Efio-Ita Nyok|27 November 2015|5:37am
Like Ifere Paul very recently observed, the Governor of CRS has assumed another dimension in his campaign of clamp down on critics of his administration.
Initially, the governor employed the services of 'attack dogs' popularly referred to as, Ayade Media Rats, (AMRs) notable among which are Christian Ita(Chief Press Secretary & Special Adviser -Media), Inok Solomon(Personal Assistant -Media) and Eval Asikong(Personal Assistant -Social Media) to perform the highly intellectual and sensitive work of doing the Public Relations(PR) job for his office, which among other things implies articulating the policy focus of the governor, and by implication replying to critics of government.
Secondly, His Excellency resorted to compromising and meddling with the social media accounts of these critics. For instance, Ifere Paul, Joseph Odok, Princewill Odidi, Efio-Ita Nyok, etc all had their Facebook, Email, phones, etc bugged. The Special Assistant -Media, was fingered to have engaged the services of a professional who was paid the whooping sum of twenty million naira (N20, 000, 000 ), obviously from tax payers' money, to perform this unwholesome duty.
Thirdly and more recently, the government have resorted to employing the services of state security apparatus to primarily intimidate his critics. On Thursday 26 November 2015 Joseph Odok sent me a text on social media which read thus:
'Your invited to Zone 6 Police Hqtr Calabar. On Monday 30/11/15 to react to allegations of Threat to Life reported by Sen. Enoh. The police just sent this to me.'
We understand that the governor is resorting to using his aides, political allies and unsuspecting and gullible sympathisers to cast aspersions on his critics. He never and has never responded in person to his critics per se except in very isolated instances. This explain why accusing fingers are pointing towards the office of the governor in this latest dimensions of 'operation clamp down on perceived enemies of government'. Now, Senator Owan Enoh, the senator representing the Cross River State Central Senatorial District in the Senate, has been invoked to take the battle a bit further. This is so disgracing and disappointing.
These dudes have done all things possible to muffle the voices of critics ranging from using highly abusive words which in itself is a sign of emotional mismanagement, making hate speeches and willfully lying to smear the image of these critical eggheads of government which demonstrates a degree of intellectual misfits for the job they are employed to do. Instead of succeed in their PR responsibility they failed. They rather justified the critics, made theses critics popular but rendered their principal disenchanted with the public. As it stands now in the state, even the foetus in the womb knows how dishonest Governor Ayade is; and this feat is courtesy of the critics. These AMRs have failed woefully in their executive and non executive roles despite the fact that they have tax payers' money at their beck and call. They are now exhausted.
However, I am asking His Excellency to ply a more honourable path of employing experts who would do a better PR job for him. The present guys are not good in this role, they may be better somewhere else. Secondly, I am asking him to respond reasonably to his critics by listening to their position, faulting them where necessary or bowing to their superior logic if he means well for the state. In this regard, he should understand that his critics are the voices of the masses; and it is said that 'the voice of the people is the voice of God'. In other words, let reason prevail. Nigerians are wont to resort to force instead of reason. Again, HE should perceive his critics as friends of his administration (FOHA). They mean well not harm. And being a professor, he should know better.
To resort to force in resolving the logjam between the government and the critics of government is to 'radicalise' these critical eggheads, if you don't mind, Your Excellency. You make them unnecessarily popular and influential. And John C. Maxwell, the American leadership expert will say 'leadership is all about influence': Sir, you are transmogrifying your critics into legitimate leaders of schools of thought by resorting to 'force' of any kind to kick them into 'shape'.
I wish to employ this medium to assure Barr. Joseph Odok of the continued support of this media outfit, to wit, negroidhaven.com in view of the anticipated victory in the ongoing battle. Come Monday we will be with him at the police station and we will defeat the enemies of the state, for we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth. We also wish to encourage him never to be discouraged in his whistle blowing for light has never prevailed over darkness. Light will prevail again on Monday against the dark shade wearing governor!
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Writer, Blogger & the Editor of negroidhaven.com
