It has come to my attention that a certain Daniel David Edon has again taken to Facebook to peddle half-truths and coloured narratives under the guise of “personal opinion.”
While every citizen in a democracy is entitled to an opinion, it becomes worrisome when such opinions are dressed in deception and targeted at discrediting a man whose performance speaks louder than a thousand online rants.
Ordinarily, one would have ignored this aged cry for attention. But when misinformation is tossed into the public space, silence may be mistaken for consent. It therefore becomes necessary to set the records straight for the benefit of right-thinking members of our constituency.
Let it be clearly stated, Hon. Okpolupm Etteh has been a unifying representative whose performance cuts across all four Local Government Areas of Eket Federal Constituency, Eket, Esit Eket, ONNA, and Ibeno. His approach has been inclusive, his projects visible, and his impact measurable.
I’ll be specific about Eket where I hail from, He’s built a six-classroom block at Ndue Eduo High School and equipped Government Secondary School, Odio with 40 computer systems powered by solar energy, to the School of Nursing, Eket, and parts of Idung Imo where he installed solar lights, Hon. Etteh’s presence is undeniable.
In Edeobok, he restored electricity to a community left in darkness for six long years. He also facilitated scholarships for indigent students and personally enrolled 200 Eket indigenes in the State Health Insurance Scheme, not for politics, but out of compassion.
In terms of job creations, the records are as visible as anything. From facilitating jobs in Federal Hospitals, to job placement for Eket indigenes in The Police Force and other paramilitary organizations to lecturing jobs, he has given Eket its pride of place as my Local Government Area and as the headquarters of the Federal Constituency.
In two years at the National Assembly, Etteh has conducted medical outreach for people of Eket LGA where thousands of Eket indigenes have been tested and treated of various ailments with major operations conducted as well.
Youths and women of Eket LGA have also been trained in Agriculture, Oil and Gas Sector in the pass two years.
These are facts, not Facebook fabrications.
It is therefore laughable that Mr. Edon, at over 70, would choose to mortgage truth for tokenism, reportedly collecting crumbs to attack a man young enough to be his son yet towering enough to be his role model. One would expect that at his age, he should be mentoring youths, not misleading them.
For someone who still struggles to convince his own community of his true roots in Eket, it is ironic to see him attempt to question the unity and equity that Hon. Etteh has painstakingly nurtured among the four LGAs of the constituency.
Hon. Etteh’s record of fairness and inclusiveness is not in dispute, except, of course, by those who profit from division.
This is not the time to play ethnic politics or fan the embers of old grievances. It is the time to consolidate progress. With the wealth of experience and national goodwill Hon. Etteh has garnered in the Green Chamber, returning him as a ranking member will multiply benefits for Eket Federal Constituency.
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Mr. Edon’s bitterness, however poetically packaged, cannot alter that reality. The truth remains that Ibeno deserves its full turn of eight uninterrupted years, and Hon. Etteh has proven beyond doubt that he represents every part of Eket Federal Constituency with distinction.
Let those who thrive on falsehood continue their theatre of mischief; history will remember facts, not Facebook fables.
Itoro Etti
Esit Urua Village, Eket
