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Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has queried over 200 aides for being absent at the governor’s appointment without permission.
In the query dated 25 February, the Secretary to the State Government, Enobong Uwah, said the affected aides were absent at the commissioning of the Model Health Centres at Udung Uko and Ika Local Government Areas on 21 February.
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Mr Uwah said the action amounts to “insubordination and disloyalty” to the government that appointed them.
“It is on this note that you’re directed to explain within 48 hours of the receipt of this query why disciplinary action should not be taken against you for such an act of disobedience,” Mr Uwah said in a letter seen by this newspaper.
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The query added that failure to respond within the stipulated time would be considered that “you have no response and appropriate sanction will be taken against you.”
Mandatory attendance
Mr Eno has appointed a legion of aides, including 368 drawn from all the wards in the state, the largest ever in the history of the state.
Additionally, Mr Eno had also appointed 50 media aides and a litany of others categorised as Senior Special Assistants (SSA), Special Assistants (SA) and Personal Assistants (PA).
The Akwa Ibom State Government, in a statement dated 4 September 2024 and signed by Mr Uwah, frowned at the absence of political appointees at the governor’s appointments, an action he said was not appropriate for the team spirit of the governor’s development blueprint: Arise Agenda.
The statement said it was “mandatory” for all commissioners and special advisers, economic and political advisers, chairpersons and members of boards and commissions, honorary special advisers, SSAs, SAs, PAs, and political appointees to attend governor’s appointments and official functions.
“The governor’s directive said that political appointees are expected to show their unalloyed support to Governor Eno by attending all the governor’s appointments and official functions.
“Strict compliance to this notice is expected from everyone concerned,” Mr Uwah said last year.
Fear of suspension
Some aides confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES, on Friday, the receipt of the query.
Several of them, who preferred to be anonymous, wondered how they would attend state functions when the state government does not provide transportation allowance or mobility for such exercise.
“They expect us to use our salaries for transportation to governor’s appointments.
“The governor has refused to release funds to SA in charge of grassroots mobilisation for them to mobilise people to government events, as was always done in the times of (former governors) Senator Godswill Akpabio and Mr Udom Emmanuel, so he wants the aides to take the place of the cheerleaders by standing under the sun alongside the purple, lemon, orange and golden girls.
“They are planning a six-month suspension without salary. This is the result of what we voted for,” the aide lamented.
Another aide confirmed the query to PREMIUM TIMES but said he was exempted because he attended the event.
“What we do is that some of us (say four of us) pull money together to fuel a car to attend governor’s appointments.”
The aide told our reporter that the state government does not give transport allowances to some categories of aides.
Another aide to Governor Eno told our reporter he is in the category of aides who should receive a transportation allowance but has not received the benefit since his appointment.
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Yet another aide told this newspaper that only their “pay slip” can tell if they have been receiving other benefits, but he emphasised that such benefits are at the governor’s discretion.
A personal assistant to Mr Eno in one of the political wards in the state told our reporter he has not received a query because it is only mandatory for those of them at the ward level to attend governor’s appointments held in their respective wards.
All the aides who spoke with our reporter preferred to remain anonymous because Mr Eno has barred political appointees from addressing the media and issuing press statements, except the SSG, the information commissioner, and the governor’s spokesperson.
The Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah did not respond to calls and a text message seeking his comments on Friday.
