Rights activist and lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has condemned the donation of brand new Toyota Land Cruiser Prado vehicles to National Assembly members from Akwa Ibom State by Governor Umo Eno.
In a post on his official X account on May 24, Effiong described the gesture as senseless and rooted in corruption, especially at a time when citizens in the state are battling poverty and unemployment. “This is nothing but madness rooted in corruption and political desperation,” Effiong wrote.
He accused Governor Eno of misplaced priorities, stating that while residents of Akwa Ibom remain hungry and jobless, the governor is “dissipating resources on frivolities.”
“People are hungry and jobless, but the Governor is busy dissipating resources on frivolities. Akwa Ibom people are sleeping while politicians are wrecking the State,” he stated.
Effiong questioned the rationale behind donating luxury vehicles to lawmakers who, according to him, are already being overpaid and living in luxury.
“Nigerians are complaining daily about the overbloated salaries and allowances of National Assembly members. These people have official vehicles given to them by the National Assembly. They are all living ostentatiously, but a governor who hasn’t been able to achieve anything meaningful in the last two years decided that it was sensible to donate expensive vehicles to them,” he said.
He also expressed deep concern over the state of public education in Akwa Ibom, saying it has collapsed while the governor wastes public resources. “Public education has collapsed, but he is wasting our money recklessly,” Effiong noted.
Calling for accountability, the activist questioned how long the people of the state would remain silent in the face of what he termed a “criminal enterprise.” “For how long will our people continue to defend and close their eyes to the criminal enterprise that they call Government?”
Effiong did not hold back in his criticism of Umo Eno’s leadership, bluntly stating:“Something is fundamentally wrong with Umo Eno.”
He also criticised the backlash activists like him often receive for speaking out. “When we talk, they accuse us of being rude and hateful,” he wrote.
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