PRESS RELEASE
Our attention has been drawn to a rejoinder originating from the media handlers of Ikono Local Government Council Chairman, Hon. Oto-Obong Essien, responding to the Guide Newspaper’s news report with the headline: “Ikono Teenage Footballers Stranded in Abuja, Abandoned by LG Boss,” published yesterday, Sunday, November 9, on our online newspaper platform.
Ordinarily, we would have ignored such article aimed at covering up the public blunder committed by Hon. Oto-Obong Essien. However, as a long standing Media Organisation in Akwa Ibom State reputed as an alternative medium for the masses to voice out their grievances and concerns whenever their rights and privileges are denied by public officials, we wish to reiterate our facts concerning that publication as follows:
1. That as a media house, we stand by our report which was carefully verified before publication. To put our records straight, on Sunday afternoon 9th November, we received a distressed call from a group of teenage girls under the care of Elegant Angel Football Academy owned by Hon. Oto-Obong Essien, who were on a mission to represent Akwa Ibom State at the ongoing football tournament christened U18 10th Senate President’s Cup taking place in Abuja, lamenting that they have been abandoned in an open space without accommodation and any provision for feeding since they arrived Abuja, on Saturday night for the football tournament. Acting on this concern, we quickly sent our correspondent in Abuja to visit the venue where the distressed girls had settled to verify the situation. On arrival, our correspondent met the girls who were already physically strained and famished settling behind an uncompleted building in Abuja which every security conscious Nigerian understands the volatility of the city. Hence, we decided to make a report from the situation which was necessary to save the children.
2. We are appalled that Hon.Oto-Obong Essien rather than acting conscientiously and seeking public forgiveness for exposing the young talents from Akwa Ibom State to such danger, prefers to use her paid media handlers to spew insults on our publisher and the Guide Newspaper for daring to defend the vulnerable teenagers from Akwa Ibom State who sought succour and public intervention through our medium.
3. An attempt to cover up this public blunder by discrediting the Guide Newspaper’s report and further spewing lies against its management team is a clear display of Hon. Oto-Obong Essien’s ineptitude in handling issues of public welfare.
4. We therefore call on the good people of Ikono to carefully watch and document Hon. Oto-Obong Essien’s instances of gross insensitivity to issues of public welfare and ensure that they do not entrust her with any leadership position in the nearest future.
5. We wish to state categorically that no amount of intimidation or insult will stop the Guide Newspaper as a medium from providing our platform as a reliable medium for the oppressed, abandoned, exploited and vulnerable members of our society to ventilate their views, pleas and grievances.
6. In summation, we warn the Chairman of Ikono Local Government Area, Mrs. Oto-Obong Essien, to stop sending her aides to stop spew further insults on The Guide Newspaper but rather seek respite through the available legal channels provided by the law whenever she feels uncomfortable with our report(s).
Signed:
Management
(Attached: Video evidence of the stranded teenage footballers in Abuja, on Sunday afternoon 9th November, 2025)
