The Empire

  By Edet Okpo The Deputy Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly,Rt. Hon. Princess Felicia  Bassey has scored Governor Udom Emmanuel high on transparent and  prudent management of the State's commonwealth. Princess Bassey made the commendation at a public Hearing on a Bill for a Law to establish Akwa Ibom State Audit Service Commission, offices of the Auditor General for Akwa Ibom State and Auditor General for Local Governments and other matters connected therewith, held at the Assembly Complex,recently. The  frontline woman lawmaker who declared the event open on behalf of the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly,Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, hinted that it was good and assuring to see the governor bring his globally acknowledged expertise in funds management, personal integrity, and strict adherence to fiscal documents in the  administration of the State. This, the Deputy Speaker said was evident in the governor's ability to keep the State afloat what would have

  By  Edet Okpo & Substance Nature Over I50 widows in Akwa Ibom State returned home smiling with various gift items and stronger resolve to face the challenges of widowhood as the Akwa Ibom State Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, marked the 2021 International Widows’ Day, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. The event which had widows from the 31 local government areas of the State was held at the Women Development Centre, IBB Way, Uyo. The widows said it was a day like no other as the celebration came with special programme content and special effects. This year’s celebration had the theme, “Invisible Women, Invisible Problems”.  According to the Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr. Ini Adiakpan,, the day came with a strong reminder and reawakening of the world to the multifarious plights faced on daily basis by the over 258 million widows in the world, in their determination to live beyond the misfortune of their husbands’ death.  Dr. Adi

  By David David Tuesday, June 15,2021 will remain a sad day for local government staff working at Okobo Local Government Secretariat as the Council chairman, Dr. Sylvester Attah, before the entire guests, political stakeholders and Staff of the local government area, described them as bunkums. CREST can authoritatively report. The incident happened during the swearing-in of Supervisors and Special Advisers at the local government secretariat, Okopedi. The chairman, who kept both the nominees and their guests waiting from 1 pm to 4 pm before the swearing-in, bombed into the hall with neither Bible or oath of office. CREST correspondent who witnessed the ensuing scenario reported that the visibly angry chairman immediately picked up the mike and described the local government staff as bunkums for failing to make available those items for swearing-in. CREST observed it was after the chairman’s badmouth on  the workers that one of the council staff rushed outside and brought Bible while t

  By Edet Okpo As we undertake an overview of the stewardship of the Deputy Speaker and Member representing Okobo State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Princess Felicia Bassey , what cannot be forgotten in retrospect was the promise she made to her constituents in her inaugural speeches during  her first and second term.  Quoting her verbatim on those instances, the celebrated lawmaker had stated: “This opportunity given me to serve my people is not mine. I could not have come this far if not for the Grace of God and the love and solidarity shown me by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the generality of Okobo people – men, youth and women – who without reservations cast their votes that gave me this mandate. Therefore, I wish to assure you in utmost humility and integrity that I have come to serve and you shall have no  reason to regret  your decision to support me.”    Two years into her second term in the 7th Assembly of the Akwa Ibom State House

  By Edet Okpo Except one habitually takes delights in sounding funny or feigning blindness even when he clearly could see as it is characteristic of cynics and hired critics, six years into the distinguished and impactful administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom people have superfluous reasons to  identify the more with the Governor and celebrate with him for how far he has brought the State and the resultant impact good governance has had on the people.   The evidence is confoundingly overwhelming  and increasingly manifesting more potentials. It is such that, across all critical areas of assessment of what globally makes a functional leadership, Governor Udom Emmanuel deserves all the accolades and encomiums that have been poured upon him by evaluators of leadership, home and abroad.  The sweet problem that comes with these accomplishments is the difficulty one is bound to have in any attempt to list or enumerate, item by item, sector by sector, location by location, all