Permanent Secretary held hostage in A'Ibom for monitoring sanitation exercise

By Dopse Eberefiak

Governor Emmanuel

The last Saturday monthly sanitation exercise in Akwa Ibom state took a different shape as staff of Nsik Motors, operators of Akwa Ibom Transport Company Limited (AKTC), deliberately assaulted the Permanent Secretary from the State Ministry of Environment, Mr. Eshiet Ikpe by holding him and his monitoring team hostage inside AKTC premises along Itam, in Uyo, the state capital, for about 60 minutes for daring to inspect the premises without due notification.

According to our reporter, the Permanent Secretary who is temporary heading the Ministry of Environment sequel to the dissolution of the state executive council by the governor, went to AKTC with the monitoring team to check the level of compliance but was held hostage within the premises by the management staff who queried the audacity of the Permanent Secretary 'intruding' into the premises of AKTC without due notification.

Despite their non compliance as business was seen on-going (loading and offloading of passengers) and dirt found all over the premises, some of the staff had bluntly said the Permanent Secretary had no right to come into the premises for inspection as they claimed he is not even the Commissioner of Environment "they governor had dissolved 'commissioners', stop all this your doing", a staff was quoted.

An indigene who claimed to be a staff but refused his name on print alleged that the incident is not unconnected to the fact that their boss, the Managing Director, Mr. Nsikak Johnny is not happy with the present government as things don't fall anymore in his favour especially now that Governor Udom Emmanuel has dissolved the state executive council and for this reasons, he left instructions that government vehicles especially unmarked ones should not be allowed into and out of the premises without authorization from him.

However, in the heat of chaos and display of impunity by AKTC staff, the Permanent Secretary and his monitoring team were later allowed exit through the intervention of his security protocols.

Consequently, the Permanent Secretary equally visited major markets within Uyo Metropolis which included Udua Kpokpo, Udua Ikot Mbang, Udua Akpan Andem and other strategic areas such as Eka street etc. At Udua Ikot Mbang which they was high level of compliance, the management of the market including the market women had appealed to the state government to assist them complete their 'convenience' which has being abandoned and should equally fixed the market boreholes which are not functional.

However, addressing the press after the sanitation exercise, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Eshiet Ikpe, commended the people of Akwa Ibom State for their level of compliance; said it was satisfactory but added the was room for more improvement.
He advised the people in the state to imbibed the culture of keeping their environment clean even as he enunciated the benefits of having a clean environment.

He assured that government will look into the various challenges associated with the various markets visited especially Udua Ikot Mbang, while appealing to top companies operating in the state to always cooperate with the government in keeping the state clean and to equally assist with buses and other sundry equipments during sanitation exercise to aid make it smooth and successful.
Meanwhile when asked to comment on the incident at the AKTC Terminal, he said that it was not a big deal. "Its not a big deal, that was our first time of going there", he said.