As a Commissioner of Information and
Communication, one expects Aniekan Umanah to do a proper home work on issues
that concerns his image before going out to the public to avoid embarrassing
himself and the reputation of Governor Godswill Akpabio-Led government.
Since managing his image will not
attract financial benefit to him, he could not provide answers to the 14
questions I asked. In his usual hypocritical disposition he would have taken
the matter up if it were to concern the name of the governor whose avenue he
uses to feed fat.
The truth is that Aniekan Umanah has
wound in his conscience on account of his role in the TELL magazine libel saga
and his deceptive manner in fostering the image of the Akwa Ibom State
government. The picture shown in the make-belief press conference of February
5, 2014, is that Aniekan Umanah is hallucinating and on a rigmarole voyage
instead of telling the truth. Perhaps he has lost memory of the memorable words
of Othman Dan Fodio that “conscience is an open wound; only truth can heal it.”
Aniekan Umanah has what it takes to
know that no matter how entertaining and captivating fiction might be, it
cannot be substituted for facts. Facts, after all, are, and will remain sacred
forever.
The only reason Umanah has decided to
wage a war with me from all the response I have read so far is because I
refused to “pay tithe” to him after seeing the governor. I told him privately
in one of our meetings that I would have paid tithe to him if his name was
“Pastor Aniekan Umanah”, until he changes his name, tithe are meant to be paid
to pastors in the pulpit.
So far, Commissioner Umanah is confused
and contradicting himself. He seems to be behaving like a man stricken with
Alzheimer disease that has seriously affected his memory.
In the first place, he accused me of
being used by his political detractors because according to Umanah I “cannot
write that English because he cannot construct what is written there”
(referring to my letter). “I know his thought reasoning. He is a tool who has
decided to append his signature in a script by certain people…sic”. Shame!!!
That Aniekan Umana hires people from
all over the country to manage the image of Chief Akpabio-Led government
because he cannot write gives him the impression that no other person can do
better than him. Let him bring out his credentials placed closed to mine let
the world see who can write or not.
If he is not suffering from Alzheimer
disease, he would have remembered I was the pioneer Editor of the State-owned
first ever insert Magazine: Pioneer Extra/Pioneer Applause for three (3) years,
2008-2010. My countless articles and contributions in major papers in the State
and beyond are testimony of my articulate writing acumen.
Come to think of it, what are his
credentials? Was Aniekan Umanah a journalist before July 8, 2008, when he was
appointed as Commissioner? Working in a media house does not make one a
journalist. After all, there are many departments in a media house of which,
marketing, which he belonged while working in Newswatch Communication Limited
is one. Being a government spokesman does not make one a journalist. Professor
Jerry Gana and Frank Nweke Jr are some of the renowned former Ministers of
Information of the Federal Republic of Nigeria yet they have never claimed to
be journalists and that has not erode their footprints in the sand of time as
far as managing government image in Nigeria is concern. Why is Umanah claiming
to be what he is not? If he is so fascinated about journalism, let him quit the
Akpabio government and seek job as a reporter in any media house of its kind
where his credentials fits. If truth must be told, Umanah, if not for the
benevolence of Chief Godswill Akpabio would have still been a vendor selling
Newswatch magazines under Oshodi Bridge in Lagos.
Commissioner Umanah alleged that I am a
serial blackmailer without knowing the meaning of serial. I had given
him the opportunity to tell the world who I had blackmailed before but he has continually
goofed. Does Umanah meant that I was blackmailing TELL magazine (I have always
emphasized that he does not believe in the innocence of his boss and my mentor,
Chief Godswill Akpabio) who TELL called a murderer and terrorist?
Let me state it very clear for the
records. I did not usurp the TELL case from anybody. (Check paragraph 19, of my
10-page letter). Let the so-called author prove that he was the originator.
Those who know Uwem Umanah closely are aware that he has a mental disorder
condition and as such, not qualified to “use” me with my qualifications and
educational background to institute a case against TELL at the risk of my life.
It is however clear from
Umanah’s response that he has been
arranging his younger brother Uwem Umanah to impersonate me and perhaps collect
my lawyers’ legal fees. Aniekan Umanah and his brother, Uwem Umanah claimed
that they have been paying my house rent; so pitiable! How can our stiff-fisted
Aniekan Umanah pay my house rent when he could not pay that of his younger
brother, Uwem who lived in the Timber Market at Uruan Street for four (4)
years? Uwem, who have been surviving by the benevolence of Barrister Emmanuel
Enoidem had confided in me and others that his elder brother has not assisted him
or any members of their family, cannot claim that his brother has been helping
me.
According to a response conscripted by
Commissioner Umanah in the Radar Newspaper, February 9, edition, and signed by
one Mr. Emmanuel Etim who happens to be the aide Umanah sent to collect all
document relating to the TELL case from me, Umanah alleged that I am idle and
jobless. Let me state it on record that there has never been a time that I have
been idle. Though I may not have short-changed people and amass wealth like
Aniekan Umanah, the opportunist, I have been involved in one job or the other
to make a living. As at when I took TELL magazine to court, I was the publisher
of RealNews Newspaper, Pioneer Applause magazine and editorial consultant to
Akwa Ibom Today Magazine, Tourism Impression among others. And I solely sponsor
my case against TELL until I met the governor who urged me on. In between my
case against TELL, I declined publishing RealNews because it was tradition then
in 2010 that any paper that does not insult the governor with damaging cover
story will not sell and I could not condescend so low and out of my principle
to join the bandwagon so as to sell my paper. Currently I am a Part-Time
lecturer at Uyo-City Polytechnic where I have been teaching since last year and
also the Editor-in-Chief of The Light Newspaper.
Meanwhile, Umanah lied that I have been
“obtaining money from Chief Assam Assam”. Since he has mention a name of a
former government official, it will be better to use chief Assam Assam whom
Umanah has mentioned to prove my innocence in the allegations of extortion he
leveled against me. That Chief Assam Assam is still alive and in this same
planet is cheer news to behold. Since the world has become a global village I
challenge the highly investigative Akwa Ibom journalists to contact Chief Assam
Assam and ask him if he knows my name or I have asked him for 10 kobo before.
If Chief Assam Assam who I respect as a man of principle concurs that I have at
any time begged him for money or he had given me a dime, I will apologize to
Aniekan Umanah and surrender my self to the security for prosecution but if he
says the contrary, I demanded for the immediate resignation of Mr. Aniekan
Umanah as Commissioner for Information and Communications of Akwa Ibom State.
My sms to Aniekan Umanah intimating him
of his interest in my lawyers’ legal fees was sent as a banana peel in front of
my lawyer, and as expected Commissioner Umanah could not resist the temptation.
He fell for it. I have his reply in my inbox and elsewhere, intact.
Let me reemphasize here that I can
proof of all what I wrote in my letter to Aniekan Umanah especially his role in
thwarting people that have worked for the governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio. He
may succeed in intimidating the likes of Ndueso Essien and Sampson Akpan to
distort the truth but cannot deceive Akwa Ibom people who know Mr. Commissioner
too well. What would anyone expect from Essien than his rebuttal, even though
he has forgotten all what he told people about Mr. Commissioner, some of which
were tap-recorded? From the statement made by Akpan about me, I strongly
believe he was misquoted by reporters but if he was not, he is a coward to have
said something like that. Everyone has his or her bounds. Let him look for his.
For yesterday’s man, Mr. Nkeneke Efo
who has decided to dabble into a matter that does not concern him, an adage
says that you cannot cry more than the bereaved. I confirmed my details before
and after my letter to Aniekan Umanah. My proofs are intact. If he wants to
impress Mr. Commissioner so as to fit in into today’s men, he is on the wrong
expedition.
It is time that Aniekan Umanah stopped
wasting Tax Payers money to suppress the truth as well as making the use of
hiring for his image laundering media briefing.
Aniekan Umanah may feel too pompous to
admit the truth so let him continue in his gorilla media war against me but one
thing is certain, with the likes of Aniekan Umanah posing as a brother from the
same Local Government Area: a good friend is surely better than a bad brother
of his kind.
Until I read the reply to the 14
questions I raised in my last rejoinder, Aniekan Umanah should as a matter of
fact start writing his resignation letter.
God bless Akwa Ibom State.
Tom FredFish
(Youth
Activist)
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