By Inibehe Effiong
If there is anyone in Akwa Ibom State that has been a victim of sponsored online falsehood, that person is Inibehe Effiong.
What have they not written against me? What has the government and their online trolls not said about me?
Politicians in Akwa Ibom State have been paying and hiring so-called government bloggers and their media aides to write all manner of defamatory things against me.
In 2018, the state government went as far as sponsoring the publication of false articles on the internet that I ran mad after I strongly criticised Pastor Adeboye for attending the foundation laying ceremony of the ecumenical centre that governor Udom Emmanuel wants to build.
A serving Commissioner paid people to write that Inibehe Effiong had gone mad because he criticised a man of God.
They have tried several times to malign my character by claiming that I forged my CGPA while in the University, which is a very stupid thing to say since students do not have control over their CGPA records. CGPA is controlled by the Examinations Officer and students rarely have access to them. No serious academic institution will graduate a student that forged his or her CGPA. But the Akwa Ibom State Government through their stupid paid bloggers have peddled this lie against me.
The same government is arresting people for alleged online falsehood just because our security agencies have reduced themselves to slaves of corrupt politicians.
There is no politician in Nigeria, dead or alive, that can say that Inibehe demanding money or any other favour as a condition for not speaking out against him or her.
On the contrary, politicians in high places in government have always tried to buy me over but to no avail.
I therefore find it insane that the same politicians in Akwa Ibom who are known for sponsoring bloggers to defame people are suddenly seeking to educate the public on what defamation and blackmail are.
The Akwa Ibom State Government led by Udom Emmanuel is the most shameless government in Nigeria.
Is it not this same Governor Udom Emmanuel that appointed a very notorious, retarded and criminally minded young man that parades himself as a “priest” of the African Church as his Media Aide?
This so-called media aide to the governor is a known criminal element. He tried to extort me by offering me an Award in exchange for money. I rejected the award.
The same idiot purportedly ex-communicated me from the African Church; a Church that I have no association with and have never attended in my life after I led a massive protest against the building of the Akwa Ibom Governor’s Lodge in Lagos.
The African Church had to suspend him but governor Udom Emmanuel rewarded him with appointment.
This particular media aide has written all manner of falsehood against prominent people in Akwa Ibom State that are opposed to the government. But Udom Emmanuel rewarded him for lying against public figures on social media and appointed that criminal character as his aide.
It is the same governor that is now talking nonsense about people spreading lies against his government.
I can mention several people in the state that are on the payroll of the government and politicians for the sole purpose of telling lies against opponents of the government.
The same system that breeds and sustains this criminal enterprise is now hypocritically arresting and jailing people over social media comments.
Some people always accuse me of being rude and disrespectful towards the governor.
How can you expect me to respect leaders who behave like rascals and promote criminality? If I don’t like you, it will be obvious. I don’t pretend.
It is annoying to see people falling for the hypocrisy of the governor and his aides. Governor Udom Emmanuel himself has lied many times. Many of his commissioners and aides lie shamelessly to the public.
But you want me to listen to their stupid lectures about lies and blackmail.
Power is transient.
Udom Emmanuel was not known in Akwa Ibom State before he became a governor. He was one of the many Executive Directors in Zenith Bank before Akpabio selfishly brought and imposed him on Akwa Ibom people.
It will be foolish for anyone to now think that the governor can silence all his critics by using the SSS or the police. Only a fool will believe that some of us can be intimidated by these childish actions. I am not playing god. But I know my rights and will defend my rights till the last day.
If people are to be arrested for spreading lies, it should governor Udom Emmanuel and his appointees.
Please note what I have said here is my personal opinion as a citizen of Nigeria from Akwa Ibom State. I am not saying this in my capacity as a lawyer to anyone.
The SSS and the Police should stop the silly arrests of critics. Nobody will respect them if they continue to act like the private militia of the Akwa Ibom State Government.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Effiong is a Lagos State based Legal Practitioner
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