"Because they are deep into blood money, they will not know that 20,000 Akwa Ibom youths have been trained in various skills, or that the sum of 2billion naira interest free loans has been given to small scale entrepreneurs and traders in the state. They are also blind to notice a substantial difference on the roads they ply to their villages that over 1700 km of roads and 35 bridges have been newly constructed by the Udom administration"

*GOV. UDOM VERIFIABLE PROJECTS AND THE HYPOCRISY OF BLOOD-MOMIED CRITICS 

By Tom FredFish

There is definitely something about blood money. Defined as money obtained at the cost of another person's life, it can thus be articulated in many folds. One, blood money can be money gotten from the usage of someone for rituals. Two, money paid by a killer or a killer's clan to the family of a person who has been killed as restitute. Three, money paid to damage/ kill another person's reputation for parochial reasons. In all these, the perpetrators end up regretting their actions. 

In the movie "Blood Money" written and directed by Chico Ejiro in 1997, a man lost his bank job and was drawn into the world of rituals and the only way he felt he could make it in life was by taking the life of another, the wealth came but not without repercussions. 

One of Nigeria's oldest movie "Living in Bondage" whose popularity after its release opened up Nollywood to the world, saw Andy Okeke (Kenneth Okonkwo) kill his wife for rituals to become wealthy and most certainly, this came with repercussions, leading to his madness.

There is precedence for the above scenarios in the Bible. As some will recall that Judas Iscariot immediately after his betrayal of Jesus Christ, regretted his action, returned the 'blood money' he collected and committed suicide. 

At the 2015 presidential election where Goodluck Jonathan was said to have been hounded out of office, there are unsubstantial reports that the APC paid millions of dollars to activists and media practitioners who worked against Jonathan. Many of them have regretted that actions - Dino Melaye, Dele Momodu, Omoleye Sowore and many other journalists / agencies were "hired" (involved in blood money) to dish out black propaganda that sent Jonathan packing. 

Today, there is a resurgence of blood money critiques especially in Akwa Ibom State masking the critics of the Udom administration to the aphrodisiac "the more you look, the less you see" aphorism. These have led many overnight activists, journalists, media consultants to turn blind eyes on the many verifiable projects of Governor Emmanuel. 

The blood money they collected can never make them see anything good in Udom Emmanuel’s administration. They are blind to the fact that Akwa Ibom State now houses two world class factories - the Electric Digital Metering Solution Factory and the Syringe Manufacturing Factory which happen to rank the largest in Africa. They are blind to see or read; and deaf to listen to news items on the resuscitation of the peacock paint industry, established pencil and toothpick factories, fertilizer blending factory, the plastic manufacturing factory which is almost at completion stage, the workings at the Ibom deep seaport and Industrial park, as well as the flour mill and coconut refinery factory which work is at advanced stage. 

Because they are deep into blood money, they will not know that 20,000 Akwa Ibom youths have been trained in various skills, or that the sum of 2billion naira interest free loans has been given to small scale entrepreneurs and traders in the state. They are also blind to notice a substantial difference on the roads they ply to their villages that over 1700 km of roads and 35 bridges have been newly constructed by the Udom administration. 

Because these people are professional blood money critics, they will never notice that there are no more flood at the Nsikak Eduok also known as 2lane road, Uyo, neither will they believe that there has been an upgrade at the airport main runway to category 2 as well as the construction of the 2nd airport runway. 

Who will open the eyes of these blood-monied critics to see that there have been construction and upgrading of secondary health facilities across the state? How do we convince people involved in blood money journalism that the state acquired over 25 containers of state of the art medical equipment and that over 4,000 malnourished children have been given relief with free screening and treatment for over 15,000 people for various eye diseases? 

Who will tutor these children of the Biblical "Doubting Thomas" that Akwa Ibom youths are now fully involved in agriculture courtesy of the agricultural policy of the Udom administration where about 450 youths have been trained on cocoa maintenance, oil Palm and cocoa seedlings and engaged in vegetable green houses and in Akwa Prime Hatchery. 

Do we need Jesus Christ to anoint these blood money critics before they realize that Udom Emmanuel’s administration sustained the free and compulsory basic education in public schools irrespective of the recession experienced by Nigeria after the entrance of the APC? How do we convince the hypocritical blood money critics that Udom’s administration has constructed and renovated about 208 school blocks, procured and distributed free textbooks and educational materials, regularly pay subventions to public primary and secondary schools, settle WAEC fees for indigenes in public secondary schools every year, and has strategically intervened in the infrastructural development of tertiary institutions in Akwa Ibom State? 

How do we explain all these lofty projects of the Udom administration to the blood money critics who, rather than contribute to the developments of their state, see nothing positive but negative about their state?

Following precedence of perpetuators of blood money, no one can convince them until they meet their Waterloo. No one can forcefully open the eyes of people who have made up their minds to do evil. Darkness has never overshadowed light, not yesterday, not today and not tomorrow. Udom Emmanuel’s projects are surmounting in all nooks and cranny of the state for those who have eyes to see and these projects are what observers believe would earn him a second term. 

Whether critics see his many verifiable projects or not, one thing is certain, no one indulges in blood money without repercussion. We don't wish them bad but can only pray for them to have long life and see how Udom will be sworn in for a second time come May 29, 2019.

_Tom FredFish is a public affairs analyst_