The Rise And Rise of Umana Okon Umana By Eventus Edem Even his most vitriolic critic cannot pretend not to notice the spontaneity and natural flow of events around him. They were devoid of the emptiness and banalities that often characterize most senior public officers in this clime. Whether in a remote village or at a local government headquarters, or the state capital, people trooped out in large numbers, lined the routes whenever the people have a scant idea of the visit of this man commonly referred to as the conscience or the unseen hand in the current globally acknowledged uncommon transformation in Akwa Ibom State ably led by our dear governor His Excellency Chief Dr. Godswill Obot Akpabio. For Mr. Umana Okon Umana the longest serving Secretary to State Government (SSG) Akwa Ibom State, providence is the key word. In his political career, spanning about a decade, he had had his life shaped by providence most times. In Yoruba mythology, the destiny of a child is invariably shaped by his name or forces around him. I don’t intend to bore you about this man’s background since I am not very close to him, but what I have I will give unto you which were sourced from an independent research we carried on this quiet but highly successful public servant and consummate politician. Most people spoken to who had an encounter with Mr. Umana Okon Umana attest to the fact that he is a man of goodwill. While a typical rural dweller openly confessed to his efforts in drawing government’s presence to their area which before the advent of the Akpabio’s administration could not have a faint idea of the so called dividends of democracy apart from watching on television. Those in government circles particularly those close to the corridors of power at Hilltop Mansion Uyo also attest to his good qualities and humane disposition to the less privileged. Hon. Onofiok Luke before now was one of the closest aides to the state Governor before fortune smiled on him and he was promoted or elected into the State House of Assembly to represent his constituency as a member and Chairman House Committee on Appropriation. At a recent public function in Uyo, the said lawmaker poured encomiums on the persona Mr. Umana and told an excited crowd how he as the then Commissioner for Finance without relating with him, paid his tuition fees and accommodation for two years while in the University, and spoke of how he also touched several lives. The crowd erupted in laughter and appreciation. For Hon. Iniobong Okon Essien, the Governor’s barber who also served in my cabinet in Uruan Local Government Council as a supervisor for Education commented this way when asked to assess the SSG: “Chair, this man is unique and a wonderful man. He is very loyal and dependable to the system. When he is before the Governor, regardless of his age and experience, he consults properly on every important State matter. He behaves like a child and I wouldn’t be surprise if he goes far in this government” That was about two years ago. Some of these testimonies and prayers from well wishers may have been the tonic that sustains and permeates the success story of Mr. Umana Okon Umana who was described as a seasoned technocrat by no less a personality than the governor himself who swore in this Nsit Ubium born business tycoon and political mogul in June 2007 as the State Chief Scribe. Before now, his career in the state civil service witnessed a steady rise as he rose to become the pioneer Permanent Secretary Budget Office in 2002. One year after, when Barr. Effiong Bob, former Attorney General and Justice Commissioner who hails from Ubium plank of Nsit Ubium Local Government Area got elected as a Senator of the Federal Republic Representing Uyo Senatorial District, it would have been the turn of the Nsit people to produce the House of Assembly member for the area, an office Hon. Elder Aniefiok Moses Thompson another Ubium native who as the Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly was re-contesting for a second term in office. He finally did so and his people massively returned him to office although he lost the post of Deputy Speaker in 2003 to Hon. Emmanuel Ekponyong (a.k.a. Tempo) who hails from Nsit Atai State Constituency. I laboured to draw your memory lane to this incident because it was when the people of Nsit Clan complained of marginalization and neglect that the erstwhile Governor of Akwa Ibom State Arc Obong Victor Attah made a promise to Nsit people during one of the rallies that he will fix their problems in due course without giving much details. And the rest is now history as Obong Attah upon his victory at the polls for his second term in 2003 redeemed his pledged to Nsit people by appointing their Son into his cabinet as Hon Commissioner for Finance. That man was no other than Mr. Umana Okon Umana. In that office apart from using his expertise and past experience to fix the State’s finances, he was also made Chairman of the State Inter-Ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee which also exposed him much to the public glare. Sorry for the little digression. Love him or hate him, Mr. Umana remains a very important figure in the present administration in the State. At the start of Governor Godswill Akpabio’s Second Term, when all the members of the State Executive Council and Personal Assistants and other aides of the Governor were relief of their appointments, there was intense pressure on the governor to drop the Secretary to the State Government SSG Mr. Umana as he forms his fresh cabinet in 2011. Key figures in Akpabio’s immediate family as well as influential socio-political groups in Annang nation; such as: Afe Nkuku Anang, Itai Afe Anang etc were approached by political opponents of Mr. Umana who were against his come-back bid, especially when the attempt to send him to political wilderness by way of a less fancied political appointment in Abuja had failed. According to the anti-umana strategists, “Godswill Akpabio’s election as Governor is not for Annang alone as he governs Akwa Ibom state. The Senate is given to Ikono, for the first time no Annang man or woman is in the Senate. And to make matters worse, the ministerial slot has been given to Oro via Prof Ita Bassey Ewah. So what is left for Annang people is only the SSG”. “So if you like yourself stand up and fight for your rights, and the time is now!” That was the swan song from these strategists who were setting this kangaroo trap for Mr. Umana to fall from grace to grass. Tension engulfed the people of the State at Uyo Stadium on May, 29, 2011 after Gov. Akpabio’s inauguration. The same Mr. Umana was called upon before a massive crowd in the full glare of national television to perform a job that he has over the years been accustomed to, to move a vote of thanks on behalf of the new government. By so doing, the organizers made conscious efforts not to attach any office to his name as he was called to make a speech probably to continue to cause tension and anxiety within the political terrain. Even as guests later converged at ultra modern Le-meridian Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo later that evening, the matter was still discussed in low tones. Few days later, the big masquerade was by his brother’s side sorry (his Boss) to assist in the swearing -in of the new Commissioners/Special Advisers, it however, became clear that the chicken was coming home to roast. Since then, the man continues to experience sunrise, as the government recently marks six years in office with just two years left before the current democratic administration comes to an end. Apart from this minor travail, Umana is indeed a lucky man. Immediately he was drafted into politics via his appointment as Commissioner for Finance in June, 2003, luck began to shine on him and his people. This is a man who for one day, never lobbied to be given any political appointment but suddenly became what many describe as the engine room of the government. During this period under review, about four minor Cabinet reshuffles had taken place as the administration attempts to garner fresh hands to achieve set goals. Surprisingly, in six years, the Akpabio’s era that took off, on a friendly turf as a man of goodwill and climax as an uncommon transformer has produced three Deputy Governors (Engr. Patrick Ekpotu, Mr. Nsima Ekere and Lady Valerie Ebe) while the Cabinet itself has undergone some tinkering in keeping with government’s transformational agenda. However, it is the latest minor Cabinet reshuffle which saw the emergence of additional five cabinet members in what unarguably has been tagged as the last lap of the administration with Mr. Umana as part of the integral component of the uncommon transformation train, that informs this piece. This five feet, six inches tall man, who only a fortnight ago was robed with a traditional title of “Obong Idorenyin Eket” (Hope of Eket Nation) by no less a personality than the Paramount Ruler of Eket HRM Edidem Nathaniel J.E. Oduenyi certainly deserves our congratulations for his accomplishments over the years. Mr. Umana does not like to take credit for the achievements of the present Government he gracefully serves. Instead, he returns all glory to God and his Boss, the Governor. Hence his loyalty has never been doubted. Hear what Gov. Akpabio had to say about him recently at a public function: “I wonder what life inside the Hilltop Mansion (Akwa Ibom Government House) would have been if Obong Umana Okon Umana were not by my side. I never lost sleep over him in the performance of his duties. Over the years, he proved himself a level headed and dependable ally. Umana not only stood in for me on several critical occasions but in trying moments, he remained calm and consistent, performing his official duties as SSG with unflagging dedication and commitment to the compound interest of the government and the people of the State”. The Governor had spoken which gives an additional impetus to the general acceptability of Mr. Umana’s stewardship in the government of Akwa Ibom State. With 2015 bell currently ringing in most parts of the State, it behooves on Mr. Umana to weigh the options available to him and choose what would be in the overall best interest of the people who are looking up to him to provide the needed continuity and effective leadership to Akwa Ibom and its people! Dr. Edem is the Special Adviser Public Affairs-Great Akwa Ibom Project (GAP).
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:27:34 +0000
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