By Egufe Yafugborhi & Chioma Onuegbu

GOVERNOR Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom state has charged 368 newly appointed Personal Assistants (PA), one for every ward in the state, to reside and operate in their respective domain or lose the opportunity.

Eno at the inauguration of the PAs yesterday in Uyo, explained that they were being appointed to assist his administration in monitoring and reporting situations at the grassroots.

He admonished the appointees, “Follow my footsteps of respect to everyone. Try to unite the people in your wards. Now that you have been appointed, you are the Personal Assistants to the Governor. Your loyalty is just to the Governor.

“This will enhance planning and implementation of the present administration’s rural development programmes as spelt out in the A.R.I.S.E. Agenda and to concentrate power in the grassroots in line with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) mantra of ‘power to the people”.

“We had promised to return Power to the people in line with our party mantra, and power to the people really mean power to the people at the grassroot. That’s what we are trying to do.

“We insisted that everyone that has been picked will live within their wards. Any time we find out you are not living in your ward, we will not hesitate to remove you. We want people that will give us reports in their various wards.

“If you take this appointment and we find out that you are in Uyo and not living within your own ward, note that same way we appointed you today, we will disappoint you because the hands that has appointed can also disappoint.”

The governor announced creation of a two-step liaison structure to interface the 368 PAs and his office by appointing four Political Advisers from the three Senatorial districts to ensure ease of coordination and orderliness in the structure of communication and work delivery.

He clarified that the appointment of Prince Godwin Ntukudeh, Sir Udo Kierian Akpan, Bishop Sam Akpan, and Henry Archibong has no interference with duties of the Bureau of Political and Legislative Affairs.

Governor Eno cautioned the new political appointees against abuse of office and display of dishonest tendencies inimical to the unity of the party and the society at large, urging them to be peacemaking, humble and accommodating of all interests.

To party stalwarts yet to benefit, he appealed, “Let’s not make too much noise about it. We are moving steadily. I am aware that the Ministry of Internal Security and Water Ways is recruiting Neighborhood Watchers. All of these things are ways of ensuring we bring peace to our villages.”