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SENATOR EFFIONG BOB MUST BE JOKING.

 



I laughed uncontrollably when I saw a resurfacing issue I declined to comment on about a week ago.


The issue of Senator Effiong Bob labelling their minions  as "uneducated"


Maybe Senator Effiong Bob is amazed and perhaps ashamed of how poor their work of installing mediocrity as councillors over the years is that he had to let loose of his conscience by labelling their puppies "uneducated".


The senerio to me is rather humourous because it is an open secret the selection process involved in appointment of local government councillors across the state.


For a would-be councillor, just know or have a political godfather, whether from your political enclave or not, with a phone call, you are sure to take the podium and wowed your constituents with astonished stupidity.


The only thing is that you should get your First School Leaving Certificate ready and you are good to go and display sarcastic idiocy.


You won't spend a dim on your elections (after all there is no such thing). They will empower you with a seat in the local government legislative council to go and sit down, sleep if you can and get your salary.


Your input do not even matter in matters of the council because you don't even know from your left to your right. You were only sent there to get your salary, money they would have used in giving you formal education.


Effiong Bob has made a fool of himself to me because this thing is their thing. Yes! It is their thing. They have made fool of the third tier of government, the local government.



The local governance is now like a village talking drum where those with the drum sticks beat it at will. 


Chairmen are boys to the governor but they are were elected, if only they were not selected. They have made the local governance look like a fool's paradise.


Those that are selected won't even dare to question anything because most of them were never the preferred choice. They only had their way to the alter because they were ready to concur to the demands of the CHIEF PRIEST.


The CHIEF PRIEST will call the appointment of his minions elections just to fool those at the grassroots. He will say "what do they know about the ways of the gods."


That's what we have here. Government at the grassroots.

Yes! To the very grassroots that's why mediocre and incompetents councillors is spread across our state just like butter is spread out on a slice of bread.


The worst is that, most councilloers can't even  move a motion for anything. They concur to just about everything.


In one LGA, I was told most of them do not know what tentative budget is all about, how to draft it or where to place figures, that's why some local government council goes about running  without budget.


"The councillor representing my ward in council is there in the village taking snuff while his seat at the legislature council is empty but he is representing us" (name withheld).


The above senerio captured the kind of councillors that spread across the local legislature councils in AKS.


I even heard that they fought over figures in the budget in one LGA over proposed project the chairman was to carry out a ground breaking for.


Not that they fought for the estimated cost of the project but most of them have never set their sights on a budget before.


Pitiable isn't it?


Don't envy them but pity them. Most may return from this errand services without a roof to cover their heads. An errantry services that may yield good return for investment for those who sent them.


By the turn of next year, after the selection process, this same mishap may befall us as councillors of our respective wards and i laugh for 'UDUK IDUNG'.


✍️ Patrick Ekong

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