FOODAFFAIRS BUILDING DEMOLITION WITHOUT COMPENSATION: When silence is not golden on Gov Udom Emmanuel's part

 

By Emmanuel Ufon

The obligation of good governance requires the government to protect individuals and groups against human rights abuses. To fulfill this means that the state must take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights.

As it is enshrined in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, the number one responsibility of the government is to protect the lives and properties of the citizens

Government is responsible for creating and enforcing the rules of society, defense, foreign affairs, the economy, and public services, while the responsibilities of all governments are similar, those duties are executed in different ways depending on the form of government.

Democracy is the form of government that we are operating in Nigeria - the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, unlike military rule. As such the people of Akwa Ibom State should not be left alone in helpless perplexity as criminal-minded and power-drunk public office holders gang up to commit atrocities against citizens - destroying properties of citizens in the name of development and yet the leadership of the state pays deaf ears to the public outcry of the people in the state.

Governor Udom Emmanuel needs the moral and logistical comradeship of Akwa Ibomites, the Federal Government, and all Nigerians in his completion agenda project as he should be sensitive to the plight of the citizens.

Power-drunk public office holders like the immediate past Commissioner for Works in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Ephraim Inyang-eyen who destroyed people's properties, demolished buildings without compensation even when the provision was made for such payment, allegations of  abandoned government road projects under the watch of his ministry abound every way and finally, after he left office, called on the public to hold Gov Udom Emmanuel responsible for all he did while in office. 

With all these, he should not be allowed to destroy the image of the Udom Emmanuel - led administration in the Akwa Ibom State, if only the government did not align with all his atrocities, except otherwise!

On the 27th of June  2019, Mr. Ephraim Inyang-eyen maliciously demolished a business building belonging to Food Affairs Limited at No.1, Uyo – Ekpene Road, Ikot Ekpene LGA during business hours without any prior notice to pack out of the building and/or payment of compensation.

It was a terrible and pitiable scene as staff and customers scampered for safety, and some regrettably left their personal belongings behind as the madness heightened.

Production staff in their aprons, who never knew what happened,  almost trapped, eventually came out through the broken back fence to a neighbor’s compound as the building caved in. To say the least, they narrowly escaped death.

The extension of the edifice, the bar with assorted drinks and furniture was not spared. Looters had a field day as they packed everything they could lay their hands on  Ephraim's  orders to ground everything.

To ensure the prompt destruction of first-hand evidence of the demolition, the manager of the facility who tried taking pictures of the demolition exercise was rough handled and his phone ceased on the instruction of Mr. Ephraim Inyang-eyen who was physically present to supervise the activities.

Properties worth millions of naira ranging from furniture, electronics, refrigerating and air condition equipment, raw, semi-finished and finished food products, fittings, toys, generators, staff personal effects as well as cash were smashed by the two bulldozers that abruptly entered the premises on the command and supervision of Ephraim Inyang-eyen who thought the property was owned by an APC stalwart who recently defected from PDP at that time but unknowingly that the property belonged to one young entrepreneur, Mr. Isidore Ebong who is still battling to pay the debt which he collected from the bank for the business till date. The situation has affected Ebong

in such a way that he struggled to pay his staff working in his four outlets at Eket, Uyo, and Oron now. He also finds it difficult to raise money for litigation as demanded by his lawyer in the case. In a sane clime, such sympathetic cases are taken up by reputable law firms as Pro-bono. 

Public outcry, condemnation, and lamentation have continued to trail the action committed in the name of the government but to date, the state government has refused to come out with clean hands either to justify their action or debunk it and also make provisions to remedy the situation. 

Governor Udom Emmanuel in his completion agenda project should foster a governance model that prioritizes accountability,  and creates opportunities for people to launch their complaints and feel a sense of belonging without approaching the court on all issues.

For too long, the Government in Nigeria has been de-linked from the people it is meant to serve. Everywhere in the open, the people seem to encounter the government only as a predatory dispenser of grief.

 This has created an implacable platoon of angry and disoriented citizens who see no hope of living a meaningful life in their own country, hence silence is not golden on the part of Gov Udom Emmanuel in the case of the eatery demolition issue without prior notice and compensation to the owner of the building. To this end, we plead with the Akwa Ibom State Government to address this injustice as a stitch in time will serve nine.