Date Published: 06/08/09

From: Chief Pius Umukoro, Effurum Road, Warri, Delta State.

To: The Editor

Sir,

Attah (father) versus Akpabio (son): Time to reflect

One had thought that the trouble that brewed between Attah and Akpabio had abated when Akpabio who served in Attah’s cabinet for about six years, assumed power and exclaimed that he inherited N45billion debt to which Attah responded saying that the debt Akpabio mentioned was relative. At the end Akpabio agreed that he was misquoted, pointing out that the debt included amounts of jobs done but not yet paid for. Government is a continuum and I believe that Akpabio is doing just that. But he confronted with problem of prioritizing and this is exactly what Attah’s recent letter to him was all about.

It is believed that Attah decided to allow the letter get to the media because this may not be the first time he had written Akpabio quietly but may have been ignored.  If Attah did not start the talk, who would? One, he is an elder in Akwa Ibom; two, he was the immediate past governor; three, he is a founding member of the party (in power) that has been constantly subjected to public criticism. Do not mind what is going on the matter in the media, Akpabio is believed has meticulously picked the important attributes of Attah’s letter and would use them to advantage, after all, I read him in the media recently, saying that he likes constructive criticisms because they help him correct likely mistakes.