By Chioma Onuegbu, Uyo

Akwa Ibom state government and the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang are at each other’s throats over where the recently approved Federal University of Technology should be located in the state.

Enang had last Sunday during a press briefing in his Uyo residence accused the state governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel of insisting that the institution be sited in his home country,  Onna local government.

He had described the governor’s desire to have the Federal University sited in Onna which already has a Flour Mill, a Syringe Factory, a Plywood Mill, a University Teaching Hospital, and the best road network as ‘improper and imprudent.

His words, “The governor had formally made a request that the Federal University should be sited in Onna. I consider this as improper, imprudent. He is not acting as Governor of Akwa Ibom state. 

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” If everything that comes to Akwa Ibom has to go to Onna, the Governor is acting in a manner that he could be described as Udomcentric, Onnacentric IMM (I, Me and Myself), self-centric.

 “Every person who is in a position of responsibility should know that he is in that position as a trustee of the people and there is a terminal date. When you come out if you don’t face the consequences of your inaction while in office, you will face it after”.

Enang while thanking the President, for choosing Akwa Ibom for the location of the Federal University called on traditional rulers, other leaders of the state, and politicians across the political divide to encourage Emmanuel to support the location of the University in Ikot Abasi local government area instead of Onna.

But in a swift reaction, the commissioner of Information and Strategy, Mr. Ini Ememobong, described Enang as greedy and myopic and recalled that when immediate past governor, Godswill Akpabio took the Federal Polytechnic to Ukana, Enang cried because he had wanted the Polytechnic to be sited in his village Ididep.

” This is the same person who wants everything he attracts for Ididep, not for Ibiono Ibom LGA, not for Uyo Senatorial District. When he is talking about Calabar-Itu road, he is talking of the spur at Iididep, because he is from Ididep. He is suffering from supersonic greed”, Ememobong noted.

Similarly the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Idongesit Etiebet in a statement yesterday entitled, “Federal University of Technology Akwa Ibom: The Undeniable facts”, described Enang’s claims regarding the location of the varsity as mischievous and misleading and urged the public to discountenance his rantings.

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Etiebet in the statement made available to newsmen on Monday explained that the demand and eventual approval of the Federal University was a transaction strictly between the State and federal governments and had no input or contribution of the attention-seeking Enang. 

Her words, “The Ministry of Education has been inundated with enquiries concerning the location of the Federal University of Technology, Akwa Ibom, flowing from the mischievous and misleading claims made by Senator Ita Enang. 

” Ordinarily, his rant does not deserve a response but for the purpose of records, We state as follows: That the demand and eventual approval of the Federal University was a transaction strictly between the State and federal governments.

” This transaction had and still has no input or contribution of the attention-seeking Senator.   The State Government had advised that the Federal University of Technology be sited in Eket Senatorial District.

” The decision by the State Government to site the new federal tertiary institution in Eket Senatorial District was informed by the presence of federal tertiary institutions in Uyo and Ikot Ekpene Senatorial Districts(the University of Uyo and Federal Polytechnic, Ukana). 

” It is on record that Senator Ita Enang has always wanted to drag every possible project to his village in Ididep. Therefore his veiled support for Ikot Abasi is very mischievous and deceptive. 

 “We urge the public to discountenance the rantings of the controversial Senator and to know that the new tertiary institution will be sited at the best location in Eket Senatorial District”.

Vanguard News Nigeria