I've been observing with keen interest the recent battles
between some of Yakuur's political leaders and their
Federal representative. He isn't representing me in
Abuja directly but it will be a disservice to my great
state if I simply fold my arms and pretend to be an
observer; the geographical location of his constituency
alone isn't something to be toyed with as it is very
strategic and hence, his performance at the Federal
level will have a direct effect on the development of the
state.
I met with him a couple of times in his office in the
premises of the Federal legislative chambers sometime
in 2012 and he(and the meeting) was nothing to write
home about. I had been briefed severally about his
nonchalant and selfish attitude before then but I was
in for a shocker when I finally got to meet with him. To
start with, he didn't act like an honourable member, he
was full of lies, pomp and deceit. His Abuja staff
looked sad, downtrodden, haggard and abandoned; he
was the only healthy looking person in that office. This
was simply a case of Lazarus and the rich man, with
Bassey Ewa being the rich man and his five-man staff
the Lazarus. His most senior aide wasn't left out of
this misery; always spotting an oversized coat and a
faded white shirt. I later got to find out that even his
family wasn't left out as his wife's kid brother had
nearly come to blows with him in that same office over
his refusal to help him out in life.
This was someone
that was the chairman of the influential house
committee on gas resources. I was there to discuss
something in this line with him; he told me to come
back next legislative day. When I did, I bumped into an
old friend who I attended secondary school with and
who I later got to meet again in London during my
MSC program. This time around, my friend was coming
to see Bassey Ewa based on a directive by then then
deputy Governor, Efiok Cobham. Efiok Cobham had
already done his handshaking with Bassey on phone
and simply sent my friend across with a note to
Bassey.
He took the note from my friend and told him
he would get back to him. My friend left and bassey
dropped the note with one of his aides after murmuring
something to him. They all went ahead to make jest of
my poor friend and from their chit chat, I was able to
gather than his request was going to be thrashed in
the bin asap. Bassey eventually came out and when he saw me, he denied ever telling me to come back, he
was furious when I reminded him of his words, he
insisted he didn't say so and I had to leave to avoid
further embarrassment.
A couple of weeks ago, I met
an old friend who is from same Ekori in Yakurr with Bassey Ewa.
We got talking and he recounted a shameful incident that happened when he travelled
back home in 2006.
Then, Bassey was still speaker of the Cross River house of assembly. My friend was back
home to see his family as he was just rounding up his
studies in Uni. He decided to go have some drinks in a
popular hangout in Ekori and bumped into some of
Bassey's 'boys' who he had know for long. He went
ahead to send a couple of rounds of drinks to them.
The news got to Bassey Ewa who was in Ekori then
and Bassey went ahead to summon my friend and the
entire Ekori to a town hall meeting.
He then accused my friend of attempting to steal the loyalty of his boys
and destabilise his political structures, asking him why
he should buy his boys drinks! A speaker of a state house challenging a final year student of a University
only in his mid twenties simply because he bought a few beers for his old time friends?
I've taken the 'pains' to write all this out because I
want those concerned to know how petty, dubious and
myopic the man who represents them in Abuja is.
They'll do themselves and by extension Cross Riverians
good if they begin the process of recalling him back asap.
I know he has wasted 13 years already in Abuja
with non of his constituents or constituency having
been directly impacted in any serious way.
Not forgetting that the only Federal projects in Yakurr that
are still standing are those that were instituted by Okoi
Arikpo, Clement Ebri and Donald Duke. No one can
point to anything that Ewa Bassey Eko attracted to
Yakuur, Nothing!
In conclusion, before Bassey comes out to decry this
general 'campaign of calumny' against his person, he
should ask himself why the Yakuur nation hasn't at
any point in time collectively turned it's back on
Clement Ebri, Okoi Obla and other notable sons of
theirs like this.
Written by Simon utsu
This is coming after a public commentator by name OBASESAM OKOI allegedly rejected a bribe sent to him abroad by the hon member representing abi/yakur in the federal house of representative
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