By Darlington UDOBONG
Your Excellency, Arc. (Obong) Victor Attah, when the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly on Monday, the 19th day of November, 2018, passed a motion urging Governor Udom Emmanuel to name either the Akwa Ibom State University or Ibom International Airport after you, as a memorial for your statesmanship, it suddenly dawned on me that you have completed yet another full cycle of your birth at 80. The act itself is an epoch feat on the side of government; after all you are called Eduek Ekpe, the father of modern Akwa Ibom. But when I reminisce on this, several things came to my mind. First, it dawned on me that posterity always beckons whenever it should, not because we control it but because it must always and will surely come. Secondly, I have always believed that at its appointed time, every good work will be rewarded and that there is always a harvest after planting. Thirdly, I also believe it is high time we created leaders for our people, leaders with great and wonderful pedigrees; leaders who, when they stand or sit – even without saying a word – will be respected in the comity of leaders from other parts of the country. In this respect, you are one of the most respected of our leaders in politics; in architecture; in people’s rights advocacy and in environmental rights advocacy. Imagine a situation where we celebrate and honour our ambassadors who are leaders in their respective areas, people like your elder brother, Professor Ed Attah (Anatomy); Ette I. Ette (Engineering); Nnimmo Bassey (Environment); Professor Ebong Eshett (Soil Science); Udom Inoyo (Human Resources); Ray Ekpu (Media); Udeme Ufot (Advertising); Vincent Enyeama (Sports); Senator Ita Enang (Legislature); Obong Ufot Ekaette (Public Service); Atuekong Don Etiebet (Information Technology); Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem (Communications); Dr. Sunday Mbang (Episcopalism); Enobong Etteh (Labour Law); Mfon Usoro (Maritime Law); Ide Owodiong-Idemeko (Human Resources); Air Marshal Nsikak Eduok and Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga (the Military); Paul Usoro (Law); Ufot Ekong (Invention); Ini Ememobong (Public Relations); Abasiama Idaresit (Digital Marketing); Edet Amana; Mayen Adetiba (Engineering); Dr Mfon Amana (Computer Science), and many others. Akwa Ibom is richly endowed. We have pacesetters in every field of endeavours. All these great sons and daughters of Akwa Ibom, like you, do not need to speak before they are recognized in a gathering of leaders in Nigeria.
To honour you on your 80th birthday, therefore, is a thing of joy for me and all other Akwa Ibom person who feel our prophets lack honour at home.
I, however, wish the Udom Emmanuel-led Government, in deciding to let the ‘charity of honour’ start at home, should know that you are beyond seeking for ‘the charity of honour’ at home. You are beyond a sympathy symbol for the Akwa Ibom State Government, especially as the politics of 2019 gears up. I hope the Udom Emmanuel-led Government knows that you are an international, national and regional leader who does not need a sectional platform to gain respect for regarding the upcoming political arithmetic.
I say this because during your reign as Governor, you were Governor for all (Ibibio, Annang, Oron, Obolo, Ekid, Ibeno). We were the most united of all the people in the Nigerian by your leadership. During your reign as Governor of Akwa Ibom State, we were all Akwa Ibomites who worked with you to earn the respect of Nigerians. You became a rallying point and liberator of some sort for the people of the Niger Delta. The Ijaws, Itsekiri, Edo, Urhobo, Anioma, Isoko, Ishan, Kalabari, Ogoni, Ikwere, Andoni, Okrika and other tribes in the Niger Delta respected you (and they still do) and saw you as their leader during the battle for resource control and environmental rights. In your days as Governor of Akwa Ibom State, nobody knew where another came from. You created a level playing field for all the tongues that dwell in our land.
It is so different now. Even non indigenes ask us which tongue (mistakenly seen as tribes) we speak. The politics of one people, one destiny which you anchored your leadership on has been so bastardized. We are now several people, several destinies, not any fault of the current Governor but rather because we have ceased to see ourselves as one people due to the politics of the stomach which crept into our polity when you exited with the sound leadership principles of selflessness, discipline, integrity and commitment to the general good.
You are aware that your famed father, Chief Bassey Udo Adiaha Attah (of blessed memory) alongside the Late eminent Jurist Justice Udo Udoma, the Late eminent educationists, Professor Akpanoluo I.I.Ette, Professor Eyo Ita and Dr. Ibanga U. Akpabio and others (may their souls rest in peace) were ‘Merchants of Light’ of unity to even the generality of Nigeria. It is sad that many years after, instead of a united front, we are becoming a divided house.
Eduek Ekpe, you are a leader of leaders. As a leader of leaders, I know that you will engage yourself, especially at this moment, in the socio-political and socio-economic re-engineering of the Akwa Ibom project, one which you are the foundation. I take the Akwa Ibom project as a building under construction. Past leaders, I mean those that came before you, dug the foundation for the building to take off. You poured the foundation and I can say, you used solid concrete mix, the kind that can last a lifetime. You gave Akwa Ibom a superb master plan. For this, I give you kudos. Chief Godswill Akpabio did his own phase of the block work. Governor Udom Emmanuel is doing his own phase of the block work, he has even started building the pillars. Another will plaster the house. Another will roof the house. Another will put the ceiling etc. There is no end to the Akwa Ibom Project until the building is fully completed. Even at completion and the Governor at that time decides to paint the building, another one that comes after him will of necessity re-paint it and because paints do not last a lifetime, most of the Governors who will come thereafter will still do the repainting work. You can see why it is important to deal with the project now that it is still in the course of building.
I sincerely thank the Udom Emmanuel-led Government for the honour done you. It is apt. As a man who has fought severally to make sure justice, equity and fair play is not stood on its head, I believe you will continue to keep faith with the Akwa Ibom project, which you started. You should also fight to ensure that there is a level playing field for all who want to contest to lead our state to the next level, including those who, in defiance of the policy of rotation and zoning, still have the inalienable right to join the race.
In rounding up, I celebrate the foundation you laid to ensure that the performance of Governor Udom Emmanuel is seen in industrialization. I celebrate the depth of your vision in the Le Meridien Hotel, the Independent Power Plant, the Airport, the Shelter Afrique Housing Estate in Uyo, the 50-Unit Housing Estates in 31 Local Government Areas of the state, dualised roads like Edet Akpan, Nsikak Eduok, Atiku Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo, etc; and other foundation stones laid for the growth that we see today. Above all, I celebrate you for the fight to increase the revenue of the Niger Delta states from a paltry 3.5 percent to 13 percent. Only a good father leaves riches for his children. Happy Birthday, Eduek Ekpe, Happy Birthday, the father of modern Akwa Ibom.
Udobong, Managing Editor of Ibom Telegraph, writes from Ikpa Ikot Uneke in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.
