Incriminating
details have emerged concerning Mr Umana Okon Umana’s long mysterious source of
wealth, for which his boisterous spokespersons have sadly kept a
tight-lip on, and it is a long suspected multi million dollar heist of public funds. These revelations will certainly
warrant a response from standard bearer of the APC in Akwa Ibom state and former commissioner for Finance and Secretary of the
State Government.
It has
already been a much talked about topic the mystery of Mr Umana’s wealth. He is
said to have bought over the APC in Akwa Ibom and became their flag bearer
after being a member in the party for just 11 days; which led to his
long-running battle with Senator John Udoedeghe, the de facto political leader of
the party and founding father.
His ability
to single-handedly bankroll the fiery resurgence of APC campaigns in Akwa Ibom
has only gone to baffle people. Scuttlebutt has it that the former SSG, who is
popularly believed to have become generous as he began to hint at his
governorship ambition, hands out neat Naira notes folded in All States Trust
Bank cash wraps. That bank had disappeared over 10 years ago, but this
politician seems to be in custody of their vault, from discussions with firsthand
beneficiaries of his largesse.
These,
however, are mere hear-say compared to latest revelations brought forth by a media
consultant who, along with Mr Umana, had worked in previous administrations, Mr
Emmanuel Nicholas.
In a release
titled “If Umana Is A Saint, Who Is The Corrupt”, Mr Nicholas, presently a Media
Aide to Governor Udom Emmanuel, writes in reaction to recent reports of Mr
Umana’s publicly promising to probe the immediate past administration of
Senator Godswill Akpabio, one in which he served for 7 years. He bares the
records in the 18 paragraph open letter constructed to demystify the puzzle of
Umana’s wealth.
Justice has
also been done to popular belief by Akwa Ibom Civil Servants that Mr Umana ‘defrauded’
them, with Mr Emmanuel fingering Umana’s inlaw;
“Please tell Akwa Ibom people what happened to the
contributory funds of the State Civil Servants at First Bank of Nigeria, which
when the then incumbent Governor ordered the bank to refund to the owners, the
bank report showed that you had earlier ordered for the money to be transferred
to a certain personal account that was later discovered to belong to your
wife’s sister, as the name ended with Ubiam.”
The electrifying
write-up further reinforces hush-hush beliefs that Mr Umana used AEC Works to drain
off millions from government coffers via the Finance and General Purposes
Committee which was headed by him. It also gives indicting details to demystify
the fog surrounding the sales of the Akwa Ibom State shares in Econet Wireless;
the Ibom Airport construction and Science Park contract sagas. And Mr Umana
Umana is blamed to be complicit in all.
“…sir, it appears there is no trace
by successive government as to how much the shares were sold for and where the
money is. When His Excellency Obong Victor Attah was interviewed recently, he
said the record of that transaction was kept under your ‘honest’ watch.”
A report by
a House of Assembly’s public hearing is probably the most implicating, cited in
the write-up;
“According to the House of Assembly
public hearing resolution, Engr Frank Okon indicted the then Commissioner for
Finance for not releasing the entire funds to his firm. Sir, the records show
that you were that commissioner for finance. The Documents from your office as
commissioner of Finance shows you paid $5,700,000 ; but the contracting firm
says you only remitted to them $1,300,000.”
Mr. Nicholas
adds a little twist of Sarcasm as if to explain Mr. Umana’s aggressive intention
to govern Akwa Ibom State with ridicule;
“I know ‘these new guys’ are not
experienced enough to know where you kept that money but if they allow you go
in yourself, you will bring it out. Isn't it so? That's why they should vote
you in as Governor. If we wait till 2023, someone else may find that money and
we will be finished.”
With Mr.
Umana’s campaign stepping up against the administration of Mr Udom Emmanuel and
the PDP in Akwa Ibom state and drawing proportionate rejoinders, further
reactions seem to promise the discharge of more incriminating records from his
time in Government. One may begin to wonder
what more is to be expected.
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