Since he was nominated as minister, Senator Godwill Akpabio’s detractors have been on the prowl.
To them, the former Akwa Ibom State governor does not deserve the honour, because he has allegedly diverted constituency projects meant for his district.
But, the Managing Director De-bongs Media, Leo Ekpenyong, a lawyer, said the allegation of diversion by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability, Project (SERAP) was false and politically motivated.
In his letter to the SERAP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman and Chairman of Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itsey Sagay (SAN), Ekpeyong said Akpabio lived to expectation as a senator.
He described the allegation as a mischievous and misguided vituperations adding that the call for the senator’s arrest was in bad faith.
These incessant calls and smear campaigns against Akpabio started shortly before his nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari and they was amplified immediately thereafter.
Ekpeyong said: “An indepth and independent investigation into the false allegations of SERAP reveals that they are not only economical with the truth, but have become an appendage and willing tool in the hands of vendetta-seeking, dubious and desperate politicians. We are aware that a certain public servant currently serving in President Buhari’s government, having failed in his lobbying for ministerial appointment is disgruntled and has resorted to inundating media houses and venal civil society groups with spurious claims of graft against Senator Godswill Akpabio, a minister-designate from Akwa Ibom State.
“Senator Akpabio was neither the contractor nor was he involved in the contract execution. Secondly, the supplies of hospital equipments, provision of solar- powered boreholes, VIP toilets, construction of markets across the 10 local government areas of Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial district, donation of skills acquisition/recreational centers are eloquent expressions of Akpabio’s stellar performance in four years.
“To further demonstrate his magnanimity and love for his people beyond boundaries, Akpabio donated an ambulance with medical components comprising 150 mattresses and pillows to the Cottage hospital in Ibiono -Ibom local goverment area where Senator Ita Enang hails from”
Ekpeyong said the hospital equipment and facilities were donated to Ibiono- Ibom local goverment area in Uyo senatorial district where Akpabio neither hails from nor represented.
He said that in furtherance of his uncommon gesture of positively affecting the lives of his people, he extended the facilities and amenities to Eket where he built, renovated and furnished dilapidated classroom blocks with state of the art borehole and water storage facilities in Community Secondary School, Udung-Uko Local Government Area.
He added: “In Governor Udom Emmanuel’s Onna Local Government Area, still in Eket Senatorial District where Senator Akpabio neither hails from nor represents, Awa Comprehensive Health Centre received the following: 150 hospital mattresses, 300 patient pillows, 300 bedsheets and blankets, 150 beds, drugs for primary health centre, 30 Standard Drip Stands, 20 Ward Screen, 20 Drugs Trolleys, an Ambulance with 102Hp Petrol engine, 6 Split Unit Air Conditioners, wheel chair, Urinanalysis Machine (Urinanalysis URD, Pharmacy Refrigerator, Biosafety Cabinet, Microscope, consumables at Cottage Hospital, Awa Iman, Onna Local Government Area of Eket Senatorial District.
Ekpeyong recalled that, shortly after Akpabio’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last year, he empowered his constituents with N250,000 each, and about 450 farmers benefited from the gesture in collaboration with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, (SMEDAN).
Also, 1,200 people received #100,000 for entrepreneurship development of various vocations geared towards poverty alleviation and development of the local economy on June 8, 2019 in a closing ceremony of his exit from the 8th Senate.
In January, 11,600 beneficiaries obtained #10,000 each alongside startup packs in collaboration with the National Directorate of Employment, (NDE) and Future Assured Programme, a pet project of the Wife of Mr. President, again not limited to the district of Akpabio.
Akpabio also gave scholarship awards to 274 indigent students at the independence hall Abak with each going home with #100,000.
The Border Communities Development Agency saddled with the responsibility of executing sustainable socio-economic and infrastructural programmes in the border communities, which handled some of Akpabio’s constituency projects has in a letter dated July 16th 2019 with reference number BCDA/PDI/CONST/17/139 through its director in charge of projects development and implementation, Mallam Farouk Maitarure, clarified unequivocally that the contractor had performed the supply of the said hospital equipment in full as contained in the bill of quantities though payment by the Agency is yet to be fully liquidated.
Ekpeyong said Akpabio has not only justified the confidence reposed in him by his people, he has expanded the frontiers of benevolence for the transformation of Akwa Ibom State.
He added: “We frown at SERAP’s orchestrated cheap blackmail and brazen display of infantile mischief.
“We caution SERAP to refrain from allowing itself to be used as a willing tool in the hands of attention-seeking, desperate politicians. Senator Akpabio, instead of vilification, deserves due commendation for his meaningful contributions to the growth and development of his people.
“We challenge SERAP, to prove its claim without which we will be compelled to seek lawful redress against their spurious, irrational and irritating tissue of blatant lies.
We urge SERAP to ponder on the illustrative and the illuminating words of the former Prime Minister of Britain, who averred that ‘truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end there it is’ and I add, unshaken as the northern star.”