…presents cars to Permanent Secretaries

…To begin on a new slate

It has long been expected given that Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State inherited all members of his cabinet from his predecessor, the then Governor Udom Emmanuel.

It was quite unusual, not a single commissioner who had served in the state executive council was dropped when Governor Umo Eno appointed his commissioners and special advisers after taking his oath of office in May 2023.

As time went on, the reasons for the unusual act became public knowledge. One of the reasons was that given the “turbulence” of the governorship election in 2023 in the state in which all the commissioners stood by him, Eno needed a stabilising platform to take off his governorship tenure and the continuity of the state executive council was one of the options. So, he allowed all of them to stay put in their different ministries. For instance, if you were a commissioner for works under former governor Udom Emmanuel, you returned to the same ministry under Eno’s administration.

It was also a way of compensating them for the support, and compensating them meant they needed to receive a “worthwhile handshake” from the governor who became known as the “golden boy” and that was said to have been done during the new year festivities. So, the stage was set for the commissioners to go. All the permanent secretaries in the state civil service have been presented with brand new cars by the governor after the dissolution of the state executive council. This is a clear indication the commissioners who were the political heads of the ministries had received favourable compensation from the governor.

It was not without much pressure from the public. Many had wondered why the governor would keep all his commissioners and special advisers appointed by his predecessor, but the governor appeared not to be bothered by the criticisms. He went about “doing good” and even commended some of the commissioners for their contributions to the success recorded by his administration. For instance, during the just concluded 32 days of ‘Christmas 2.0 Unplugged’, the governor commended Charles Udoh, the commissioner for Culture and Tourism for his hard work and commitment towards the success of the event.

So, the day of reckoning finally came on January 10, 2025, less than four months to the second anniversary of his administration when a valedictory executive council was held and was followed by the formal dissolution of the state executive council. During the meeting, Eno, said the commissioners were not sacked or dropped because of non-performance but like a football match, the coach has the right to bring in players he thinks will help him improve the game.

“For me, if you were to be changed based on non-performance, I think none of the commissioners would go. All of you have delivered and that is why the Arise Agenda has succeeded. But we must come to the end of a season, start another season and keep moving,’’ Eno said during the valedictory executive council meeting

In a press release that followed soon after the meeting, Enobong Uwah, Secretary to the State Government, announced that Eno has approved the dissolution of the state executive council with effect from 20th January, 2025.

The release read in part, “Consequently, all Hon. Commissioners and Special Advisers are hereby directed to hand over to their Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior Director where there is no Permanent Secretary.

“The Governor expresses his sincere appreciation to the outgoing Executive Council members for their dedicated service to the state. He wished them well in their future endeavours and thanked them for their contributions to the development of Akwa Ibom State,’’ the statement added.

It was the end of an unusual era in which a commissioner had spent more than ten years as a member of the state executive council. The governor had earlier criticised them for claiming “there was nothing beneficial in government yet they were not ready and willing to voluntarily resign from office”, saying it was like a nagging housewife complaining about his marriage yet has given birth to seven children.

At dinner hosted by the state government, it was a sober moment as the governor talked tough, saying he has switched off his phone lines to ward off pressure from any quarter, adding that it is the duty of the governor only to appoint the commissioners.

“To appoint people into the Executive Council of government is the sole prerogative of the governor, they are his first eleven and he will take responsibility for bringing them on board and their loyalty will be to him and to him alone,’’ he said.

But speaking on behalf of the outgoing commissioners, Ini Emembong, who was in charge of the Ministry of Information, described the changes as a metamorphosis, saying the governor has been humble and never disrespectful to authority during his days as a member of the state executive council. He said the governor joined the exco in January 2021. Always waited to be recognised before speaking.

He lauded the governor for honour and commitment and expressed delight for the beautiful time they had together. He said the meeting speaks to honour and character and the fact that he did it voluntarily.

“As we gather this evening, you have brought us together, an evening that almost moved us to tears, it is a bend and not an end to everyone.”

It is not clear whether some of the commissioners would be reappointed or whether Eno would begin a new chapter of his administration on a clean slate but what appears to be certain is that whether it is a “bend or an end,” the day has finally arrived and the people are looking forward to seeing new faces as the governor sends the list of commissioners-designate to the state House of Assembly in a matter of days.