Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has warned people obstructing development projects with hurriedly erected and illegal structures in the communities, hoping to attract compensation from the government to desist from the act.
Eno described the action as anti-development and advised owners of such illegal buildings to dismantle them with immediate effect as his administration won’t pay compensation for hurriedly constructed buildings.
According to a statement made available to newsmen yesterday in Uyo, Eno spoke on Sunday while addressing worshippers at the Apostolic Church, in his hometown, Ikot Ekpene Udo in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area during an inter-denominational thanksgiving service to commemorate his election victory.
His words: “I want to use this occasion to appeal to all those raising illegal structures by the road with the hope of getting compensation to please desist from the action. This is a very serious warning.
” If we come with a project to your community and you obstruct it because of compensation, we will leave and take the project to another community. I will not struggle to help the people of this community. Thank God our traditional Rulers and specifically the Village heads are here.
” If we come to your local Government, village or Community for development, you should receive and encourage us. We are prepared to develop the rural areas, and we are prepared to work, but let it be that when we come, we don’t meet resistance in any form. I am a peace-loving Governor.
“I will not have any strength to fight with the youths but that does not mean we will run whenever it is necessary to fight. I am not expected to fight and force development on you.
“A Local Government or Community that gives us the enabling environment is where we will develop. It is not out of place to pay compensation for the old existing structures but for the hurriedly constructed buildings we will not pay”
The governor recalled how the youths had prevented him from building a warehouse in the community when he was a member of the immediate past state Executive Council, urging the communities to be ready to embrace development.
He directed the 31 LG Council Chairmen to make available 100 hectares of land in their domains for development projects, stressing, “I remember when I was in the Ministry of Lands & Water Resources, I asked each Local Government to give us land for Agriculture. It was only eleven (11) Local Governments that complied.
“Now, I am appealing again to all Local Government Chairmen, please give us land not less than one hundred (,100) hectares. Send us the land plans through the Secretary to State Government and see if we will not come there and develop it for the benefit of the people of that LG”
Eno who was accompanied to the thanksgiving service appreciated his kinsmen for the massive support and vote they gave him and his party to emerge victorious, stressing that if he had faced rejection from then his ambition to become governor would have suffered a setback.
He commended the Apostolic Church, Ikot Ekpene Udo, for organizing the thanksgiving service, donated a purse in support of the church building project and also gave an undisclosed amount to the members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, serving in the community who were present at the church service.
“We needed to come and share fellowship with our brethren in my very home of birth, Ikot Ekpene Udo. It is very significant for us because my both parents are from this village, though from different areas. The truth is that we are all one. I thought it wise to come home first to say thank you to the people of this land that did not reject this throne.
“You know, there are situations that your land can reject you. Sometimes, the world may find delight in honouring you, but your land will not agree. I tell you this as a pastor and not a politician. The world may choose to give you honour while the land of your birth can say no.
“So for this land to accept this honour that God has done us, we have come to say to the people of Ikot Ekpene Udo and pastors that prayed for us, thank you. We really appreciate your sacrifices that brought us to where we are today. I may not be able to go around all churches one by one, but that does not mean I won’t honour your invitation when necessary.
“We chose the Apostolic Church for this occasion for two reasons. One is because it is my local Church and the second is because it has the largest auditorium among all the churches in Ikot Ekpene Udo. We will continue to maintain this good relationship that we have established in the course of this great journey. Thank you very much and God bless you”, gov Eno explained.
. In her brief remarks, Akwa Ibom First Lady, Pastor (Mrs) Patience Eno, expressed gratitude to the woman and her In-laws for the support given to their son to emerge as Governor of the state and prayed for God’s blessings on them.
Highpoint of the Church service was the conferment of ‘The Joshua Award’ on the Governor to enable him to lead the state well, and ‘The Phoebe Award’ on the Wife Pastor Patience Eno, to strengthen her supportive role in the family.