Uwem Umanah |
By Nse Peter
Mr. Uwem Umanah, the younger brother of the Commissioner for
Information in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Aniekan Umanah has derogatorily described
former governor of the state, Obong Victor Attah as being ‘senile’.
“My problem is that they (UOU and OBA) have chosen to take
advantage of Attah's age, and senile disposition,” Uwem Umanah, apparently referring
to the planned reception of the former governor by his Ibibio people, said in a
mail he sent to four online interactive groups – Ibom Chronicle, TalkHard,
AkwaGlobal, and NaijaObserver – hoisted on Yahoo! platform.
UOU is the acronym for Umana Okon Umana, the immediate past
Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government, while OBA is Obong Bassey Albert,
the immediate past commissioner for finance in the state. Both politicians who
are prominent PDP aspirants for the 2015 Akwa Ibom governorship election are of
Ibibio ethnic group. They share a similar history of being humiliated out of
government by Governor Godswill Akpabio. Mr. Umana Okon Umana had previously
served in Attah’s administration as the commissioner for finance.
Uwem Umanah said in his now controversial mail “The old man
doesn’t know that these guys wanna rubbish him, by using the ‘reception’ to
further their selfish political ambition! What was UOU and OBA’s relationship
with Obong Attah when they were in government? Oh they have suddenly realized
that the old man deserves to be celebrated, or that Ibibio should be united,
because they want to occupy the hilltop mansion? By the way, who is gonna fund
the reception event?
“Let's see what comes out of the event, but I will sure
organize a reception too, in honour of Akpandem James, after all, he is my
elder brother's friend!”
A fellow commentator in one of the forums asked Uwem Umanah
to retract his comment and apologize to the former governor. He informed him
(Umanah) that he had drawn Akpandem James’ attention to the controversial post
and that the former editor of Daily Independent has disassociated himself
from it.
The commissioner’s brother remained unmoved by several attacks
from other commentators who saw his comment on Attah as being unfair.
One commentator with the name Jerry Peters said of Uwem
Umanah’s post: “I've just looked up the word ‘senility’ in the dictionary. It
says: ‘behaving in a confused and strange way, and unable to remember things,
because you are old’. Uwem, does this fit Obong Attah? Could he have put up
such a stellar performance at the National Conference if he were senile? Every
Nigerian society (tribes) reveres their seniors, but in Akwa Ibom State, we
take delight in insulting and cursing ours. Whatever a man sows, he shall reap.”
Uwem Umanah fired back: “Jerry peters, your recourse to
sentiments and emotions won’t help in this very crucial discourse. What's the
meaning of senility? In my context, senility means, ‘Weakness of the brain resulting
from old age’. Having defined senility, how many elders do their brains get
stronger from their 70s? While I don't expect mine to be, Attah's can't be
either!”
Not much is known in the public about Uwem Umanah, except
that he is the younger brother to the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan
Umanah. He is suspected to be in his early 30s.
Some persons in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital told Think
Akwa Ibom! that Uwem work as a Special Assistant to his brother, the
commissioner. Though Think Akwa Ibom!
cannot confirm the authenticity of that information , Uwem’s Facebook profile
photo however shows him sitting in an office that is attached to the
commissioner’s resident in Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo. The office, equipped with
Internet, is used mostly by the commissioner’s aides for the official publicity
job of the Ministry of Information.
Think Akwa Ibom! gathered that Uwem Umanah has been dutiful in
defending and promoting the activities of the Akwa Ibom State government and
Governor Godswill Akpabio, mostly through Facebook and online groups like IbomChronicle, AkwaGlobal, TalkHard and NaijaObserver. In one of his recent articles
posted on Facebook, Uwem eulogized his brother, Aniekan Umanah as “a master-brand
strategist, with quintessential managerial dexterity”.A master-brand strategist, with quintessential
managerial dexterity
Think Akwa Ibom! cannot confirm if Uwem Umanah’s derogatory
description of Attah as being senile is reflective of the thinking of the
commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umanah and that of the Akwa Ibom
State government, even though several reports in the local newspapers give the
impression that Governor Godswill Akpabio is uncomfortable with Attah being honoured
with such reception by the Ibibio.
The online groups where Uwem Umanah posted his comment about
Victor Attah have thousands of members, including the commissioner for Information,
Aniekan Umanah himself and other officials of the Akwa Ibom State government
and several politicians.
The controversial comment is likely to create spiral effects
in the 2015 politics in the state. It could deepen ethnic distrust and division
in the state, especially since Uwem Umanah is of the Annang ethnic group, while Attah is widely seen as
an iconic leader among his Ibibio people.
Uwem Umanah, while further defending his comment against
Attah, said many people in the forums had in the past called Governor Akpabio “thief,
killer and murderer”. He said “If there
is a price to pay for the use of foul language, we are all guilty of it! If
there must be an apology, it should go to Governor Akpabio first, by UOU, then
his lieutenants, before Uwem Umanah.”
dis guy knows nothing. go spend all d money u have been given n let Akwa Ibom people be. na crime if our eyes done open and we decide to honour our own. have mercy oh LORD on all dis sycophant. bro as long as akwa ibom is concern, OBONG VICTOR ATTAH Deserves dis honour and no matter wat u feel or think u can call him will not change the fact that he is the joseph of our tym and like Joshua we must honour the moses of our tym. if the present government that is rulling like pharaoh dat knew not joseph n decided to kill all memory of joseph for about 400 years. we refused to succumb. akwa ibom will not b under one ruler ship for ever. let them go to d senate n continue with d family business. Mr. right is fresh and it is very wrong without any achievement to show to start assuming that he is right. let them use our money to stain the whole street of Uyo. he can never be the next man in line instead somebody who have spent years with us will carry over the mantle. UOU AND OBA Vare credible candidate Nsima is not also left out. so mr who u think u r please start thinking of how u will sell all properties that u have bcos this government that is coming will not favour u and if u decamp at the die moment u will b treated as a scape goat
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