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The Travails of Sunday ‘Igboho’ Adeyemo

Published

3 years ago

July 24, 2021

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The last has not been heard of the brouhaha that has engulfed the person of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho and the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government of Nigeria.

At the turn of the week, Sunday Igboho was nabbed at the Cadjèhoun Airport Cotonou while attempting to relocate to Germany after the Nigerian government through the Department of State Service (DSS) declared him wanted and issued a warrant of arrest against him. He was accused of stockpiling arms among other offences. Though the activist has denied the allegation, he felt, according to his lawyer that his life was no longer safe in Nigeria, and therefore, sought asylum in foreign land.

Ever since Friday, January 15, 2021, which by all intent and purposes is instructive in the history of Yoruba land and its attendant security, Sunday Igboho became both a hero and a villain. That day, while the rest of Nigeria was celebrating the bravery and sacrifice of both fallen and living soldiers from various wars across the globe during the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Igboho and his supporters were storming the Fulani Community in Igangan, Oyo State. Their mission was simple: vacate Igangan community, Oyo State and all other Yoruba communities, which by implication means the South West region. The group, led by the grassroots mobilizer, whom many have labeled a warrior, confronted the Seriki Fulani, Saliu Kadri, and issued a one-week ultimatum for the Fulani to vacate the area.

Igboho had accused Kadri and his subjects of killing Yoruba natives including, according to him, Oyo businessman, Fatai Aborode, Alhaja Serifat Adisa and her children, an Igangan prince, among others. He disclosed that his mission has the backing of traditional rulers on whose bequest, his actions were hinged.

On January 22, 2021 when the ultimatum expired, all eyes were fastened on Igboho. Many Nigerians waited to see if he was not another noisemaker, especially as the Governor and Chief Executive and Security Officer of the State, Mr. Seyi Makinde, had issued a statement, denouncing Igboho and his men. Makinde declared that his government would not allow anyone hiding under the guise of protecting Yoruba interests to cause ethnic tension and perpetrate crisis, noting in clear terms that no one has the power to expel another ethnic group from wherever they choose to live in Nigeria. He threatened to arrest Igboho and his group of ‘fighters’.

The stage was therefore, set for one to back down or enter the barefaced confrontation. Consequently, tensions were high that Friday just as expectations were vague. No one knows what to expect. Would Igboho dare the state government or chicken out of his mission? He chose the former. He took the bull by the horns, and dared the powers that be.

Against all expectations, Igboho mobilised a huge number of supporters and as he promised, marched to the Fulanis enclave, and drove them out of their abode.

The young man, who as time progresses, added popular and Yoruba activist to his list of appellations, was received with much excitement by hundreds of youths with singing and dancing when he marched into Igangan, in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Speaking in rapid Yoruba, with intermittent incursion of English, a visibly-angry Ighoho vowed that Fulani herdsmen will be chased away from the town and the entire Yorubaland for inciting insecurity and banditry.

“What is happening will not be limited to this place, we will drive out Fulani from entire Yorubaland. They want to be killing us. We will not accept this,” he told the charged youths while insisting that Seriki, the head of the Fulani, must leave the town because he has been identified as a security threat. The Seriki was compelled to abscond from the town.

But for daring to disobey state order, Makinde and the then Inspector General of Police ordered the Police to arrest Sunday Igboho and others causing tension in the state. They maintained that the war Oyo and security agencies need to wage is not against any particular ethnic group but against criminal elements, irrespective of their tribes, religions, or creed.

The governor added that his administration would not allow anyone to threaten the peace of the state by acting unlawfully and saying things that are alien to the Nigerian constitution.

“For people stoking ethnic tension, they are criminals and once you get them, they should be arrested and treated like common criminals,” Makinde said.

But in a video that largely went viral, the activist, who had become immensely popular at the time, dared the governor and the law enforcement agencies to arrest him if they can. Having gained the sympathy of most Yoruba indigenes, including the high and mighty, who consider the presence of herdsmen a security threat, Igboho went ahead to make vile references and vituperations, and casting aspersion to whoever may oppose his line of action, in his speech.

“You can bring all Fulanis to Yorubaland, if you like, you unfortunate ones. It will not be well with you.

“You are threatening me in my fatherland with Fulanis. You will not prosper.

“Is it the Fulani’s that make the laws of the land? Have you forgotten when you were ‘bankrolling’ me when you wanted to become Governor and all I did for you all during the elections, and now you dare threaten me?” He spat.

That was the beginning of the Igboho’s travails in the hands of Nigeria’s government and security apparatuses.

A month after, on February 26, 2021, the DSS laid an ambush and attempted to arrest Igboho along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when he and his supporters were on their way to meet with the 93-year-old Afenifere chieftain, Ayo Adebanjo. However, a huge pandemonium broke out as a result of his huge crowd of supporters and sympathizers, and the DSS was unable to arrest him. The incident emboldened him the more, and created around more sympathizers including influential Yoruba scholars and traditional institutions including former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Yoruba leader, Banji Akintoye and Otunba Gani Adams.

Consequently, a Yoruba Nation rally was planned for July 3, 2021 in Lagos. This singular proclamation set everyone on edge with the Lagos Police Commissioner, Hakeem Odumosu, threatening fire and brimstone if any form of gathering is held in Lagos. As a result, combat ready policemen were mobilised to resist the protesters and the protest. The protest held after all, and the highpoint was the killing of an apprentice salesgirl, Jumoke Oyeleke, who was fell by a stray bullet.

However, prior to the July 3 date, the DSS conducted a midnight raid on Igboho’s residence in the Soka area of Ibadan. This was on July 1, 2021. Reports had it that there was heavy shootings, and at the end of the day, about 12 of his associates were arrested while two others were killed.

Igboho escaped under circumstances no one has been able to explain, and the DSS subsequently declared him wanted for allegedly stockpiling arms to destabilise Nigeria under the pretext of the Yoruba nation agitation. He however, denied the allegations, but disappeared from public view ever since until the Monday, July 19 news that made the rounds that he has been arrested, in company of his wife, by Interpol at the Cadjèhoun Airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

His arrest in Cotonou arose another phase of travails and controversy.

The Yoruba nation has mobilised itself in his defence vowing never to allow the Federal Government give him the treatment that was meted to the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, who was clandestinely arrested in Kenya, and bungled back to Nigeria with little or no due process. This is even as the office of the Attorney General was quoted as saying that the Federal Government would go to any length, including offering juicy concessions to the Benin Republic to get them to release Igboho to Nigerian security operatives.

The Boss learnt that charges already prepared for Igboho are unlawful possession of firearms, attempted treason, conspiracy and disturbance of public peace, among others.

“When Nnamdi Kanu was arrested, nobody was aware and the Federal Government has refused to admit that he was arrested in Kenya. Since we have been informed of Igboho’s arrest, there have been a lot of legal interventions that the law is followed.

“The lawyers we engaged in Benin are especially discussing with the Benin Republic government. We are very confident that they won’t be able to repatriate him,” Pelumi Olajengbesi, one of Igboho’s lawyers said.

Reacting to the arrest, the leader of the umbrella body of the Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Ilana Oodua, Banji Akintoye, in a statement, said Yoruba patriots, who were immediately available, were working to provide assistance for Ighoho to prevent his extradition into Nigeria, saying “Benin Republic is a land that respect the rules of law”.

In the statement made available to journalists on Tuesday by his Communications Manager, Maxwell Adeleye, Akintoye called on all Yoruba People within and beyond the shores of Nigeria to come out and ensure that their ancestral land is not defeated by invaders.

“I and other Yoruba patriots who are immediately available are now working to provide the assistance necessary to ensure that nobody will be able to do to him anything unlawful or primitive and to prevent him from being extradited into Nigeria which is strongly possible.

“Fortunately, Benin Republic is reliably a land of law where the authorities responsibly obey the law. We have secured the services of a leading and highly respected lawyer whom we can confidently rely on,” Akintoye said.

In the meantime, the Benin authorities have insisted that due process of the law must be followed if Igboho must be extradited to Nigeria in response to Nigerian government’s request for hasty extradition.

Reports available to The Boss revealed that a former Army Chief, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, a staunch loyalist of President Buhari and the present Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, has been fighting tooth and nail to see that Igboho’s extradition was speedily facilitated, but the quick intervention of Igboho’s lawyers, coupled with the laws in place in Benin in addition to the articles of the Extradition Treaty of 1984 has incapacitated the moves so far.

Olajengbesi, while speaking to The Punch, said Benin Republic had shown itself to be a country that respects the rule of law and due process, adding that Igboho’s legal team in Benin Republic were in talks with the Beninise government.

He noted that despite pressure from the Nigerian government, the government of Benin had insisted on following due process including a repatriation hearing to determine whether or not Igboho was guilty as accused by the DSS. At the first hearing, Igboho’s wife Ropo, was released and cleared of all charges as she was found not to have committed an offence while Igboho was billed to appear in court again on July 24.

Confirming the arrest, Igboho’s lead counsel, Yomi Alliyu (SAN), stated that the Nigerian Government treated his client unjustly and committed “savagery acts” by “invading” the activist’s house in the middle of the night, destroying his property, detaining and killing his associates.

Alliyu argued that “The Extradition Treaty of 1984 between Togo, Nigeria, Ghana and Republic of Benin excluded political fugitives. It also states that where the fugitive will not get justice because of discrimination and/or undue delay in prosecution the host country should not release the fugitive.

“Now, Article 20 of African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights to which the four countries are signatories made agitation for self-determination a fundamental right to be protected by all countries. This made Chief Sunday Adeyemo a political offender who cannot be deported and/or extradited by the good people of the Republic of Benin for any reason.”

The senior advocate, who described the arrest of his client as shocking, urged the government of Germany, Benin Republic and the international community “to rise up and curb the impunity of the Nigerian government by refusing any application for extradition of our client who already has application before the International Criminal Court duly acknowledged.”

Condemning the arrest, Constitutional Lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhomelashed out at the government in a statement obtained by The Boss.

“The FG appears supersonically effective and efficacious when it comes to arresting and repatriating dissenters and challengers of its morbid nepotic and sectionalisitc government.

“The same government paradoxically appears abysmally weak and hopelessly helpless when it comes to fighting AK-47 wielding armed bandits, Boko Haram and other deadly insurgents, including ransom-taking kidnappers who are almost kidnapping the very heart and soul of Nigeria on a daily basis. The Nigerian Nation appears captured by non state actors.

“To me, this lopsided template demonstrates acute intolerance and ambivalence. It shows self contradiction. It shows an inclination towards enforcing laws against certain people, against certain classes of people, while at the same time turning away the other eye in enforcing laws against the other preferred and pampered set of people,” he said in part.

Also speaking, Chief Fani-Kayode warned against any form of harm coming to the activist, saying that “Arresting, detaining or killing this man will be the biggest mistake that the Federal Government can make. I say this because firstly, as far as I am aware, he has not broken any law and secondly because he represents the thoughts and aspirations of over 70 million Yoruba people. To every single one of those people, he is the greatest hero of the South West since Oduduwa.

Igboho, according to Wikipedia, was born as Sunday Adeniyi Adeyemo, on October 10, 1972 in Igboho, Oke ogun, Oyo State but his father relocated to Modakeke in Osun state where he grew up. He started off as a motorcycle repairer and then ventured into automobiles selling cars and was able to start Adeson business Concept.

Today, he is the chairman of Adeson International Business Concept Ltd and the Akoni Oodua of Yoruba. In addition to his various wars in favour of the Yoruba race, Igboho gained social media tractions in January 2021 when he gave a week ultimatum to Fulani herdsmen in Ibarapa to vacate the land after the killing of Dr. Aborode.

He became famous after the part he played in the Modakeke/Ife war between 1997 and 1998, where he was a defendant of Modakeke people. And thereafter relocated to Ibadan where he met former Oyo state Governor, Lam Adesina through a courageous step while trying to defend the rights of the people at a fuel station. He also went on to work with former Governor Rasheed Ladoja and became one of his most trusted aide.

As the Akoni Oodua of Yoruba land, he is known for fighting for the right of the Yorubas supposedly possessing metaphysical powers. He is also a staunch advocate of the Oduduwa Republic.

Igboho is a Christian, married to two wives and has children including three professional footballers playing in Germany.

On how he got the nickname ‘Igboho’, the activist said that people in Yoruba Land tend to give other inhabitants the “names” due to the place they live in. His father was called “Baba Igboho” because he comes from Igboho.

As a result, Sunday got the name “Sunday Omo Baba Igboho”. After Sunday’s father moved from Modakeke because of the war, people started calling him Sunday “Igboho”. This name stayed with him even after moving to Ibadan. The name of Sunday Igboho is widely known in the city of Ibadan.

Of a truth, the brouhaha is far from over, and only time will tell who blinks first.

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Yahaya Bello vs EFCC: The Tussle Continues

Published

6 hours ago

May 5, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

With the declaration of the Apppeal Court, sitting in Abuja over the weekend, ordering a stay of proceedings in the contempt charge instituted by Yahaya Bello, former Kogi governor, against Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the stage seems set for an elongation of legal fireworks between the two feuding entities.

The declaration was a follow-up of Bello, who approached the Kogi High Court, seeking an order to issue and serve the respondent (EFCC chairman) with “form 49 notice” to show cause why an order of committal should not be made on him.

The judge, after listening to the arguments of the applicant’s counsel, the submission and the exhibits attached in the written address, granted Bello’s prayers and ordered Olukoyede to be summoned to appear before the court to answer the contempt charge.

However, while it is believed that the crisis of apprehending the former governor for prosecution is an institutional matter, many on the other hand, has accused the EFCC chairman of attaching a lot of personal interest in the matter going by the way he is fighting tooth and nail to see Bello in custody.

In a chat with editors at the EFCC Headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, the anti-graft agency chairman swore to follow the prosecution of Bello to the logical conclusion.

He also vowed that all those who obstructed the arrest of the former governor would be brought to justice.

The EFCC is seeking to arraign Bello on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.

“If I do not personally oversee the completion of the investigation regarding Yahaya Bello, I will tender my resignation as the EFCC Chairman,” Mr Olukoyede had vowed, adding that those who obstructed the arrest of the former governor would be brought to book. This was a veiled accusation against the governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, who used security agents to forestall the arrest of Bello in Abuja.

Olukoyede had also accused Bello of paying his children’s school fees upfront with funds from the atatae coffers.

“A sitting governor moved $720,000 directly from the government account to the Bureau de Change and used it to pay for the school fees of his child in advance in a poor state like Kogi, and you want me close my eyes under the guise that I’m being used. Use by who? At this stage of my life? By who for crying out loud?

“I didn’t initiate the case, I inherited the case file,” he retorted.

The EFCC had sought to arrest Yahaya Bello following his absence from court, and an order by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja after his absence in court.

He was absent from court for his arraignment on a 19-count charge of alleged money laundering to the tune of ₦80bn.

The judge relied on sections 384(4) and (5) of the Administrative and Criminal Justice Act 2015, directing the counsel to the immediate past governor to receive a copy of the charge.

The court held that where it had become impossible to effect personal service of a legal process on a defendant, such could be done through substituted means.

Justice Nwite further held that it was clear that the former governor failed to appear in court for his arraignment.

Notable minds including veteran journalist, Dele Momodu; human advocate and constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome among others have said that the brazen nature with which Olukoyede is going about the matter smacks of personal vendetta, noting that now that the court of appeal has ordered a stay of execution of the contempt of court charges against Olukoyede, everyone must maintain status quotes, and allow Bello to respond to court summon, as the case is now between him and the court of Justice Nwite.

On his part, Momodu has lashed out at the EFCC for selective prosecution, wondering if Olukoyede has any personal stake in the matter, adding that generally the EFCC misfired in the Bello saga.

He said in part, during his Instagram live show:

“I don’t work for EFCC but from all the things that I have read, a lot of them, they misfired. That is the honest truth. They misfired. They didn’t do their due diligence. When you said a man took out money and paid for his children’s school fees, just as he was about to leave power, and you go and check the documents and you see that these things started happening from 2021, 2022 (laughs); I am not an illiterate.

“How do you expect me to believe everything they said when they were too much in a hurry to prosecute him that they did not take their time to check the file. Once you allow a lacuna in law, everything will fall flat.

“That is it. I am not one of those people who will say because I don’t like APC and because I supported Dino Melaye in the last election in Kogi State. Dino is my guy. But, I will not because of that be blinded by hatred for Yahaya Bello and say yes, he should go and surrender himself to EFCC when there is an existing injunction.

“And he is not the only governor who went to court and if the court has granted him that, so be it. We all know that our judiciary is not so perfect but you know, even at that, law is law, it must be obeyed. If we disobey the rule of law, then, we will have to obey the rule of the jungle. So, I never said that they are lying, it is their own statement that shows that they didn’t do their due diligence.”

TheCable, in its report, recalled that “a Kogi State high court presided over by Isa Jamil Abdullahi, had ordered Olukoyede to appear before it on May 13 to show why he should not be committed to prison for allegedly disobeying its order restraining the EFCC from arresting or taking any action against Bello.

“However, the EFCC chairman filed an appeal against the court summon.

“Olukoyede filed two motions, one seeking a stay of execution of the summon, and another one asking to serve processes on Bello via substituted means by pasting the process at his Abuja residence on No 9 Bengazi Steet Wuse Zone 4.

“In its ruling, a three-member panel of justices led by Joseph Oyewole granted the two motions.

“The appellate court fixed May 20 for the hearing of the substantive appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/413/2024.

“Bello had on February 8, 2024, instituted a fundamental rights enforcement suit, asking the court to declare that “the incessant harassment, threats of arrest and detention, negative press releases, malicious prosecution” by the EFCC, “without any formal invitation, is politically motivated and interference with his right to liberty, freedom of movement, and fair hearing”.

“The former governor also sought an order “restraining the respondent by themselves, their agents, servants or privies from continuing to harass, threaten to arrest or detain him”.

“On February 9, the Kogi high court granted an interim injunction restraining the EFCC from “continuing to harass, threaten to arrest, detain, prosecute Bello, his former appointees, and his staff or family members, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive originating motion for the enforcement of his fundamental rights”.

On March 12, the EFCC filed an appeal against the interim injunction because the court could not stop the commission from carrying out its statutory responsibility.

The Kogi high court delivered judgment on the substantive motion on notice on April 17 wherein the presiding judge granted an order restraining the EFCC “from continuing to harass, threaten to arrest or detain Bello”.

However, the judge directed the commission to file a charge against Bello before an appropriate court if it had reasons to do so.

The judgment coincided with the recent “siege” laid on the Abuja residence of Bello by EFCC operatives seeking to arrest him.

The commission had also obtained a warrant of arrest against the former governor from the federal high court in Abuja.

The EFCC is seeking to arraign Bello on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.

At the scheduled arraignment on April 18, Bello was absent.

At the court session, Abdulwahab Mohammed, counsel to Bello, told Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, that the court lacked jurisdiction to grant the warrant of arrest in the first instance.

He referenced the February 9 interim injunction issued by the Kogi high court, adding that the appeal filed by the EFCC was still pending.

However, the EFCC has filed a notice to withdraw the appeal.

In the notice filed on April 22, the anti-graft agency said the withdrawal was predicated on the fact that events have overtaken the appeal.

The commission also admitted that the appeal was filed out of the time allowed by law.

With the present status, legal minds are of the opinion that matters have returned to status quo, and Justice Emeka Nwite, reserved the right to order Bello’s appearance in court, and await his appearance before any other injunction can be made.

“For now, it is not about who won or who did not. The matters of the case rest with the invitation of Bello by Justice Nwite. Bello was absent during his first summon, and the case was adjourned. So, everyone has to keep the calm and wait for the next hearing and see if he appears or not as directly by his lordship,” Ozekhome noted.

As it is therefore, May 20 will be a deciding factor for both Bello and EFCC as the tussle for who laughs last continues.

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A’IBOM GOVT PARTNERS FHA ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

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.. donates 50 hectares of land for project take-off

Akwa Ibom State Government and the Federal Housing Authority ( FHA) have sealed a new partnership on the Diaspora Home Project, an affordable housing scheme of the President Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda, with flexible payment programme, for public servants resident in the State.

The partnership was reached as the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, announced a fifty hectares of land donation and any other required state government support, as counterpart facilitation for the federal government housing project during a courtesy visit by a delegation from FHA led by its MD/CEO, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, at Government House, Uyo.

In his words, “I want to assure you sir that we will work together. We have already allocated a piece of land and the Commissioner for Lands will make it available to you.

“Talking about the economic benefits such as creating employment, and all the other areas that you have talked about, we will give you all the necessary support for the benefit of our people,” he said.

Commending the all-inclusive leadership style of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Eno lauded the FHA helmsman for taking steps to collaborate and ensure synergy between the federal agency and governments of the respective states proposed for the project.

This, he said, was similar to the Akwa Ibom approach, where the government does not embark on any project without engaging the stakeholders to know the actual community needs per time, expressing hope that other federal agencies, like the NDDC, would take a cue from the disposition of the FHA.

He reiterated his commitment to supporting and collaboratively working with the President Tinubu-led federal government for the general good of the people, irrespective of their different political affiliations.

“We want to make our people happy and I think that is why God sent us here. We can show to our people that our brother is up there and is helping to bring things back home and I thank Mr. President for being a father to all.

“For us in Akwa Ibom, we will work with him because he is doing his very best. I don’t have to be in APC to support him. So I make it very clear, I am a member of the PDP, but I will support Mr. President always,” Governor Eno affirmed.

In his earlier presentation, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, said housing was a critical component of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government and thanked the Akwa Ibom State Governor for readily supporting FHA’s Diaspora City project with land donation which, he stressed, was a priority requirement for the project.

According to him, besides coming to solicit for land, the FHA under his watch will be willing to collaborate with the state government in the areas of design, the actual building and ensuring off-takers for houses, while assuring of optimal and judicious utilisation of the allocated land.

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Revealed: Governor Umo Eno’s Communication to Senator Akpabio and His Response

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

Admin

… Hosts State Banquet in Honour of Senate President, Akpabio

Governor Pastor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State is reaching out to the federal government to foster collaboration aimed at accelerating the development of the Ibom Deep Seaport and an Oil Palm refinery.

Speaking at a State Banquet organised in honour of the president of the 10th Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio at the Government House Banquet Hall, Uyo, he urged the Senate President to help facilitate the projects for the good of the State and country at large.

He noted that it is a privilege and a blessing for the State to have a Senate President under his leadership as State Governor, and urged him to bring the dividends of democracy back home.

According to him, “Your Excellency, I had some requests while we were in my office, and I want to please make it public, they’re just three. The first thing I want to request is that you help facilitate a partnership with the Federal Government on the Ibom Deep Seaport.

“The second request is that we want to partner with the federal government to develop our oil palm plantation and to have an industrial oil mill in this state. This is the kind of thing that will bring employment and benefit our people. Finally, Your Excellency, we would like to pay a Thank You visit to Mr. President across party lines. We would like to go thank him for standing by you and supporting you.

“Your Excellency, we thank you and we want to assure you that we will continue to collaborate with you to bring development to our state and our nation at large,” he said.

Governor Eno appreciated President Bola Tinubu for the support given to an Akwa Ibom son to emerge as Senate President and assured the President of continuous support to enable him succeed.

“We want to thank the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We thank him for standing by you, and supporting the vision of your colleagues that today, Akwa Ibom has the number three citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“That’s the joy we have and that is the prize we carry, and we will continue to assure you that we will partner with you, partner with the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the Governor added.

The Governor who had earlier recieved the Senate President in his office on a courtesy visit, appreciated Sen. Akpabio for his visionary leadership when he served as governor of the State, and urged him to do even more as number three citizen of the country.

Pastor Eno who was elated by the visit, said “Your Excellency, it is very clear from Psalm 133:1, “how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! For me as a person, I believe that God brought me here by grace to bring about reconciliation. There is this saying that “together we stand, and divided we fall.

“Tonight, that portion of scripture has come tru3

Sitting here again as a man who laid the foundation and built this edifice many years ag is heart -warming . I know you have been in Akwa Ibom State many times, but this is the first official visit of the distinguished senate president to the seat of Government of Akwa Ibom State.

“We do not take it for granted. We want to thank God for lifting you up as a beacon of light for our State. We want to thank your colleagues that found you worthy to be made the leader of the Senate, and the Senate President,” he said.

He appreciated all his predecessors for laying good foundation for the state saying, “we have a very proud genealogy, and each and everyone of you that went ahead of us have done such a fantastic job that our role is just to keep maintaining like you have noticed and attempt to add few more things by the grace of God.”

The Governor appreciated other Senators for the support shown their president and especially for accompanying him on the courtesy visit as well as the gala night, and urged them to keep up the team spirit.

Earlier in his remarks, Senator Godswill Akpabio appreciated Governor Umo Eno for his spirit of peace and unity, and described him as an apostle of peace.

He specifically appreciated the Governor for the honour done him by the warm reception and for always identifying with him and others irrespective of political party affiliation.

Senator Akpabio commended the Governor for his achievements so far, and urged him to continue the good works and strive to do more.