By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo
More than 200 electricity transformers procured and distributed to communities by the immediate past administration in Akwa Ibom has been vandalized, Governor Umo Eno has said.
He has also warned stakeholders and community leaders from across the three senatorial districts of the state that government would no longer invest resources to protect government assets if vandalized.
Eno who stated this weekend while addressing worshipers at the April edition of Government House Monthly Prayer Meeting in Uyo said replacing vandalized facilities to some communities while others were yet to have one, would no longer be tolerated.
The Governor expressed disappointment over the vandalization of the transformers however urged local communities to set up community vigilantes to protect government assets in their localities.
“People live in these communities, so when government brings transformer to your community and you cannot watch it or set up a system to protect it, and they are vandalized and you come again, understand that we have many communities in this state, and would not replace newly-installed transformers if the people there don’t know the value of transformers.
“You need to form a neighborhood watch or vigilante to protect those transformers and other government assets around you. These facilities belong to all of us, so be interested in them.” He said.
He decried attempts by some people to hijack and thwart government’s effort at reaching out to the elderly citizens through the ARISE Elders Initiative, saying that it was not meant for only PDP members and not for an individual stakeholder to select all beneficiaries.
According to Eno,”every month, each local government gives us at least fifteen elderly people so that we can help them with their medications. A lot of these people die because medical attention don’t get to them.
“We give them fifty thousand naira each a month. It is our ARISE initiative for the elderly, but we have recieved complaints that people have highjacked the process.
“Please, allow the process to run. One person cannot bring fifteen people. What is wrong with a local government chairman going to the paramount ruler, sit with him and make the selection? It is not supposed to be a PDP thing. government programmes are not meant for PDP members alone, It is meant for everybody. It should benefit everyone.” Eno explained.
He said he is not bordered by criticism over his inability to execute legacy projects maintaining that his rural development initiatives remained his legacy projects.
“A lot of people are asking us, what is your legacy project? For me, our legacy project is rural development. Everybody has his own style. The current reality demands that we do soft infrastructure, I call them soft infrastructures because you can do those hard ones and before people will use them, they are dead.
“That is not to say that we won’t do what we wanted to do. As we step into the second year, we are stepping up on what we wanted to do in line with our ARISE Agenda,” he added.
The State Chief Executive also advised the citizenry to take their security seriously, adding that recent happenings have shown that from everyone kidnapped in the State, 20 percent is by chance and 80 percent is information from people around the victim.
Earlier, on his message on the theme, “Deliverance from Wicked and Unreasonable Men,” the Senior Pastor, Precious Faith International
Rev. Emmanuel Iniama, said such men are everywhere adding that only through prayers, discernment, fasting and training can one be delivered from them.
