“THE TRUTH MUST REMAIN IRREPRESSIBLE”, BEING THE PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED BY COMRADE INI EMEMOBONG, THE SPECIAL ASSISTANT (POLITICAL) TO THE GOVERNOR OF AKWA IBOM STATE IN REACTION TO THE ALLEGATIONS OF USING CAPACITY BUILDING TRAININGS FOR CULT INITIATIONS
As a responsible government, the administration of Mr Udom Gabiel Emmanuel has exhibited great restraint in responding to the very well oiled smear campaign machinery of the opposition All Progressive Congress in the state.
They have engaged in a ceaseless string of mudslinging, tar painting and outright treasonable pronouncements, but we have maintained a decorous and very respectful information dissemination structure, knowing that we must never allow any person or group of persons to drag government to the gutters of foul language combat. Government is an institution of respect and will continue to remain same.
My attention has been drawn to a statement credited to a former Member of the Nigerian Senate and now Presidential Aide, Senator Ita Solomon James Enang alleging that the current administration is using the various training programmes to initiate youths into cultism. I find this assertion very amusing and very infantile, moreso coming from a man of Enang’s standing, whom ordinarily people expect him to know more. Well by that statement, he has reminded us that perception and reality are usually poles apart.
For the records, may I most respectfully state here and now, that this administration believes strongly in human capital development, aligning in totality with the postulation of Franklin Roosevelt that “we cannot always build the future for our youth, but can build our youth for the future”. There is no gain saying that we are very concerned about the alarming rate of youth unemployment which stares everyone in the face.
It is also common knowledge that some special skills are requisite in today’s market place, which are not readily available within our tertiary curriculum, hence the need for post graduation skills acquisition. The various trainings undertaken by the current administration have been in critical sectors of the economy to retool our youth for easy access to employment opportunities or prepare them for entrepreneurship.
The first training was Oracle training which had 212 Akwa Ibom indigenes prepared for certification by this global IT company. This training has continued to draw commendations from well meaning members of the society and IT experts.
The government also undertook a digital job creation, which was done in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications and the Rockefeller Foundation-1,000 Akwa Ibom youths were trained on how to discover the many job opportunities which litter the internet platform, rather than waste their data bundle assessing the numerous vices, also prevalent there.
The power sector training occurred in close succession-under this training, the state government has sponsored 200 youths with certification in Electrical/Electronics Engineering and allied subjects, for a training which is to last for a whole year. Unparalleled in the history of that training, the state government airlifted all the participants to and from Abuja for the two weeks orientation.
They are to report back for their station posting on February 1, 2016. This training is to prepare our young people to take advantage of the emerging opportunities in the power sector of our country. Deserving special mention is the youth pilgrimage to Israel, where 100 youths from the 31 Local Government areas were airlifted to Israel to learn Agricbiz and entrepreneurship.
The 100 participants at that training are to be engaged in the coconut refinery which will soon birth in the state. For further information, may I respectfully intimate the Presidential Aide, that the State Government plans to train 329 indigenes of the state in Photography and Film making Technology- this is a strategy to take a plunge into the multi billion naira nollywood industry, for the over all interest of our people.
In all of these, I find it difficult to see the cult groups where these youths were initiated into. Except of course the senator may have meant the definition of cult as postulated by the New International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary(Encyclopedic edition) “Extravagant devotion to a person, cause or thing”.
Yes by this definition we are inducting people into an extraordinary devotion to the attainment of the Akwa Ibom Project, which is egalitarian, not selfish, populist not selective. We are preparing our youths to become people of integrity, not given to doublespeak; people who can hold an opinion of truth not that of circumstance; people who would not in any circumstance, having failed in the quest for a higher office turn around to snatch a lower office, from a deserving winner; people who will gladly serve their time in public office and make room for others; yes we are preparing our youth for a society where nepotism, ethnicity and pecuniary motivations will not take the front row.
It was with the above at heart, that the current administration under the divinely anointed leadership of Mr. Udom Emmanuel introduced the DAKKADA campaign, charging Akwa Ibom people to rise to greatness.
In conclusion, I appeal to the former national Legislator to make sufficient enquiries where he is unsure of the facts, rather than rush to town with falsehood. I refer him to Psalms 1:1 trusting that being a Christian, he will heed the advice contained therein. I have been slightly concerned that Senator Enang seems to be more vocal on Akwa Ibom isues than addressing matters concerning his schedule in Abuja, or maybe he may prefer to be redeployed as Presidential Aide on Akwa Ibom Matters- The Choice is clearly his.
I have taken space and time to provide these details with a conscious desire to lay the truth on the public’s pathway, trusting that discerning minds will use this light to chase the thick fog of darkness introduced by the opposition, in our collective march to self rediscovery. Akwa Ibom yak idakka ida ye Akpan Iko.
Thank you.
Comrade Ini Ememobong
Special Assistant to AKS Governor on Political Matters
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