Essien, Inyangeyen face off: Emmanuel bars government functionaries from talking to the press

Essien, Inyangeyen face off:

Emmanuel bars government functionaries from talking to the press.

 In its attempt at ensuring that information released to the public on the activities of government, the Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel has bared all government functionaries from making press statements without his approval.

The directive came via a press statement from the office of the SSG.

Investigation by peesreporters.com on the novel clampdown of any form of press releases or interviews  by members of the state Executive Council, Special Assistants, Senior Special Assistants, members of boards and parastatals, revealed that there had been infighting among members of the executive council and other appointees of government due to divergent interests in the 2023 governorship election.

It was also learnt that most of the governor’s aides have already pitched their tents with would be governorship aspirants and were in the habit of making unguarded statements on government activities to the embarrassment of the governor.

Peesreporters.com recently gathered that the media face-off between an elder of the party and former minister, Ndueso Essien and the enfant terrible of the Udom Emmanuel’s administration, who is also the Commissioner of Works, Ephraim Inyangeyen, in the media, on the failure of the government since 2015, provided the platform for the  media clamp down by the governor on government functionaries except the information commissioner and the Chief Press Secretary.

The statement reads:

GOVERNMENT OF AKWA IBOM STATE OF NIGERIA

PRESS STATEMENT

GRANTING OF PRESS INTERVIEWS

As part efforts to streamline and ensure a coordinated approach to information management and dissemination, the Akwa Ibom State Government has directed that all government functionaries, including Commissioners, Special Advisers, Members of Boards and Commissions, Special Assistants and other Personal Aides of the Governor, should henceforth desist from granting press interviews without the permission of His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel.

The Honorable Commissioner for Information and Strategy as well as the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor are exempted from this directive. They will continue to carry out their functions accordingly as the spokespersons to the State Government and His Excellency the Governor respectively.

This directive takes immediate effect.

Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem

Secretary to the State Government