Role of South-South at National Confab - We Need a Leader ASAP By Dr. Tom Mbeke-Ekanem During the last Constitutional Conference in 2005(?), I remember seeing Oronto Douglas who single handedly steered the direction of the South-South delegates. Chief Edwin Clark, the present Ijaw Patriarch, played no insignificant role. What happened to Akwa Ibom delegates then can better be imagined. Today, Oronto Douglas is the “de facto” president at Oso Rock and Chief Clark, the Nigerian “king”. When he speaks, Nigerians listen. Now the question is, who leads Akwa Ibom or the Ibibios? Weve read the submissions of various ethnic groups at each sitting in the ongoing Confab Committee. Akwa Ibom or Ibibio was neither seen nor heard. One gentleman rightly mentioned earlier that we are too busy zoning around the state. This reminds me of a man who was facing execution by guillotine. Moment before his head was to be chopped off he became worried about the look of his beard! With our insignificant role today in Nigeria, one is left to wonder how the likes of Chief Nyong Essien were able to play such a pivotal role in the 1950s to the extent that he participated in the trips to London for talks with the English colonialist on Nigeria independence. Who would forget that he became the Chairman Eastern House of Chiefs in Enugu during the First Republic? The gospel truth is that You cannot be the first by being last. Today Akwa Ibom is hardly mentioned in any meaningful Committee set up by the Federal government and nobody among us raises a finger. Akwa Ibomite is not given a meaningful cabinet position and we raise no eye brow. This is partly because we have no leader or leaders to go out there and scream for us! We are busy engaging in the internal war of attrition. The South-South Confab consultative meeting was held at Calabar on Friday, October 25 and at Benin on Monday, October 28, 2013. Conspicuously absent were the Akwa Ibom delegates. Apparently, our state or ethnic group(s) never bothered to show up to contribute in the agenda setting. Or could it be that our ideas wouldnt matter? Could it be that they did actually show up at one of those centers but were completely ignored? What about the governor of Akwa Ibom State? If he could not show up, couldn’t he have sent his deputy? I wish someone would correct me before I eat my words. Re-inventing of Akwa Ibom This is perhaps the best moment for in-house re-invention of Akwa Ibom State just as the process for the federal overhaul is heating up. I strongly suggest that WE, the people; Akwa Ibom people or Ibibio people come up with a leader now. The kind referred to here will be nothing like the traditional rulers. We already have those. We need to select a selfless leader. Every community has them. This is a leader that will be willing to die for his people. And he will be a leader that his people will be willing to die for. This role will have nothing to do with partisan politics. Important ingredient to note here is that he will be selected by Akwa Ibom people around the world. We shall use Ibom forum and other forums, if necessary, to accomplish this feat. Ladies and gentlemen, lets come up with names. If possible, state reasons for your nomination. If more than one name, we shall conduct a world-wide election to select a winner. We shall send emissary to the person selected. Again, this individual will not be our king but our leader who can speak for us when such need arises. Now we need a selfless leader of the people. THAT TIME IS NOW. Dr. Tom Mbeke-Ekanem is the author of Beyond the Execution - Understanding the Ethnic and Military Politics in Nigeria and he is based in Los Angeles, California The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of AkwaIbomOnline Add us on BB: 296D678C and on Twitter @AkwaIbomOnline You can also like our page on Facebook: Akwa Ibom Online
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 06:43:48 +0000
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