Offiong Aqua, an Akwa Ibom-born analyst based in the US, has criticised Umo Eno, governor of Akwa Ibom State, over remarks in a viral video in which the governor appeared to rebuke citizens who tried to reach him by phone.
Mr Eno, in a comment made during a church event, had asked, “Am I your receptionist?” while expressing frustration about calls from members of the public regarding the 76 oil wells controversy with neighbouring Cross River State.
Speaking on his The Offiong Aqua Show aired on YouTube on 7 March, Mr Aqua said the governor’s remarks reflected a troubling attitude toward public criticism.
“Akwa Ibom is too big to be ruled by insult,” he said. “If you are truly a pastor-leader, your mouth should not be a whip.”
Mr Aqua, a clinical professor in the departments of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Communicative Sciences and Disorders at NYU Steinhardt, a US university, argued that elected officials should expect direct engagement from citizens because public offices are funded by taxpayers.
“In a democracy, you are not a deity. You are a public servant,” he said. “People will call you because the office you are holding is a public office.”
He said frustration from citizens often stems from socio-economic conditions and concerns about governance, including complaints about infrastructure and public services.
“When children sit on bare floors to learn, and people are struggling, they will ask questions,” he said. “That is accountability.”
Mr Aqua also spoke against what he described as dismissive language used by the governor toward critics, including describing some as “old content creators” seeking revenue from online platforms.
“When citizens speak, they are accused of chasing Google money,” he said. “But when government aides dominate the same platforms, it is called public enlightenment.”
Mr Aqua also referred to statements attributed to the governor about revenue inflows, including a claim that the state had not received its 13 per cent derivation allocation since September 2025. A PREMIUM TIMES investigation had exposed the claim as contradicting a record published by a federal agency.
He argued that the appropriate response to criticism should be transparency about government performance.
“If you have a credible record, you bring receipts. You publish budget performance reports and show the projects you have done,” he said.
PREMIUM TIMES investigations had shown that under Mr Eno, Akwa Ibom had slid deeper into fiscal secrecy.