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….. I’m Not Aware of My Suspension for Corruption – Attah
By our Reporter
The people of Akwa Ibom State have hailed the governor of the State, Deacon Udom Gabriel Emmanuel for his rugged stance in fighting corruption in the state especially among political appointees.
The people who reacted to the recent suspension of the former chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Dr. Val Attah on account of corruption said the era where political appointees act as gods were gone.
Speaking to Century Newsfront, a director in the mainstream civil service in the state who simply gave his name as Mr. Akpan observed that there is absolute fear in the civil service now than ever considering the way civil and public servants carry out their duties. According to him, “I am over twenty two years in the system, there was a time when senior civil servants in this state especially from a particular ethic group saw themselves as gods, and did what they liked, stole money as they liked, transferrd people as they liked, when governor Udom came on board, there has been absolute retrieval of steps by those criminals in the civil service”.
Another respondent, an accountant in the state civil service, Mr. Effiong, stated that the suspension of Val Attah for illegally enriching himself through illegal employment and promotion in the Local Government Service Commission was a right step taken by the government to serve as deterrent to other appointees.
According to him, “Val Attah was one of those who held this state to ransom, his activities in the ministry of health in the state affected the health sector very badly, because he was political elder therefore, nobody could say anything and he cannot say openly that he did not contribute to the wanton distribution during Akpabio’s administration, “some people are born criminals, how can you contemplate of collecting two hundred to three hundred thousand naira from an applicant, where do you think , he would get the money from, what about poor applicants who do not have anything to sell to raise such money, these aged criminals subjects our helpless female applicants to sex tool, they are heartless, let Val Attah come out and tell Akwa Ibom people what he did in health sector and how he handled Local Government Service Commission before his suspension!
Miss Aniedi Umoh, an applicant did not hold back her experience in the hands of political appointees for sake of employment, “you go to them helpless to look for favour in the area of employment, they would organize interview for you and promise you the job, but on consideration that they must sleep with you, after sleeping with you, they would continue to sleep with you telling you that your appointment letter is ready and is awaiting signing, what pains me most is that these gamblers are our grand fathers. I am a victim to many of them; I no go lie you because I needed job to maintain my younger siblings and my mother”.
It would be recalled that Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel recently suspended Dr. Val Attah as Chairman, Local Government Service Commission in the state on account of corruption bothering on bribery, illegal employment and promotion. Though it is reported in some quarters that the suspended Chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Dr. Val Attah is quoted to have replied that he was not aware of his suspension for corruption, which many describe baseless and play to save his already tarnished image having been suspended and sacked by a letter written and issued him by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem.
