Israel Um0h
Two months ago, Nigeria’s Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio went down the memory lane to reel out how upsetting decisions by some previous governments helped in turning upside down the peaceful co-existence among some Akwa Ibom people.
Akpabio, who spoke at a special interdenominational Thanksgiving Service that rounded off the Akwa Ibom’s 36th creation anniversary at The Apostolic Church, Obio Imo Street, Uyo in Akwa Ibom, raised some red flags in what could be seen as probable causes of bloodshed in Akwa Ibom.
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Though thunderous applauses greeted his cleverly worded but oratorical speech, the No. 3 citizen in the country spoke boldly and proffered solutions where necessary. Owing to how important and timely it is, we decided to roll it out verbatim for posterity.
His memorable speech
Your Excellency, it is on a day like this on the altar of God that we try to advise leaders. For the youths of Akwa Ibom State who are now leaders, in 1987, you were a toddler. Thirty years after, you are now an adult. Please, do not inherit the enemies of your fathers, make your own friends and make your own enemies by yourself. And when it is well with you, then remember that 100 friends are too few and one enemy too many.
Remember also that it is your attitude that determines your altitude. Today in this church, in the presence of all of you, I danced my heart out holding hands with the state governor to signify that it is time for Akwa Ibom to have peace. At 36, we must take actions and do those things that will bind us together. Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Akwa Ibom child.
Your Excellency, the same faces, the same citizens, the same advisers that used to advise my boss, Obong Victor Attah are around. The same faces, same advisers that also advised your father, the former governor, are around. The same faces, the same personalities that used to advise me, your grandfather, are around and the same faces, the same advisers are out again to advise you, my grandchild.
The mark of a good leader is to listen to all shades of opinion. But take the one that will bring you peace, take the one that will bring peace to the state, take the one that will guarantee the peace of future generations. Let me use this altar to remind men of God that what you owe us, leaders are prayers. We, the political class, are always the ones that take actions that result in bloodshed –which will leave behind either happiness or will leave behind tragedies for families yet-unborn.
When the South-South had a Senate President, there were a lot of problems between the then Cross River State and Lagos which was the capital. The result was an overnight law that was made in order to address some of the problems. And that law ceded the clan of Ndiya in Itu Local Government to Akamkpa for political purposes. So, in 1983 the people of Ibibio land did not know that the land had been ceded to Akamkpa.
In 1992 when the zero party election came, a Vice Chairman emerged from Ndiya in Itu and somebody stumbled on that overnight law that was given to FEDECO and the person said ‘you can’t rule us, you are not from Itu.’ The result was that he was sitting in the office and some youths entered and he was butchered and caught into pieces.
Till date, we only have the picture of the blood, the body was thrown into the ocean – that was the genesis of the crisis between Oku Iboku and what we call Odukpani today. That is why we don’t have boundary between Itu and Cross River State. If you go now as the governor and attempt to erect even a signpost and said ‘welcome to Akwa Ibom,’ that same day it will be brought down.
Many children from Akwa Ibom that returned from abroad, many families were killed in the night when they landed at Calabar Airport on their way to Akwa Ibom. Those children did not know why they were dying. The young people that went to abroad and made money came back and were murdered on that road whenever crisis came. Till today, many of those families cannot give answers as to why their sons and daughters were killed. That was created by politics. Your Excellency, you have a lot to do. The burden is now on you to see whether you can negotiate with your brother governor in Cross River State so we can have a boundary, but we have to do that with the heart of justice.
The people of Ndiya are Ibibios. They belong to Akwa Ibom. But by that emergency law in the night, today the Supreme Court had to rule that the governor had power at that time to do so; that they now belong to Cross River now in Odukpani by law. But by blood, by action and everything, they are in Akwa Ibom State.
Recently, I received report of the killings that went on in ONNA – between ONNA and Eastern Obolo. We have no reason. Akwa Ibom is an oil-producing state. Most of your oil wells are offshore and you suffer the same effect of rain. When you have acid rain, it does not stop in the riverine areas, it affects Uyo. Therefore, all the local government areas in Akwa Ibom State are oil producing, by implication, because the ocean does not belong to any local government area. We don’t need to create any crisis by attempting to bring Boundary Commission to cause problem.
We don’t need to use the youths in the House of Assembly to do remapping as is being done now that people are being killed. I’ve seen people’s tummy being cut out and brought out. Thirty years after, we cannot create crisis. It cannot be when a man of God like you, a pastor is on the throne.
Just yesterday, just before I came here I met some traditional rulers and stakeholders who came to me. And they were weeping that a law has been made and they are not happy with the law and they asked me to intervene. I said ‘no, the man that I know called Pastor Umo Eno will never do the bidding of Satan; he will only do the bidding of God.’ I have interacted with you and I know that every action you are going to take will only be action that will bring peace to Akwa Ibom. You will not bring any action that will come and sow a seed of discord.
So, I’ve already whispered to you, even if we want to have a permanent chairman in Akwa Ibom Council of Chiefs or whatever, let it be rotatory; so that when one person finishes and dies, let the other person takes over. Don’t create any situation where a group or any ethnic group will feel that they are second class, third class or fourth class citizens because God handed over Akwa Ibom to you to rule. That is why He created the Blacks, the Caucasians because God wants to see how we can live together in peace – that’s why we are not one color in the world.
The only thing that binds us together is the Holy Spirit and how we express the Holy Spirit is that if you cut the hand of an Indian, what comes out is red blood; cut the hand of the Kenyan (a black man), what comes out is red blood; cut the hand of a Nigerian, what comes out is red blood; cut the hand of even Biden, what will come out is red blood. God is showing you that something is common that binds all of us together and that is the Holy Spirit. So, we must do everything at 36 to bring peace to Akwa Ibom.
You must now pray for the governor that the counsel of Ahithophel should be discarded and those who are preparing gallows to hang people may they be hanged in Jesus name. This governor will rule in peace and you will leave a legacy of peace for Akwa Ibom State. The Oku Iboku crisis will not reoccur again in Jesus name. Our children will not be killed in Eastern Obolo and ONNA in Jesus name.
I call on you as the Senate President, not that I cannot intervene but I will not do so. It will be misunderstood. My tenure as Senate President must be a tenure that brings prosperity to Akwa Ibom; it must bring peace to you; it must add value to what you are doing. I can announce now that myself and Pastor Umo Eno (we have discussed with President Tinubu), we are going to turn Akwa Palm into a major industrial hub; we are bringing seedlings from Malaysia that will germinate and produce results less than three years. And then, the federal government is going to earn money from palm oil, is going to earn money from palm kernel and is going to employ a lot of Akwa Ibom children. I’ve just told him what to do: I will put it in the budget of the federal government. Before you finish four years, you will harvest the fruits of your labour.
This is why I’m here. Mine is to make sure that all the way from Iwukem to Ikot Abasi, it will be dualized. That is what you need. We take over from Abak, dualise through East-West Road- that is what you need you- to complement what you are doing here. For the federal projects that have been abandoned for years, I sent the Minister of Works to you. I’m sure he met you. Oh! You were with the President, but I’m sure he met your Deputy. Yes, I sent him to you two days ago. I said go and ask the government of Akwa Ibom State what do they want in the budget of the federal government, because they cannot have number three citizen without gaining. I thank you, the Deputy Governor, for receiving the Minister Works. He called me and said ‘’I am in Akwa Ibom, I’m asking them that the Senate President insists that he wants the President to make a mark in Akwa Ibom during his tenure as number 3 citizen.’’ So, we assure you that you a’int seen nothing yet.
With the combination of a man of peace like Governor Umo Eno, you are not a pastor for nothing. Your wife is also a pastor. I see great things happening. So, I want you to look at this- this was given to me in the church- this is a publication of praises by the governor of Akwa Ibom but when you go inside you will see the picture of President Tinubu who is APC, you see the picture of the Senate President and the governor smiling at brother who is from APC no political lines. This is what we need to do. Let our children begin to love each other. We are inter-marrying every day. We cannot cause crisis because of people’s quest for power. Men of God, pray that this state should have true peace and peace that passes all understanding in Jesus name. And as you pray for peace, peace shall be your portion! Peace shall be your portion and the portion of your families! No Akwa Ibom child shall be cut short because of wrong political decision! We will live to reap the fruits of our labour in this State!
Finally, congratulations! I’m here with you on the 36th anniversary of the state. I look forward to being with you when you are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Akwa Ibom State. I believe strongly that as you go with the hand of God, nothing shall happen to you. Imagine, small Akwa Ibom, if we had made a law that unless you come from Fulani you cannot be Senate President, will I be here today? So, that is why I said we must peace.
I stand on the altar of God and pledge to work for Akwa Ibom forever; to work for the peace of the State. History will not repeat itself; we will not have a Senate President and then go into turmoil. There will be nothing like Abuja bloc; there will always be Akwa Ibom block. We will work as one for Akwa Ibom State now and for the future. You know I don’t know how God did this – that God produced a humble servant- the person who occupied your seat before you who knows where God will take you after your golden era.
I ought to be very happy. Look at me standing in front of you like this; so excited, if not because of the meeting I’m having in Abuja, I would have stayed to the end. But the governor has graciously said I should just make few remarks. By the way, this church is beautiful such that the maintenance of this beauty will require a lot of money. So, I make a donation of N20 million.
Gov Eno’s Paraphrased speech
Governor Eno, who paid glowing tributes to the former Nigerian Military President, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (rtd), for his benevolence in hearkening to the yearnings of forebears by creating Akwa Ibom State in September 1987, acknowledged with deep appreciation the giant strides recorded by past administrators and governors since the creation of the State.
“We cannot forget our former military governors and their contributions to what we have today. They are truly our ancestors.
“They are the ones that laid the foundation that brought us to this place. So we thank them,” he stated.
The governor described himself as a bridge builder and pledged his readiness to unite all interests in the State for a common goal, which he identified as development, thanking the Senate President Akpabio, for attending the service with his colleagues in the National Assembly, adding that his presence spoke volume to all Akwa Ibomites.
Noting that the collaboration would bring good tidings to the State as development would be attracted from all fronts, he used the occasion to pour encomiums on past leaders in the State, stressing that the Senate President’s uncommon transformation development matrix and his political godfather, Mr Udom Emmanuel’s completion Agenda had dotted the landscape of the State with giant strides of development, adding that he would consolidate on the strides to take the State to her zenith of development.
The governor, who solicited prayers from the church for sustained peace and growth of the state, said the service was designed to thank God, who has been there for the state,
He announced plans to form a Think Tank, comprising former governors, deputy governors, and past speakers of the State House of Assembly as well as set up a Christian Leadership Advisory Council to also give the religious leaders a stake in charting a way forward for the growth of the State.
Governor Eno, however, shed light on the recently enacted Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers Law Cap 155, explaining that he did not mastermind the enactment but only facilitated its passage by the House of Assembly, warning against interferences on chieftaincy issues by the people.
“The law that has just been passed by the House of Assembly is not my law. The Paramount Rulers of this State sat together, I was there at that meeting and I did not say anything. They agreed on what that law is. They, themselves agreed. I said it yesterday and I am saying it today on this altar.
“If any paramount Ruler that was there, let the Paramount Ruler prove that he uttered a voice. The only paramount ruler who raised a voice and said something to add was the Paramount Ruler of Itu. No Paramount Ruler, whether Ibibio, Annang or Oron, none of them said anything. All I did was to implement their decision. You couldn’t implement a law without going through the House of Assembly.
“If they feel that is no more their position, it is a simple thing. They are our fathers. It is to call the Governor and say, please, what we did, we did not understand. This is what we now think we should do. It has nothing to do with ethnicity. It has nothing to do with favouring one tribe over the other. I will never have sided one tribe over another because I belong to Jesus. We all belong to one kingdom and it is the kingdom of God.
“Anyone who knows me, know I am a Barracks boy. I grew up in the Barracks and in the Barracks there is no room for ethnicity,” the governor noted.
