…harps on need to tackle hunger
Prominent clergyman, His Grace Prophet Ekong Ituen, has called on Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, to urgently address the issue of hunger in the state, even as he praised the administration’s strides in infrastructure and housing.
In a statement released on Thursday, Prophet Ituen who is the Founder and Spiritual Leader of Christ Deliverance Ministries, CDM, Lagos, said he was in the state recently for missionary work and observed both progress and pressing hardship among residents.
“You are a good man with good intentions for AkwaIbomites but do something about hunger in the State because there is so much hunger in the land,” the prophet said.
He acknowledged that the governor has made efforts to eradicate hunger, but alleged that some government officials were undermining those efforts.
According to the fierce Prophet: “Some of your commissioners and aids are sabotaging your efforts. I urge you to look into the activities of these commissioners and aids so that your efforts will not be in futility, because most of them could not defend you and your efforts in your absence”.
Despite the concerns, Prophet Ituen commended the governor for visible development projects across the state. He singled out the ongoing transformation of Victor Attah International Airport, describing it as a project that positions Akwa Ibom on the global map.
“I saw an airport that made me look twice. Victor Attah International Airport is being transformed into a gateway to the world — the finest of its kind in Nigeria today. International flights, an aviation village rising beside it. A terminal that would not look out of place anywhere on earth,” he said. “I stood on that tarmac and asked myself, quietly, ‘Is this truly Akwa Ibom?’”
The cleric also highlighted the state’s housing intervention for vulnerable citizens. He cited examples in his own village, Ikot Nkan in ONNA Local Government Area, where he said two new homes were built for poor families.
“An airport may announce a state to the world. But a home given to a forgotten family announces government to the forgotten,” Prophet Ituen noted. “This is the mark of true leadership, as true leadership must touch both the skyline and the soil.”
The prophet stressed the responsibility of moral voices in society. “Let it be known to all that a Prophet who sees good and stays silent has failed his calling, as much as one who sees evil and says nothing.”
The governor’s office is yet to respond to the prophet’s call for a review of appointees’ activities.
