I am not a cultist, says Gov Akpabio

Uyo – Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State has denied being a member of any cult group, declaring that God is the source of his strength in life.

Akpabio made the declaration in Uyo , Wednesday,  while praying for the peace and development of the state at the 2013 Akwa Ibom Solemn Assembly. He said that he had always made God the anchor of his life and that of his administration. The governor said that since 2007, when he became the governor, the slogan had always been `let God’s will be done in the state’’.

He said that his administration had not only imbibed the love of God, it had also ruled the state with love. “No one has the right to look down on another, my prayer is that Akwa Ibom people would feel for one another and love themselves.”

Akpabio said that the “uncommon’ transformation being witnessed in the state during the past six years had come into existence because of his belief in God. He prayed against any form of hatred, tribalism or ethnicity in the state, adding that the free and compulsory education in primary and secondary schools was for all Nigerians residing in the state. The governor, who expressed the hope that Akwa Ibom would fare better in 2013, thanked the security agencies for maintaining peace and order in the state. He also thanked religious leaders for praying for the state.

Gov Akpabio

In his vote of thanks at the occasion, the Secretary to State Government, Mr Umana Okon Umana, pointed out that exalting and thanking God had become a way of life in the state. He said that the state had become better because the administration of Akpabio placed high premium on praising God.

Umana lauded the governor for bringing development to all parts of the state and spreading appointments to all section of the state.

During the Solemn Assembly,  prayers were offered for the state and Nigeria. The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Most Rev. Mathew Kukah, delivered the sermon on the theme “The Lord is our strength.’’