Obong Victor Attah and his league of REGRETS. Before you crucify me please READ with CARE. Recent events fills me with REGRETS that I am not accessible to him to the point where I could make secret advice than have to resort to open writing. I REGRET falling in love with Akpabios Administrative style than Attahs. I REGRET being an Ibibio son at a time as this when we are struggling to proof our strength in attempt to disparage anothers Administration. I REGRET having to write this piece yet I must. Going through Attahs Speech of 5th September 2014;three things if not four stand out; (1) OWNERSHIP of The Akwa Ibom Idea. Let me start by telling you about something that happened in 1987. I was living in Kaduna and about the middle of that year, I received a message from the Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, GCFR. He sent to ask me if I was no longer interested in a state for my people. This happened because for a long time I had, with respect and within the limits of friendship, harassed him to create a state for us. When it did not happen, I gave up. This message therefore came as a bolt from the blue. I was shocked, but ecstatically surprised. I was asked to present yet another request for a state which I did. Sometime after that I was invited to the office of the Coordinator of National Security (CONS) at 12 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, and was asked to draw a map of what I thought should constitute the new state. (2) REGRETS on Succession. Since leaving office, I have frequently been asked if I have any regrets and my answer, without hesitation, has always been no, none at all. I have also quite often been reminded that success without a successor amounts to failure. So with the benefit of time, I must now confess that I do have one painful regret. The one regret I have is that, though I left office with a successor, I left office without succession. (3) INCITING the Unsuspecting to correcting his past error of failed succession plan and Intention to correct such mistake by being involved without reservation nor caution in the choice of who governs us because of pride. Today, our resolve must be that collectively we shall make a succession plan. Collectively we shall choose a successor to implement our succession plan. The collective will of all of us, and only our collective will, shall prevail. For those of you who will tag me etok anyin usong enyin please read in-between lines and please read my lips, I am not a party to this Political madness of the Ibibios. In the days of the Yellow king of the Ancient Chinese what we now smile at in the Arena of power would have landed many in the jaws of hungry lions. That this is Democracy and because we are the majority should not make us think we are gods,who can act with impunity against constituted Authority. We can not ignore the great Achievements of Attah in helping make Akwa Ibom State Richer from federal allocation ; (4) TOO MUCH MONEY I do not have to recount the battles that were fought within that Conference but suffice it to say that at the end of it all, it was declared that derivation will stand at not less than 13% and dichotomy shall not apply. You can therefore imagine the shock and disbelief that greeted us when, after being sworn in, we were still receiving derivation payment at 1%. If the battle within the Conference to raise the percentage was brutal, the fight to get President Obasanjo, GCFR, to implement it was vicious. When, at last he was forced to accede to the 13% payment, he reintroduced the obnoxious principle of dichotomy between onshore and offshore oil production. This hit us with the force of a tsunami that brought on the next phase of the battle. With your total support, we found the strength to stand firm and fight on till God, in His loving mercy, came to our rescue by way of a Bill from the National Assembly to which the President assented. When President Obasanjo signed that Bill, even though it was he who had started the whole debacle, I felt so overwhelmed that I sat down and composed a letter to him. Attahs Speech of 5th September shows he believes there is an existing unfinished project which he must of a necessity have a final say; SUCCESSION. my take. Attah deserves accolades beyond the standard of 5th September but something is wrong somewhere. Could you Imagine Nelson Mandela attempting such show of superiority in the face of Apartheid and still be the hero of south Africa cum the world? I see more REGRETS looming 5th September 2015. Patience is a virtue but we have not allowed Attah enough time to heal his anger against the present Administration. Frustration,more pains and frustration follows where hatred and desire for vengeance reigns supreme in the heart of mortals. The Reception might have been great,but the Timing and Intentions flaws the essence. REGRETS. Micheal Joseph Okon,writes from Ituk-Mbang,Uruan LGA.07036688283(SMS)
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 17:37:51 +0000
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