Village council rejects alleged plan to rename road after Akwa Ibom governor

An embarrassing controversy is brewing between the Uyo Village Council and the Transition Chairman of the Uyo Local Government Area, Mfon Ben, over an alleged plan to rename a road in the area after the State Governor, Udom Emmanuel.

The village council, in a letter dated November 27 and addressed to Mr. Ben, said they had a “privileged information” about Mr. Ben’s plan to rename the Uyo Village Road.

The letter was widely publicised in the local media.

The letter, signed by the Uyo Village Head, Aniedi Okon, and co-signed by 18 chiefs representing the different families in the village, reads in parts, “Uyo village indigenes frowns at this development and hereby warn you to desist from this act.

“Note that the Uyo Village Road is the only legacy named after the host community. We, therefore, vow to protect this our identity with all our might,” the village said.

The village said they were, however, not against the naming of a road after the governor, but that their concern was for that particular road which they described as “our pride and identity”.

The chairman of the local government area, Mr. Ben, accused the council of acting based on “false and speculative information”.

Mr. Ben, a lawyer, did not however expressly deny the allegation in a response he sent to the village council.

He also accused the community leaders of “acting a politically motivated script” which he said has put a question mark on the integrity of the chiefs.

“We request that you confirm your information on street-naming from the Council and take steps to correct your publication(s) in the media,” the chairman said.

Charles Udoh, the state Commissioner for Information, told PREMIUM TIMES, Friday, that he was not aware of the controversy. “I’m from Uyo. If there was such a plan to name a road after the governor I would have been in the picture,” he said.