Umo Eno, governor of Akwa Ibom state, says any member of his cabinet who abandons him at public functions risks immediate dismissal.
The governor gave the warning on Friday in Uyo after he was reportedly left behind by some commissioners during an official engagement.
“Starting today, I’d like everyone to hear, because when they hear that I’ve fired the commissioner in your local government, it’s insubordination,” he said.
“It is wrong for the governor to go on an appointment if nobody else follows him.”
Describing his commissioners and special advisers as his “first 11″, Eno harped on the need for loyalty, presence, and protocol, restating that every appointee must show full commitment to the responsibilities of office.
“I do not announce where I will go. It is mandatory for my commissioners to ensure that they take me either back to the office or to the lodge,” he said.
“And if I stop by anywhere, there can be issues that will be raised. So the commissioner in charge of that will attend to me.”
The governor said he was alarmed that some appointees now routinely disappear after official engagements, a practice he insisted must stop.
“A situation where we go to a place, I leave the place, commissioners take off to what I don’t know,” he said.
“This is a full-time job, 24-7. And so if any commissioner is busy doing their thing, they are not yet ready to be commissioners.”
Recalling his time as a commissioner, Eno said he never left his governor behind and would expect the same commitment from his team.
“I was commissioner myself. I had never left my governor behind. Today is the last day I make this statement, and I’m doing it publicly,” he said.
“Anytime I leave an event, I stop by anywhere, let the commissioner pray that I don’t look for that commissioner.
“If I look for that commissioner, the commissioner is not there, the commissioner will lose his or her job right there and then.”
He said his simplicity should not be mistaken for weakness, adding that his election was a product of overwhelming public support.
“This has to stop. We are running a government. And the fact that I’m simple doesn’t mean that I’m an appointed governor,” Eno said.
“I’m an elected governor with overwhelming votes of the Akwa Ibom people. And if we are not ready to work for the people, then we should stay at home. That’s a clear warning.”