Dr Dorothy Thompson, former Chairman of Akwa Ibom Hotels Board and a member of the Vision 20-20-20 Exercise of the Federal Government, Chairman of Ethical and Attitudinal Re-Orientation Commission (EARCOM). She is a University don and one of the rare astute female politicians in the state. In an interview with Ibom Telegraph, she speaks on her appointment, the programmes of her Commission, politics and sundry issues. Excerpts:
Today, you are the Head of a Commission that borders on our daily life and people sometimes tend to overlook some of those things. Are you bothered?
EARCOM is a Commission that should be in every state because the way the society is going is quite traumatic. There is need for us to fall back to the values that we knew about, the values that we understood, and values that are moralistic. Our society is made up of mixed multitudes; you see people that think and plan evil; people that are straightforward in whatsoever they do; people that are cold, calm and calculative; people who are constructive in whatever they do. Therefore, why we are here is to re-engineer the society, bring back our Christian practices. We have been known to be very hardworking, hospitable, peaceful people and people that love God but because of cross-cultural relationship, a number of things are beginning to shift, move out of the norm and values of a typical Akwa Ibom person. So we are here to bring the people back on track so that they can be ethically sound and have a complete turn around in their attitude towards life in general.
So far, what progress have you made in this regard?
When we came onboard, precisely in August 2017, we tried to get our blueprint for the Commission in place. We thought of what to do to announce our arrival and so when Akwa Ibom turned 30 in September, we had a cultural infotainment that showcased Akwa Ibom values and the achievements of Governor Udom Emmanuel to the people. We have quite a number of programmes lined up. We have started some jingles on cultism, peace in Akwa Ibom State, rape and kidnapping. During the 30th Anniversary of the State, one of the performances that stood out at the Banquet Hall was from EARCOM. It was well applauded because we brought in a lot of information in the choral presentation that we had. We have so many other things to do. For instance, we will be sensitising the public on ethical and moral issues, going to churches to talk to people about our values. We also want to embark on mobile skills workshops so that we can engage the youth, most especially the secondary school students, to get them equipped with requisite skills so that when they come out of schools, if there is no work, they can fall back to what they learnt. So we have a lot of activities in our Action Plan but we are taking them one by one.
Do you have any evaluation template to measure the impact of what you are doing?
EARCOM has been in existence for a while and you know society is dynamic. Changes keep coming in and going out, but we have seen some good modules that talk about feedback from the society. We will need to modify quite a number of things. So, we are yet to come out with a programme of action as far as feedback from the society is concerned.
Coming from the teaching background, how did you see your appointment and how have you been able to fit in?
When I got this appointment, though it took me by surprise, but as a University don I knew there is absolutely no spheres of life that I will find myself wanting. So, I was happy and thankful to God, His Excellency and the wife, for finding me fit to occupy a position like this. I have been in politics over a period of time now. I have been a Chairman of Hotels Board of AkwaIbom State; I have been a member of Secondary Schools Board; I have been a member of Primary School Board; I have also served in the Vision 20-20-20 Exercise of the Federal Government in the Culture, Tourism and National Reorientation and I have also been a Federal Board member. So I am not new in politics. It is just that for quite sometimes, I decided to stay within the University community where I understand the language well because I believe that you really have to be a different person to thrive in politics. I think the case of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration is different because different kinds of persons have been brought in to help realise and actualize the AkwaIbom project, that is the divine mandate.
So far, what have you identified as challenges to social cohesion in Akwa Ibom State?
Akwa Ibom is one state named after God but unfortunately, some of the challenges we have noted have to do with ethnicity and tribalism. The Annang or Ibibio person, whether consciously or unconsciously, keeps emphasizing on his tribe, whereas it is not supposed to be so. This has actually distorted the flow of things in Akwa Ibom State. At this point, I want to thank Governor Udom Emmanuel so much for coming to serve the people with the divine mandate and the Dakkada philosophy. If you take time to actually read and interpret the Dakkada Creed, you will see that the Creed is a little beyond the natural philosophy of things. It has some spiritual connotation to support the divine mandate. The tenet of the Dakkada Creed is not supposed to bring about ethnic or tribal division or gender bias, but to bring us together irrespective of our dialectical leaning of Annang, Oro or Ibibio. As a matter of fact, I believe the Dakkada Creed is supposed to shape the behaviour of a typical Akwa Ibom person because when you read and understand it, it will help us. That is why we all should memorise the Dakkada Creed but everybody is taking it for granted. We are still doing the same thing the creed prohibits like fighting one another and pull-down syndrome. I want to believe, if we go back to the Dakkada Creed, we will see that it is actually a philosophy and document that is supposed to be in every Akwa Ibom family and be known by every Akwa Ibom person. It is supposed to be used to guide our action.
The International Worship Centre has been trending for awhile now, is that project really needful?
Everything about Governor Udom Emmanuel is a process. Somebody came in and declared he has the divine mandate; the next thing was the Dakkada Creed, which has really given him the impetus to go about industrialising Akwa Ibom State, even in the phase of inadequate resources. The next thing was to think in the directing of bringing religious tourism into the state by creating a place that will attract people to the state. The Governor is doing this as a way of ‘seeking first the kingdom of God.’ I don’t want to be too religious, but I believe before Governor Udom Emmanuel decided to come up with an International Worship Centre, he must have received divine instruction for setting a rare pace in leadership. No Governor has ever thought of doing this in Akwa Ibom State. We want to believe this project is very needful now because this is a different area of development in the State and by the time that place is finished, you will see the number of people that will be employed there, and people that will throng into the state.
Is it wrong for people to criticise Government’s projects which is wrong or not in their best interest?
I don’t think it is wrong. We have every right to criticise. We in academic we do a lot of critique. I want to believe it is not wrong to criticise the Government but it must be done constructively. Don’t condemn or say things that are not good. Sometimes people go on to write some things even in the social media and I don’t I know why law of libel, sedition and defamation are not applicable in social media. Sometimes people insult the Governor and our elders so much all in an attempt to exercise freedom in the social media. Criticism should be done constructively. Write things that, if you are asked, you can defend. Your writing should be based on facts and evidence. So that is my submission.
How is your Commission helping our youths to look away from politics as the only occupation?
If you check the statistics of some of these youth, you will discover that some of them are either graduate or undergraduate in Universities. Some of them may have come out without job and they think politics is a free zone they should venture into and do whatever they like. That is why EARCOM, under my watch, is coming up with a programme called Mobile Skill Workshop. We want to move round the 10 Federal Constituencies to develop skills in youths, even those ones coming up from secondary schools, so that by the time they graduate, they would have had something to fall back on and earn a living from it. You find out that most of these youths are quite experienced in their various professions, but this idea of thuggery sweeps across and they no longer rely on what they can do. Recently, during a workshop organized by the State Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, I told the youths about the danger of engaging in cultism and I cited the shameful end of IsoAkpafid in Ukanafun Local Government Area that was gunned down. I told them why they should be morally sound and I used the Speaker of the State House of Assembly as an example. Every youth can excel in his or her profession. I have excelled in academics in diverse ways. My Doctorate Degree thesis won the First Prize Award nationally. I told the youths if they engage in vices, they will end shamefully. But if they are diligent and distinguish themselves, they will be looked for. You know our Governor and his wife are always excited to give support to youths that are diligent and hard working. If the Governor identifies you as somebody who possesses some kind of skills, the state will not waste time supporting such a person to make sure the person is encouraged and thrive in that area.
There seems to be some paradox here because some of these youth spend their energy to bring politicians into power, the same people then turn around to warn them against what they have been patronising. Don’t you think so?
It is very unfortunate. While I was in the workshop organized by the police for youth, a youthcame up to say that most of those they fight into office, once they enter, they will not come back to settle them but they have now decided that next time if they are called to fight, they will tell the politicians to first go and engage their relations in the shoddy deal.That is change. It shows that our youth have realised that what they have been doing is not good.In one of our bill boards we have made our message clear by encouraging people to support Governor Udom Emmanuel’s fight against kidnapping, cultism, violence and rape. Any fight that has to do with killing, the Governor is seriously against that because he is an instrument of peace and progress.
We know that Child Right Law was signed into law by the former Governor but there seems to be no corresponding compliance from parents. Do you have any programme in this direction?
Yes, we have. In this state we have free education for children and there is a stipulated time for them to be in school. We are planning a sensitisation programme that will cut across different populations of Akwa Ibom including parents, church leaders, and in a fortnight from now, we should be talking to Principals of schools on cultism. We want to liaise with them to see how we can bring these activities to the barest minimum. I want to believe by the time we go round talking to these groups of people, so many vices will be minimized even if they are not curbed entirely.
At what point did your Commission lose steam in its operation compared to when the likes of Eseme Eyibo and Chief Patrick Ekpotu were here?
People have been telling me can your Commission come up to be like the days of Eseme Eyibo, but I do tell them in this era we will perform better. We are just three months old and when we started, it was like coming to put life back into a place that was dead. We know putting back life into a place doesn’t just start like that. Somethings must be put in place. There must be plan of action and resources to do that. I want to say we are still on the drawing board and when we kick-start, we will not stop. I am very optimistic that we will perform better because we have a solid plan of action in place.
If you were asked to identify the most important programme of Government, which one would you go for?
I think somebody has asked me this question before and when I told the person what I will go for he laughed. I told him aside from my Christian faith, whatsoever the Governor has done; I give him kudos for the Dakkada creed, because it is like an anthem for Akwa Ibom. It is a document that encapsulates many philosophies and principles, including togetherness and peace. So if every Akwa Ibom persons were to take this creed as important as National Anthem, honestly we will not have division. We will not have rancour. We will live together without discrimination. If we all abide by the tenets of Dakkada Creed, Akwa Ibom will go to a greater height.
Do you think we have upheld the principles and ideals of our forebears, 30 years after the creation of Akwa Ibom?
We are moving to greater heights. With technology in place, with the 5-Point Agenda of Governor Udom Emmanuel, I want to believe we are moving step by step and day by day to greater heights. Don’t forget Arc. Victor Attah, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Governor Udom Emmanuel have contributed immensely to the state since the return of democracy in the country. Governor Udom Emmanuel has done so much as far as industrialisation is concerned, and he has done a lot in terms of political inclusion. It was like we are going to forget about Oro nation but all of a sudden, the Governor appointed SSG and today everybody is speaking the same language because of the political inclusion. I want to believe the Governor, as a financial guru, is going to take the state to the level we have never seen before. By the time the Governor completes his first term and moves into his second term, he would have put certain things in place, things we will look at and remember him. For me, if there is nothing, the International Worship Centre is enough.
How about the number of churches we have in the state?
Yes we have many churches in the state but this is an international worship centre. If I were Governor, I would have named that place Akwa Abasi Ibom Church so that everybody will know they have a stake in the project. That is tourism potential. Akwa Ibom State is going to be the Jerusalem of Africa. Many people will be coming to Akwa Ibom like we go to Israel.
