Sunday 19 October 2014

2015: ‘Fear, tension pervade Akwa Ibom’ – Nduese Essien

Nduese Essien

As the political space becomes tensed in Akwa Ibom State ahead of the 2015 polls, Nduese Essien, a two- term member of the House of Representative and former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, has said he will not seek election into the office of governor, insisting the present political environment in the state is not very safe.
Essien, who spoke at a reception organised for him by the Eket Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom State and the South-South People’s Assembly, said the elections he won twice in 1999 and 2003 when Obong Victor Attah was the governor was because the political space was very safe at the time.

The former minister while lauding the role played by former Governor Attah and current Governor Godswill Akpabio in his life, recalled that he did not only win elections into the National Assembly during Attah’s tenure, the governor also gave his support during the struggle for the 13 percent oil derivation in the National Assembly which the state and other oil-producing states in the country are enjoying today. While appraising the current situation faced by local governments in the country, Essien said the local councils have been incapacitated because of lack of direct access to their federally allocated revenues. This, he said, has greatly hampered the discharge of their responsibilities towards the grassroots, thus defeating the aim of establishing them as a tier of government.
He, therefore, called on the National and State Houses of Assemblies to urgently pass a legislation that will ensure the autonomy of the third tier of government. On the numerous aspirants angling to succeed Akpabio, he urged caution.

Culled from The Nation newspaper

 

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