Date Published: 06/08/09

Dear Editor,

Governor Akpabio is performing

Every new governor would normally want to leave positive footprints during tenure. I believe that Akpabio has recorded some of such. I also belong to the school of thought that does not care about costs at which projects are executed, provided they are achieved physical.  I quarrel with those governors who do not have anything to show for the period they are in power but declare their ‘achievements’ on the pages of newspapers.

The areas I seem not to agree with Akpabio are in prioritization of projects and in some of his pronouncements; some of which may tend to rubbish his positive achievements. For instance, few weeks ago a statement from the Government House Uyo and published in the media quoted that the Ibom Le’Meridian Hotel and Golf Resort was being handed over to a new management, Starwood Group; this no big deal to warrant government making special press statement about. This gave rise to one Engineer Etim George countering the government statement in an article published in Daily Sun (20/4/09) that the Akwa Ibom government was deceitful in their information. The article revealed that Starwood had been managing the Ibom Hotel from inception. 

Now, again, Governor Akpabio in his recent interview with The Nation (15/5/09) newspaper claimed that he donated 17 Dialysis equipments to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. I was at a time associated with that institution and was aware that the Dialysis building there can only accommodate 6 of such equipments; it physically received 4 of such (equipments) from the previous administration. That administration also gave total fund to UUTH management for all uncompleted works relating to it – building and equipment. Then I ask to know, if there were (eventual) 17 further noted by Akpabio as the interview revealed; where could those have been installed? He should check his facts; it could be that his Commissioner for Health has given him wrong information.

Dr. Dickson Ephraim

University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital

Enugu.