368 PAs: I will sack any of my aides who doesn’t live in his ward – Gov. Eno
Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno has warned that he will not hesitate to sack any of the recently appointed aides of his who does not reside in his/her village/ward.
Eno stated this on Monday at Government House Banquet Hall, Uyo when he inaugurated 368 Personal Assistants to the Governor sourced across each of the 368 political wards recognized by AKISIEC.
“Everyone that has been picked live within their wards and I hope this is the true situation. Let me warn that if at any time we find out that you are not living in your ward, we will not hesitate to remove you because we want people that will give us reports on the ground in their various wards. So, if you take this appointment and we later find out that you are in Uyo, or you are not living within your own ward, please, the same way we have appointed you, we will disappoint you. Because the hand that has appointed can also disappoint.
“We truly want to get people back to our grassroots areas. We sent a bill to the House (of Assembly) concerning the chairmen and the House reminded us that there is an already existing law that compels Chairmen, Vice, Secretary to live in their local government areas. While we may play down (on enforcement) because the tenure of this present crop of leaders at the local government level is wearing out, I can promise by the grace of God as long as I remain governor, by the next election or transition, it will be part of the things you’ll sign that you’ll stay in your local government.
“It is not a punishment, it is just to help develop that area. We want to take development to that area. If you are a chairman, secretary, let’s all stay in our local government areas after all you are appointed for them, you are elected for them. I used to reside in Eket, and after my election, I moved into Uyo, so it’s just natural that you stay with your people to be able to ensure that things go well. If you can’t stay in a place and you don’t have light, you don’t have water, you don’t have roads, stay there because that is why they elected you to make it happen.
“This Uyo, 36 years ago, it was not as glorified as this. It became an headquarter and people moved in. If we all move back into those areas, we can create some sort of towns around there, create security around there. If the chairman runs away from his local government because of insecurity, then the whole local government should vacate because he is the chief security officer of that local government. So, when a general leaves the warfront…once the chairman leaves, everyone should leave because the general has ran away”, the governor said.
He further warned the new aides against divided loyalty, stating that such will not be tolerated in his government. He reiterated the need for all the aides to work for the success of the PDP.
“If you are going to be my PAs, follow my footsteps of respect to everyone and try to unite the people in your wards. Now that you have been appointed, you are personal assistants to the governor not to anybody who put your name in that list. So, your loyalty is just to the governor. I want to make this extremely very clear, if I find out that you are in any involved in any camp or the other, creating problem within the party, I will remove your name immediately and I will announce it on the radio. If someone says ‘I am the one who put your name on the list, you must be loyal to me’, that person must start to pay you salary, he must start calling you his PA.
“Some of you that are here on this list, you didn’t support me. You worked against me. I know some of you but we have allowed it. You know why? A country where you have an eye for an eye, everybody will soon go blind. Let us allow time for certain things to heal. Maybe you didn’t see reasons (to support me) then. Maybe the person you supported was your benefactor; that is not a problem. God’s will has been done. Now that God has brought you, let’s work for the party. You can tell the person that you stood by him, ‘you have seen that things have changed, I need to move on. Bless me let me go.’
“Don’t be in our party and we find you disloyal to this party. It will not work because I am checking and as I get reports, I don’t act, I investigate, once I confirm then I will act but I will show you the evidence. Let there be peace”.