• Advises Protesters
• Thumbs Up Ukpong-Udo for Impactful Representation
• Assures Engr. Otobong Essien Will Emerge Ikono Chairman
The lawmaker who represented Ikono in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly from 2011 to 2019, Rt. Hon. Victor Charles Udofia, has commended Governor Umo Eno for his numerous efforts and sacrifices in sustaining peace in the state.
Speaking on TheHILL TV on Thursday, Udofia expressed his views on various pressing state and national issues, including the ongoing ‘End Bad Governance’ protest, the former lawmaker voiced his concerns about the timing of the protest, stressing that it was not the right time for such actions as the Country was just coming out of a total shutdown of economy.
He highlighted several achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration within its first year, including the increase in minimum wage, grants for students, entrepreneurs and households amongst others.
While stressing that the nation was just recovering from a significant economic shutdown due to the strike by the NLC and TUC, the Ikono-born politician maintained that peaceful protests in Nigeria often turn violent. Udofia observed that, although Nigerians have the constitutional right to protest for better lives, he warned against protests that could be hijacked by miscreants. He urged the organizers to seek dialogue with the country’s President, their state governors, and senators instead.
On the performance of Governor Umo Eno, the Managing Director, Innovic Integrated Services, specifically commended the State Chief Executive for fostering peace and unity across political lines in Akwa Ibom.
He described Governor Eno as a genuine man of God whose interest in service to all is evident in the life-touching projects and programmes of his ARISE agenda across all 31 LGAs.
Udofia said the governor has made history in many ways, including a recent act where he attended through a representative, and supported the empowerment programme of an opposition House of Representatives member in the Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo.
He described the Governor’s action as unprecedented political maturity and called Eno the “father of modern Akwa Ibom” and a true democrat. Udofia emphasized that the Governor’s people-centric leadership was unprecedented and urged everyone to be patient and support his ARISE agenda.
The heavyweight politician used the occasion to also praise Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) for his effective and impactful representation of the Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency. The Ikono former Assemblyman noted that Ukpong-Udo has positively touched almost all lives in the two LGAs of the Federal Constituency. He challenged other elected and appointed government officials to remember that they were people’s representatives and need to share resources with their constituents. By doing so, Udofia noted, they would promote government efforts and reduce the burden on the governor and prevent misconceptions about the governor’s performance.
On the forthcoming local government elections, Udofia hailed Engr. Otobong Okon Essien, the consensus chairmanship aspirant for Ikono. He dismissed concerns about her gender, saying that Essien’s qualifications, track record of achievements, and previous success as a councillor make her the best candidate for the race. Victor maintained that with the right support from stakeholders, elders, youth, and women of Ikono, Engr. Essien would perform exceptionally well and take the area to enviable heights of development.
The Ibiaku Ntok Okpo-born politician expressed his gratitude to Governor Eno for his massive investments in road infrastructure, education, health, care for retirees and civil servants, and other areas across Akwa Ibom. He called on everyone to support the governor and his plans for the state.
