Akwa Ibom govt deletes video of Eno’s 'insult' against critics

The Akwa Ibom State Government has deleted a controversial live-streamed video in which Governor Umo Eno launched a verbal attack on his critics and made claims about the state’s finances that have since been found to be misleading.

The video, originally streamed live on 1 March on the official Facebook page of the Akwa Ibom State Government, captured the governor making a series of remarks at a prayer meeting that triggered public debate and intense media scrutiny.

In the footage, Mr Eno dismissed criticisms directed at his administration and questioned why some individuals expected him to personally respond to phone calls.

“There are many ways to reach the governor,” he said during the event. “Stop saying the governor does not pick phone. Am I your receptionist? That is even an insult to say the governor does not answer calls. Who are you? Who is even talking?”

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Although Mr Eno did not mention any name, the instances cited in his remarks pointed to a former senator, John Akpanudoedehe’s recent public statement regarding the 76 oil wells.

Mr Akpanudoede later described the governor’s remarks as an “insult”.

Taking a swipe at his critics, the governor described them as people who had little to show for their time in public office.

“When people discuss all these things, it does not have meaning. Empty barrels, they make noise,” he said. “Check their lives from beginning to the end, nothing to show — noise.

“All of them making noise, they were one time or the other in government. Ask them, what exactly did you bring back home? Those that brought things back home are not talking. They are helping.” After public backlash, the state government later said Mr Eno’s remarks were only jokes.

Beyond the attacks on critics, the governor also claimed in the video that Akwa Ibom State had not received its constitutionally mandated 13 per cent derivation allocation since September 2025.

However, an investigation by PREMIUM TIMES found that the claim was inaccurate; official records of federal government payments show the state has continued to receive the funds.

Checks by PREMIUM TIMES show that while the 1 March live-streaming video has been removed from the government’s Facebook page, other videos published after the event remain available.

Among those still accessible are recordings of the state government’s monthly press briefing and coverage of a tour tagged by the state government as “Women’s Sensitisation Tour on Civic Responsibilities” held in Eastern Obolo and Ikot Abasi local government areas.

Pattern of deletions

This is not the first time content featuring controversial remarks by the governor has disappeared from official or affiliated platforms.

In November 2025, during a church service at Mr Eno’s church, All Nations Christian Ministry International, Eket, Mr Eno made comments that included governance threats, confessions and remarks suggesting contracts in his administration were sometimes awarded arbitrarily.

After PREMIUM TIMES shared the controversial excerpts with an aide to the governor for reaction, the video containing the remarks was subsequently deleted from the church’s Facebook page.

Questions for the government

In a media enquiry sent to the Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, PREMIUM TIMES sought clarification on the deletion of the latest video from the government’s official platform.

The newspaper asked whether the state government could confirm that the video was deliberately removed and who authorised it.

It also asked what factors informed the action, including whether the deletion was based on technical considerations, editorial judgement, legal advice or reputational concerns.

The enquiry further questioned whether the government considers official live broadcasts to be public records and how removing such material aligns with principles of transparency and archival preservation.

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Other questions included whether the governor approved the removal, whether the government had conducted an internal review of the remarks that sparked the controversy, and whether it intends to restore the full video in the interest of transparency.

The newspaper also asked the government to clarify what assurances citizens could be given that official communications would not be selectively altered or removed when they become controversial.

As of the time of filing this report, Mr Umanah had not responded to calls or text messages seeking comment.