Nationnewslead reports that The Governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party, YPP Akwa Ibom State, Obong Bassey Albert, popularly known as OBA has come under severe criticism for verbally attacking his Governorship candidate counterpart in the Peoples Democratic Party in the State, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno.
OBA had during the ward to ward campaigns in Ibeno Local council of the State on Thursday challenged pastor Eno to publish the names of the 2000 employees he boasted to have, arguing that it was impossible for the hotel (Royalty hotel) to have such staff strenght.
He also stressed that the salary of the employees was not up to a minimum wage noting that a good number of workers in the hotel collect as low as N15,000 per month.
The YPP Guber candidate also taunted Umo Eno about his WAEC result asking rhetorically if a Managing Director of a company can employ a person with such a result such as his, to be a manager of his company?
OBA in his mockery statement which has now gone viral was heard to have said: “I challenge the Governorship candidate of PDP, Umo Eno to publish the 2000 names he claimed to have employed in his hotel bussiness. I put it to you that the employees of Umo eno, their salary is not upto minimum wage. He pays N15,000.
“If you are an MD of a company will you allow some body like Umo Eno with poor certificate to work in your company as a manager?
“If Umo Eno came to your company as an employee without certificate, will you appoint him as Managing Director of your company?
However, some concerned citizens of the state have shown disapproval over OBA’s comments saying that he failed to concentrate on issues and his blueprint and deviated to attacking fellow candidate who may be ‘better than him.’
One of the employees of the Royalty group (pastor Umo Eno’s company) who identified himself as Samuel Etim in an interview with our correspondent described OBA’s comments as propaganda disclosing that employees in offshore in the company receive N150,000 per month even as he challenged people to go and verify.
He noted that Royalty group is a conglomerate and not just a hotel stressing that the staff strenght of the group is over 2000.
Another insider, Udoma, argued that before you would be considered as a contractor in a multinational oil and gas company like Exxon Mobil for services(which Royalty group is into) you must have certain number of staff who you must be able to pay on your own and Umo Eno has fit into that space saying that the bussiness has been running for over two decades
He added, “We have also provided catering services such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, mid-night meals to over thousands of persons in about eleven MPN offshore platforms and Chevron, Agbami FPSO respectively.”
Also speaking, a Social Commentator and Critic in Akwa Ibom, Reverend Richard Peters described as petty and ridiculous the audacity of the YPP candidate to ask pastor Umo Eno to publish the names of his employees just to prove that they are upto 2000 people as he said.
He said due to privacy policy, companies even government don’t publish the names of their employees just to prove a point unless for an internal memo.
His words, “It is so sad that OBA is asking Umo eno to publish the names of the 2000 people that he employed. Very ridiculous and petty! Growing companies do not publish the names of their workers because of their privacy policy even a company as big as Dangote doesn’t publish names of its workers for the public, even government, except for an internal memo.
“For him to say that, shows that he has no knowledge of corporate governance and it is an attempt to mislead the people and defend himself of many years of ineffectiveness in governance. A person who has been in government for over 16 years, who could not build a kiosk for people to be employed or empowered people in his immediate community when he was the commissioner for finance and the chairman of the inter-ministerial cordinating committee?
He could not facilitate the renovation of the primary school which is his polling unit until governor Emmanuel intervened. a man who has been in the senate for 7years plus yet he could not bring any project to his district which is Uyo, look at Unyime Idem a first timer in the federal house of Assembly who has facilitated the construction of roads in his Constituency, Unyime Idem has facilitated the renovation of school blocks, hospitals and also created a direct impact to the people, just a federal house member and a senator could not be pointed at and said he was the one that did this.
Peters however advised OBA to borrow a leaf from the way PDP candidate, Pst. Umo Eno go about his campaigns, focusing on his ability to create more wealth and other things he would do for Akwa Ibom people and not smearing fellow candidates.
“So sad that a man of that calibre would allow political sentiments becloud his sense of reasoning and move him to making uncouth utterances. I am very disappointed over that, I had expected OBA to carry out his campaigns on issues and not on verbal attacks and mudslinging.
“I expect political candidates to tell us what they have in stock, when they are given the mandate. It is sad that they are going into propaganda and blackmail and the people are wiser. Umo Eno seemed prepared, if you listen to his campaigns, he focuses on issues, what he has done as an entrepreneur and what he would do when given the mandate and not to attack any of his opponents. In his conversations he deals with issues. I noticed that he has never attacked or ridiculed any of the party candidates.” He noted. Continue Reading
Contact: Nationnewslead.com
