Burying the Ghost of Blackmail

Mr. Udom Inoyo

Ernest Robert Udoh

No sooner had the dizzying winds of Valentine ebbed than the Radar Newspaper resonated with a subject matter that had gained whispering traction across our clime. The subject of this malicious whisperings is Udom Inoyo. We would recall that some persons with a penchant for unverifiable tales had characteristically woven imaginary tales of hate to discredit Inoyo and cast him as the only man who could hire and fire in ExxonMobil.


For some time, the rumour mills have been agog with tales of how Mr Udom Inoyo terminated the appointments of some Spy Policemen about two decades ago. And that he blatantly refused to pay them their entitlements. Some have even claimed that Inoyo has refused to employ Akwa Ibom indigenes into ExxonMobil.

All these collective amnesia are products of unverifiable hearsays and hate. And history is replete with such misconceptions that even great men have been buried in the heaps of hate. Lies and unverifiable tales like bad news travel faster than sublime and edifying tales. Such is the nature of all things denigrating. Perhaps the reason for such ease of reach is the propensity for it to provide sauce for beer parlour garbs and other similar places where people while away boredom with spurious imaginations.

Just as in all blackmails, these allegations were finally put to rest by Comrade Rasaq Obe, the current Chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), ExxonMobil Producing Nig. Unlimited (http://radarpapers.ng/2020/02/17/spy-police-mpn-crisis-pengassan-exonerates-udom-inoyo/

The insightful interview which can be accessed online clearly outlined the many roles Udom Inoyo played as the then head of Human Resources to ensure that Akwa Ibom people and other Nigerian employees were protected. He still does.

Perhaps more instructive is the revelation that Udom Inoyo even in his capacity as the first indigenous Vice Chairman of ExxonMobil is an employee just like others who must adhere to the statutory policy of his employers. Can Udom Inoyo be fired if he misfires? Absolutely YES the interview seems to suggest.

Blackmails have lived with us since creation that a Bhudda once advised, if you propose to speak, always ask yourself: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? These basic and fair principles are about fair play. Comrade Rasaq Obe by this interview with the Radar Newspaper has finally buried the ghost of blackmail on the subject of the disengagement of the aforementioned Spy Police. 

Mbók Yak Isóng Odot Ukáná Ndién.