The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has declared war on member representing Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Emman Ekon and Chairman of Essien Udim Local Government Area, Hon. Nse Ntuen over their physical attack on former Speaker of Nigerian Youth Former Parliament and member representing Nsit Ubium in the Akwa State House of Assembly, Hon. Onofiok Luke in Ika Local Government Area recently.
This position was made known by Vice President Special Duties of NANS, Comrade Ubon Marcus in Abuja while leading students to the National Assembly to submit a petition against Hon. Emman Ekon to Speaker Aminu Tambuwal. The student leader, who said that they will also submit a similar petition against Hon. Nse Ntuen to Governor Akpabio ordered ALUTA FORCES to give Hon. Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen treatments deserving of a dishonorable member and dishonorable chairman respectively, wherever they are found.
Comrade Marcus lamented that despite the efforts of Governor Akpabio to unify the state, Hon. Emman Ekon and Hon. Nse Ntuen are determined to polarize the Akwa Ibom on ethnic basis and vowed to stop them. He described the manhandling of Hon. Barr Onofiok Luke as an ethnic agenda piloted by Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen describing them as social/political misfits and ethnic warlords.
According to the NANS Vice President, “it is rather unfortunate that Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen have decided to ridicule the efforts of His Excellency Governor Akpabio at developing and unifying the state by introducing an ethnic agenda aimed at destabilizing the administration.
As lovers of democracy and followers of Governor Akpabio we have to resist this. Since his assumption of duties in the National Assembly, Hon. Emman Ekon has neither raised a single motion nor attracted dividends of democracy to his constituents.
As Chairman of Essien Udim LGA and Akwa Ibom ALGON Chairman all Nse Ntuen could do was embezzle state funds to the United States where he was arrested by the Maryland State Police Department in August. The S82, 000(USD) found on him would have been enough to pay the much needed bursary to students of his Local Government Area. Yet all the Council Chairman could do was stowaway with such funds to the US at the detriment of the masses.
We decided not to react by then so as not to further drag the name of our state in the mud. With this recent act, Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen have pulled the last straw that has broken the camel’s back” he stated. He called on the EFCC to begin an immediate investigation of the incident.
The petition submitted to the House of Representatives by NANS states in part that “as lovers of democracy, National Association of Nigerian Students condemns the physical assault on Hon. Onofiok Luke by Hon. Emman Ekon and Hon. Nse Ntuen. Rather than focus on issues, they choose to engage their fists. Well we do not blame them.
They lack the rational ability to engage Hon. Luke in an intellectual discourse. In life you cannot give what you don’t have. Since they lack the intelligence, they had to use what they have which is their bare hands. What have they done for democracy? Emman Ekon sits there in Abuja doing nothing.
Nse Ntuen stole money and was arrested in the United States. Yet they have the effrontery to raise their hands on Onofiok Luke: a man who upheld the rights of students as President of University of Uyo SUG and fought against fee increment, served diligently as Speaker of Nigerian Youth Parliament, and has touched the lives of not just his constituents, but that of every Akwa Ibom person as Hon. Member of the State Legislature. Therefore, an attack on Onofiok Luke is an attack on democracy. We have to resist this.”
In a similar development, the Uyo Senatorial District Students Assembly has condemned Hon. Emman Ekon and Hon. Nse Ntuen for manhandling Hon. Onofiok Luke. Speaker of the group – Comrade Justin Pius, while addressing journalists described the development as worrisome and urged Governor Akpabio to call them to order immediately.
He called on students of Uyo Senatorial District to get ready to take action against Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen as will be directed by the National Association of Nigerian Students very soon.
Also, the Etinan Federal Constituency Students Assembly (EFCOSA) in a strong worded statement has told Hon. Emman Ekon and Nse Ntuen to prepare for war. According to them, “you cannot touch one of our own and expect to go scot free. Prepare for war” the Association’s Speaker Comrade Imoh Essien stated.