One of the affected compounds It wasn't even a cat-and-dog rain on the night of Saturday, June 1, 2024. It was merely a cat-and-cat plaything. But an angry flood, like a gang of robbers, broke a fence, rushed into a compound and clobbered a retired director of SUBEB to death! Chief Anselem Etuk had a settled evening in his No 10, D- Line, Ewet Housing Extension, Uyo, residence. He discussed with some tenants, said good night to his wife in the adjourning room, returned to his chamber and went to bed. Akwa Ibom State Director of ISPON, Mr Ita Benson Utah, inspecting the collapsed fence, where the flood entered from. But behind his fence, unknown to him, a wicked and havoc-prone flood gradually gathered as the pitter-patter-sounding rain induced a calming sleep. The deafening bang of his collapsed fence startled him awake, just like it did to other occupants. Then, a rushing, cold liquid shocked him out of his sleepy state. Chief Etuk made to swim out of his room as the ...
Journalists across the globe want to be as free as the Shakespearean Ariel, with a parrot’s freedom of speech.
In “Tempest”, magician Prospero was so impressed by Ariel's matchmaking of Ferdinand and Miranda that he set the spirit being free.
But, hey, governments hate that kind of freedom and shouts with potentials to draw negative attention to them. Even when they aren’t working, the press should not voice it.
Sure, as the media community marks the World Press Freedom Day today, governments are quick to remind that even parrots can’t talk “anyhow”.
There’s this story of an ugly young lady who kept a parrot as a pet. Every morning as she passed by, the bird taunted her: “Nkechi! You woo-woo! Nkechi! You woo-woo!” That happened for weeks until a day she woke from the wrong side of the bed. As the pet said: “Nkechi!”, the lady shouted: “What?” Sensing trouble, the smart parrot merely said: “You know nau!” But it was too late. Its freedom of speech ended that day!
No sensitive government tolerates defamation, incitement, fraud, obscenity, child pornography, fighting words, threats, etc.
That’s why, in Akwa Ibom, for instance, Gov Umo Eno wants the media to draw his attention only “to issues of public good”. Indeed, other government officials solicit media cooperation mostly along that line.
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