Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has issued a stern warning to commissioners and special advisers, threatening to sack any cabinet member found to be exhibiting indolence and insubordination during official functions.
Eno declared that any erring cabinet member, regardless of gender, would be immediately relieved of their position.
This is contained in an interview video posted by African Independent Television on Saturday.
The governor’s warning comes in response to reports that some cabinet members have been demonstrating a nonchalant attitude towards their official duties, citing insufficient funding for their offices and adopting the local slogan, “Mkpo Ibaha,” meaning “there’s nothing in government.”
The governor had previously cautioned dissatisfied cabinet members to voluntarily resign or face forceful removal.
According to reports, the immediate trigger for this latest warning was an incident where Eno attended a function and then proceeded to another unplanned event. Several key cabinet members reportedly shunned this unplanned event and abandoned their principal.
“Starting from now, henceforth, I like everyone to hear, that’s why I am speaking publicly, that when you hear that I have fired a commissioner from your local government, it’s insubordination,” Eno stated.
He emphasised that it was unacceptable for any cabinet member to abandon him midway through official duties, stressing that their roles, which they undertook under oath, constitute “a full-time job, which you must do 24/7.”
Eno described his appointees as his “first eleven” who must be present with him at all functions.
He added that he would not disclose his routine for public functions, saying, “You must go with me and take me back to the Lodge.”
“The fact that I am simple does not mean that I am an appointed Governor; I was elected by the people,” he asserted, adding that cabinet members must be fully committed to the effective implementation of the ARISE Agenda blueprint of his administration, to ensure the delivery of the dividends of democracy to the electorate.
“I was a commissioner myself, and I can’t remember any day I left my Governor behind,” he recalled, reiterating that any commissioner who prioritises personal matters over their official responsibilities should be prepared to receive a “red card.”
