Saturday, 28 December 2013

Umana Apologizes to Senator Bob, Says, we were victims set up to fight and destroy each other. – Weekly Insight



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 importance 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.
Umana Okon Umana, former Akwa Ibom SSG
 

WEEKLY INSIGHT: 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?
UMANA: 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.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: In the statement, Senator Bob clearly distanced himself from the reconciliation, why do you think he would do that?
UMANA: I am not the one to answer that question. The Distinguished Senator is in a better position to answer that question.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: 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?
UMANA: 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.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: The Senator was also quoted as saying you have not called to apologize to him. Do you think you owe him any apologies?
UMANA:  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.
WEEKLY INSIGHT: 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?
UMANA: 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.
WEEKLY INSIGHT:  Recently a group came out to accuse you of being the richest man in Akwa Ibom state. Are you that rich?
UMANA:  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?
WEEKLY INSIGHT:  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?
UMANA:  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.
WEEKLY INSIGHT:   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?
UMANA:  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.
WEEKLY INSIGHT:   There is this story making the rounds that you have concluded plans to join the All Progressive Congress, APC. How true is this?
UMANA:  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.
WEEKLY INSIGHT:   How about your governorship ambition, what is going on? Are you still interested in the race?
UMANA: All I can tell you now is that my political future is in the hands of God.All I can tell you now is that my political future is in the hands of God

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