumstances. In 2006/2007 he also won
against Chief Ime Albert Akpan in another contentious and controversial
circumstance. Are we then to suggest that Senator Anietie Okon, Chief Ime
Albert and their supporters should never forgive Senator Efffiong Bob and
his supporters? Should they remain eternal enemies of Senator Bob? No!
Politicians view election support as the right to choose and that does not
constitute reason for perpetual enmity. Besides, in 2011, the powers that
be had endorsed both Ita Enang and Senator Effiong Bob. It wouldn’t have
been easy for me to give my full and open support to Senator Ita Enang if
he had not been endorsed by the powers that be. Similarly in Ikot Ekpene
Senatorial District such multiple endorsements were also noticeable.
Obong Bassey Inuayen, Professor Ini Udoka and Hon Iquo Minimah were
endorsed by the powers that be. At the end of the day, Senator Aloysius
Etok was nominated; should all those who lost remain in eternal enmity
with the supporters of Senator Etok, especially as they were all victims of
conspiracy and manipulations following the multiple endorsements?
Similarly, it is now clear that I and Sen Bob have been victims of
conspiracy and manipulation. We were set up to fight and destroy each
other.The Senator was also quoted as saying you have not called to
apologize to him. Do you think you owe him any apologies?I hold Senator
Bob in very high esteem and I don’t have any quarrel with him. We have
been talikng. But if he feels hurt or has any misgiving against me, I use
this opportunity to apologize to him and appeal to him to let bygone be
bygone. As good Christians, we must toe the path of peace and
reconciliation at all times.The Senator accused you in the said statement
of having a hand in his arrest in connection with the murder of the late
Paramount Ruler of Nsit Ubium. What is your reaction to this?That aspect
is one of the reasons I doubt the authenticity of the purported interview
with Senator Bob. I am not sure he could say such a thing. As a former
Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, I am sure he
knows better than what was credited to him. In the state, we have a
governor, who is the chief security officer of the state; we have the
commissioner of police and the Director of SSS, as well as the Attorney
General, who is the Chief Law Officer of the state. These are the people
concerned with criminal justice system. I was the SSG; my brief did not
include criminal investigation. I had no knowledge of what the police do
when they investigate crimes. I was not in any position to interfere with
police investigations. That was not part of my job as SSG. As a former
Attorney General, I am sure Senator Bob knows how these things are done.
No appointee of government goes beyond his brief without the prior
instruction and authorization by the governor. I was not part of the police
investigations and therefore in no position to ask the police to arrest the
Distinguished Senator or any person for that matter.Recently a group came
out to accuse you of being the richest man in Akwa Ibom state. Are you
that rich?I will not lose sleep over such weird and baseless allegations. I
don’t know how they came about that. But that is part of politics. But for
the sake of argument, how do you determine how much a man is worth?
The answer is through his assets and liabilities. If therefore you judge me
by what you think are my assets, do you know my liabilities?The group in
the advertorial also said you were at the helm of affairs at the FGPC and
you did not use your position to award contracts to Oro people. Why did
you not award contracts to Oro People?Thank God that when I was
chairman of FGPC, an Oro man was the secretary. He was the one who
issued all the letters of award of contracts. For the avoidance of doubt, I
did not award a single contract as chairman of FGPC. All the letters of
contract award were issued y the FGPC secretary. It is expected that the
FGPC secretary issues those letters after the necessary clearance with the
governor. If you award any contract that is not approved by the governor,
there is no way the contractor would get paid because the Accountant
General would never process any payment not backed by the governor's
approval. I consider it an insult to the person and office of the governor of
this state for people to be making such statements. I was a mere political
appointee. The buck stops at the governor's table in all matters. He takes
full responsibilities for all actions of government. It is becoming more and
more fashionable to pass the buck. I was the SSG, I merely carried out
assigned roles and the credit and blame go to the man elected to govern
the state and not his subordinates. That is how government works. I was
not in a position to award any contracts and so I never awarded any
contract to anybody.Recently a newspaper report had it that the Ibaka
Seaport was not included in the Federal Government National Integrated
Infrastructural Master Plan, nor in the list of similar projects planned in
partnership between the federal government and state governments with
expectations of private investor collaborations. Some are accusing you as
the chairman of the implementation committee of not doing your work.
What is the state of the project?The state set up the Ibaka Seaport
Implementation Committee under my chairmanship with a defined work
plan. The committee was saddled with the responsibility of acquiring the
land, and producing the necessary survey plan for the location. We were
also to develop the concept master plan of the project. We had done all of
that and submitted our report to government. We had also recommended
the construction of an access road to the site. We had no powers to award
any contract or embark on any further development. The submission of the
report would have led to the second phase of the project; which would
have covered provision of access road, identification of investors and the
commencement of actual physical development. This was not to be
because shortly after our report was submitted, the state entered into a
memorandum of Understanding with the federal government, who now took
over from there and appointed another implementation committee, chaired
by a federal government nominee with other members made up of mainly
federal agencies with the specific mandate to develop a seaport.There is
this story making the rounds that you have concluded plans to join the All
Progressive Congress, APC. How true is this?The story is absolutely false
and baseless. I am a committed and loyal member of the PDP. I have no
intention to leave the party to APC or to any other party. I am working
hard with other committed and loyal party men and women to make the
party even stronger at all levels.How about your governorship ambition,
what is going on? Are you still interested in the race?All I can tell you now
is that my political future is in the hands of God.
SOURCE: INSIGHT NEWSPAPERS