2015: WHY UNOMA MUST GIVE AKPABIO TRIPLETS. Ibe Mbakwe sells biscuit at Watt Market in Calabar with his twin brother Ikenna. Though from Abia State, they were born and bred in Calabar. Biscuit is a cash cow so business has been relatively good over the years. But this did not stop Ikenna from crying profusely the day he was informed his wife put to bed quadruplets (2 boys and 2 girls). That was 8 years ago. He has virtually kept away from his wife (you know what I mean) and Akwa Ibom girls generally for fear of another baby boom. But Ikennas poison is Ibes meat; Ibe wants quadruplets or at least twins, he just loves them. So he married from the same family as his twin brother. His mother, late Uyai Mbakwe was from the same Ndiya village as their wives and she had two sets of twins all boys and one single, a girl. Though Mary Slessor spent greater part of her life at Calabar taking care of twins, good chunk of the twins were of Akwa Ibom. Imaobong, his wife would give him at least twins if not quadruplets like that of Ikenna, his twin brother, he assured himself. After four years with no sign Ibe started visiting hospitals and native doctors. Various tests revealed no medical issues with either him nor his wife. Finally he cried to his Pastor who prayed with him and advised him to strictly use missionary method each time he meets his wife (the family way). Ibe complied. After another two years of strict family method, the wife took in and gave birth to a baby boy. Though he named his boy Akpaso after his Pastor, Ibe wasnt so happy. He couldnt understand why he could not have at least twins having done all that his twin brother did and they are from the same stock. Something must be wrong with him, he concluded. But unknown to Ibe, neither his wife nor he has any medical problems. He only needed to understand that no two situations in life may be exactly the same. Gov Akpabio of Akwa Ibom and Gov Pater Obi of Anambra are very good friends. They are both high performing governors though from different political parties. Their exit plans share some similarities. It is no longer news that Peter Obi has successfully installed Willie Obiano, an Executive Director from Fidelity Bank as his successor. Akpabio is widely known to have plans for Udom Emmanuel an Executive Director from Zenith Bank. But Anambra is not Akwa Ibom State. Firstly, Anambra is homogenous. The indigenous ethnic group in Anambra state are the Igbo (98% of population) and a small population of Igala (2%). Akwa Ibom is multi-ethnic with the Ibibios forming about 60% of the population followed by Annang about 25%, Oro about 12% and others. When anything is on the table, this factor plays out. Anambra politics is historically routed on godfatherism from Mbadinuju to Chris Ngige and now Obiano. Though sycophancy is the oil with which politics is eaten in Akwa Ibom, godfatherism only thrives at the LG level where election takes the model of North Korea. In North Korea you only have one candidate per position pre-approved by the authorities. You are expected to go to the poll and cast a yes vote. You dare not write nay or worse still you dare not absent yourself from voting. Election at the state level in Akwa Ibom is however different; no godfather has succeeded to date to install a governor. Another unique characteristics is that if you win, you are in soup, if you lose, you are in soup. Anambra has Onitsha Market and Nnewi industrial city. These two institutions provide platforms for a vibrant private sector and means of livelihood. Like most Ibo societies the concept of Social Capital as a factor of production is a cinch. The social capital mechanism enables a chap without previous means or capital base to become a business owner if he is willing to be attached to a business man who has a successful going-concern. The chap in question serves the master for a number of agreed years during which time the chap is empowered with knowledge of the business. After that, the said master further empowers him with financial capital and technical assistance to start-up on his own. This process is the largest employment engine east of the Niger. It also provide a cushion for youth energy and restiveness. Akwa Ibom on its part has a moribund private sector. Government is the highest, if not, the only employer of labor. Therefore theres no alternative to politics; at least in the immediate term. All eyes and all hopes are on politics. There is therefore a lot of idle energy especially among the youths which must find outlets. Inspite of these however, Gov Akpabio either inadvertently or by design has run a closed-circuit administration in the last 6 or so years. This has yielded a lot of good fruits as it has enabled the administration to conserve funds which it channeled to infrastructural development. By the law of opportunity cost it means less money in other areas of development. The major contracts are carried out by multinationals whose head offices are miles away from Uyo; and only a tiny fraction of their earnings re-injects back into the state thus denying the state of the benefits of reciprocity in the circular flow of income. This generally left the indigenes hollow economically despite the spate of infrastructure springing up all around them. Inspite of these few still find access to good money. As is the case with every close-circuit system the few that manage to find their ways to some level of economic empowerment becomes accentuated with a larger than life image because they are relatively few. Unfortunately a fraction of this few lucky ones seem to have some direct relationship with Akpabio. This give the impression of family favoritism even though that is not the case. A few of the governors relations too seem to have thrown caution to the bush and have displayed a level of highhandedness and flamboyance which is strange to the Ibibios. These multi-factors explain why Gov Akpabio spends so much time in every gathering talking about projects which are physically on grounds but which the people seem not to have seen. This close-circuit government also engender suspicion in the minds of the people so much that despite the numerous projects on ground, some of which Akpabio financed from deficit, some people still believe he has something to hide. With all these variables it would be political suicide for Akpabio to continue in his quest to install Udom Emmanuel. His detractors simply believe he has something to hide and they have gone to town with it. Some well meaning indigenes of the state know that Akpabio means well. He has demonstrated love and an uncommon courage to transform the state. He has sacrificed a lot in the last few years and he would naturally want to hand over to a worthy successor. But he should not lose sight of the sociopolitical and economic complexity of the state. Akpabio has shown leadership by directing that Eket Senatorial District take the next turn. This is right. Every well thinking Akwa Ibom indigene is behind him on this except the ones with personal rather than collective agenda. Akpabio should also show leadership by proving to ESD that everyone is his. In doing this Akpabio should have a set of triplets, either from our dear First Lady UNOMA or from the people so long as each of the 3 Federal Constituencies in ESD is represented. Political triplets all of whom he would adopt and given fair chances to go to the field. This arrangement would not be the most perfect but undeniably the most expedient in the present circumstance. If he nurtures these triplets fairly and is seen to be fair any of them that eventually emerges would be loyal to him within human limitations. This unique and novel arrangement is the tsunamis that would make the field too turbulent for anyone who is out to truncate the sacrosanct zoning process of the state for personal reason. This way the war on zoning would not only be put to rest but we would all survive the zoning peace. BY JAMES ABANG
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 09:44:57 +0000
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