Uyo Official Disagrees with Flood Control Report After Backlash

The Chairman of Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA), Anietie Eka, has distanced himself from a report that praised the Akwa Ibom State Government’s flood control efforts. This report faced heavy criticism for seeming insensitive to victims of the severe flooding in Uyo on Thursday.

The report was written by Godwin Edet, personal assistant on media to Governor Umo Eno. He claimed that the governor’s investments in roads and drainage infrastructure helped prevent a worse disaster. This was despite the flooding that submerged homes, businesses, and major roads in the state capital.

However, many residents and commentators were outraged. They questioned whether it was right to celebrate government achievements while hundreds of families were still dealing with the aftermath of one of Uyo's worst floods in recent years.

The situation worsened when Mr Eka told PREMIUM TIMES that the report did not reflect the official stance of the authority. He urged the public to check the report published by the agency’s Information Officer, Uduak Otu, which was very different from Mr Edet’s version.

“I did not authorise that report,” Mr Eka said. He added that the only approved statement was the one released through the information office.

This contradicts Mr Edet’s claim that the chairman had reviewed and approved his report before it was published. When speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Edet defended his report. He said he wrote it from a “pro-government” viewpoint.

“Understanding that I am pro-government, it was necessary to defend the government and also highlight the developmental strides of the governor towards controlling flood,” he explained. He admitted that the headline sparked criticism.

“I have had calls from some of my colleagues that the headline was not necessary, that people felt the government is insensitive and that the story is sycophantic,” he said. “The fact is that a lot of people are building on drains. I did that on the position that the government is working hard over this.”

Mr Edet also mentioned that he personally suffered losses from the flooding. “I am also a victim of that flood incident that happened yesterday. So, people are just too emotional about it,” he noted.

He felt it was important to reassure the public since Mr Eno was out of the state when the flooding happened. “I thought it was necessary because a lot of people expected the government to visit the homes of the victims but because the governor was not in town, he couldn’t. As the aide to the governor, I needed to highlight that the government is working.”

When PREMIUM TIMES told Mr Eka about Mr Edet’s comments, the UCCDA chairman rejected them. “He forwarded a write-up and I thought he sent me the report from my office that he wanted to share. I told him, ‘Fine, go ahead’,” he said.

“It was later that I saw a write-up on Facebook where people were analysing the report. I read the story and I was surprised. I called him and asked what he wrote. I told him he shouldn’t have done that. He should have stuck to what came from my office.”

Mr Eka added, “When did you start taking someone’s story to analyse? I didn’t give him approval for that.” Mr Edet, when contacted again with the chairman’s response, insisted he had sent the draft to Mr Eka before publication.

But he admitted he never clearly told the chairman that the document was his own rewritten article and not the official statement. “I picked the report from the information officer, wrote my story from a pro-government angle, and sent it to him. He replied, ‘Okay, nice.’”

He said it was only later that Mr Eka told him he would not have approved it if he had known it was different from the report from his office.

The report caused backlash on social media. Many accused government officials of focusing on their image rather than showing empathy for residents who lost homes and livelihoods. Journalist Nseabasi Valentine wrote that praising the government while flood victims were counting their losses showed poor judgement.

Another journalist, Ndifreke Enefiok, called the publication “wrong and insensitive.” She said, “Government officials should know when to pause with praise singing. Many citizens have lost their property and source of livelihood.”

Environmental commentator Ittakke Ekah argued that blaming flooding mainly on buildings on drainage channels missed other serious issues. He said poor drainage planning and blocked waterways also contributed to flooding in the city.

Maurice Aniefon criticized the focus on publicity instead of good governance. “Governance is not content creation. Stop chasing the cameras and start fixing the drains,” he wrote.

This controversy arises as residents question the state’s readiness after earlier flood warnings from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, which predicted heavy rainfall before Thursday’s flooding. Public criticism also follows growing scrutiny of agencies responsible for urban planning and flood management in Uyo.