Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
…mandates village heads to organize solemn Assembly
… Uyo Economic and Political Summit kick-starts Thursday
By John Ernest
Nigeria is a country that operates a three tiers of government Namely: the Federal, State and Local Governments. A local government is a form of public administration which in a majority of contexts, exists as the lowest tier of administration within a given state. While a local government area is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for and is administered by a Local Government Council consisting of a chairman who is the Chief Executive of the local government area and other elected members who are referred to as Councilors.
Uyo is a city in south-eastern Nigeria and is the capital of Akwa Ibom State. Uyo is one of the local government in Akwa Ibom state of Nigeria. The town became the capital of the state on September 23, 1987 following the creation of Akwa Ibom State from erstwhile Cross River State. The University of Uyo resides in this town. The population of Uyo, according to the 2006 Nigerian Census which comprises Uyo and Itu, is 427,873 while the urban area, including Uruan, is 554,906. Uyo Local Government Council has witnessed several council bosses coming and going but only few of them have been able to go home celebrated. Recently in the state, the Executive Governor of the State, Deacon Udom Gabriel Emmanuel sworn-in the newly executive chairmen in the 31 Local Government Areas of the State.
In less than a month, the Executive Chairman of Uyo Local Government, Hon. Elder Imoh Okon seems as if he has gotten it all by deciding to dedicate or hand over the whole local government to God just like the holy book says in 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (KJV). Elder Okon having this understanding started his campaign with prayers and God saw him through. In order to establish righteousness on the land, the Council Boss mandated all villages in Uyo local government area to organize a solemn assembly with a view to freeing their communities from any yoke or bondage that must have hindered the progress of the local government area. The only guarantee for transformation, speed and success is God.
Seeing what he has been able to do in the council since his assumption of office seems that he is asking God to take the lead of his administration. So far the Chairman has heightened security within and outside the Council Secretariat, it could be recalled that before he came into office, the Secretariat had suffered incessant robbery attacks due to lack of internal security mechanisms. Within his 30 days in office as Council helmsman, he had convened an emergency security meeting, where he reviewed all security situations within the Secretariat as some of the inefficient security personnel have been replaced with vibrant ones, to meet up with security challenges within the council Secretariat. This he did by meeting with the Police and other security agencies to partner with the council’s internal security to bar hoodlums from further breaking into the council premises.
On other gains of his thirty days in office, the Council Boss has fixed all conveniences within the Council Secretariat as those facilities were not functional prior to his emergence as Chairman. He also cited the provision of desktop computers within the Secretariat and grading of some roads in the area as other strides he has recorded within the period under review, he also motivated Council staff for greater productivity. It is also on record that within his 30 days, he organised a Family Get-together for all Council staff, hosted them, their children and grandchildren. Other achievements he recorded include the recent burial of the Paramount Ruler of Uyo, Surveyor Edem Silas Akpan, signing and release of Certificates of Origin, stocktaking of public offices, as the first Uyo Economic and Political Summit which is slated for Thursday January 18, 2018.
