The Association of Ebonyi Indigenes Socio-Cultural in the Diaspora, (AEISCID), has condemned in strong terms the protest by some Ebonyi youths against the Arise TV anchor, Rufai Oseni, stressing that available evidence indicated that they were sponsored by a few misguided individuals, many of whom are known former low grade political appointees and or members the disbanded Ebubeagu militia during the administration of former Governor David Umahi.
AEISCID specifically noted that the action of the sponsored youth who later fought over payment of their fees for the job, only reinforced the culture of sycophancy and intolerance that characterized Umahi’s uncommonly dictatorial eight years in office.
It also said that the activities of the ‘faceless group’ on the aegis of Concerned Youths for Distinguished Senator David Umahi, that demanded an apology from an Rufai Oseni over his altercation with the Minister of Works Dave Umahi recently need to be quickly checked.
The AEISCID further said that the sponsored scanty group of protesters that were looking forlorn, dejected and like an outnumbered horse”, could not and should not in any way be deemed as representing the broad voice of Ebonyi youths nor the spirit of people of the state.
A statement by Ambassador Pascal Oluchukwu, President of AEISCID in Abuja on Saturday, therefore called on genuine Ebonyi youths to rise above such cheap manipulation, and focus on their future by refusing to be used to attack journalists or institutions that stand for accountability and transparency.
Commenting on the verbal exchange of words during the Arise Tv interview, AEISCID noted it was a routine professional engagement where a journalist sought clarification on the cost of federal road projects under the Ministry of Works in line with the extant provisions of Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which provides that the Press must at all times hold government at all levels accountable.
In the words of Oluchukwu; “We note that such questions as posed by fearless Rufai Oseni to a public officer like the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi on the exact cost per kilometre of the Coastal highway are fundamental to transparency and public accountability; values that every public servant ought to embrace, not resist.
“It is therefore regrettable that rather than addressing the substance of public concern, certain individuals in Ebonyi have chosen to lend themselves as instruments of Umahi’s attack on the messenger, attempting to intimidate press freedom and conceal information about the very leadership records that has left the state’s economy and institutions in dire straits”.
The AEISCID specifically noted that during the eight years of Governor Umahi in Ebonyi state, Journalists were banned from Government House and some physically assaulted for asking questions on accountability, seeking clarifications or probity in governance.
It further said; “The Ebubeagu militia was widely accused of attacks on opposition members and citizens. Same illegal outfit was used to clandestinely abduct and torture journalists and social media critics and any opponent that dared Umahi.
“Transparency demands that no public official, past or present, should be seen to be above or as beyond the reach of the law,” it said.
AEISCID therefore called Arise Television, the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and the Nigerian public to ignore the antics of the self-serving group who seek to shield powerful figures from accountability.
It insisted that the majority of Ebonyi citizens, at home and abroad, were embarrassed by the conduct of the sponsored protest and by the interview that exposed a temperament unbefitting of a public officer.
AESID also called on Senator Umahi to learn to comport himself with the dignity his office demands, and to respond to public inquiries with facts and humility, as well as desist from actions or utterances that further damage the image of Ebonyi State and its people.”
The Ebonyi Indigenes group discribed the state as a land of proud, intelligent, and peace-loving people who cherish hard work, fairness, and truth; not rooted in sycophancy and propaganda.
“As we have done consistently, AEISCID will continue to speak for justice, good governance, and the collective dignity of Ebonyi people—wherever they may be.”
