𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐀𝐤𝐩𝐚𝐧
The spirit of Ubuntu was reaffirmed during the July 2026 Uyo Book Club reading with the book reviewer expressing the belief that inability to prioritise its principles in Nigeria’s democratic system has contributed to the poor development and socio-economic growth of the society.
Ubuntu, meaning the connection each individual has with the community, would be globally celebrated on July 30 as the International Day of Friendship, celebrating peaceful co-existence and comradeship.
Mr. Clifford Thomas, a human rights activist spoke this Saturday at the Club book reading when he reviewed a book: 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐔𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐮: 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐲 by Uyo Book Club by Mungi Ngomane, the granddaughter of famous South African anti-apartheid advocate Desmond Tutu.
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He remarked that Ubuntu cuts across every area of human life – philosophically, spiritually and socially, among others, saying ‘‘Anything that is not domesticated cannot help us to develop a roadmap for development and growth.’’
Thomas opined the need to introduce swearing by Mbiam, local oath, to every prospective office holder to serve as a deterrent to any corrupt official while he is in the office.
‘‘Since Ubuntu means what is good for me is good for you and is good for the society. If you see what is good for me is equally good for Akwa Ibom, then you will want to protect its interest.’’
Beyond the scholarly exegesis expected of a book review, Thomas expounded the interpretation of Ubuntu as a philosophy for the everyday experiences of communal living in Nigeria is just as critical.
“Ubuntu might be a South African – Xhosa – word, but its philosophy, meaning, and applications are trans-national; and these, ascribed other names by ethnicities across Nigeria, have been part of cultural norms for millennia.”
The legal practitioner argued that the turning point in Nigeria’s developmental trajectory – the elevation of the individual over the community and the suppression of the individual far beneath the state.
“If we practise Ubuntu, oil spillages in communities in Akwa Ibom State and the Niger Delta have to deal with wouldn’t be a thing because the proceeds and benefits from such injustices which go to the government would never have been allowed to supersede the well-being of the individuals in these polluted communities”, he declared.
According to him, Iman, kindred; Ukot, inlaw and Eyeyen- grandchild, Ekpo nka owo- ghost of adultery, Obot emana, destiny are Ubuntu in Akwa Ibom State.
The Priest-cum Journalist insisted “Over centuries, communal adaptations of the philosophy behind Ubuntu meant communities could effectively police themselves. Today, the state policing blueprint being drawn up at the national level for adaptation by states wouldn’t be as effective. Communities know themselves better so there are established norms and traditions to guardrail against crime and maintain peaceful co-existence. State policing has to be customized for each community.”
Drawing from his decades-long experience in human rights advocacy and litigation, the Akwa Ibom Human Right Community 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫 prodded the members present with two posers: Firstly, can forgiveness co-exist with justice? And, secondly, is accountability real without reconciliation when there’s been injustice?
While as a people we go on and on about injustice and inequality, the lawyer-cum-human-rights-advocate insisted that ‘‘unless the victims get restorative compensation, the process is inconclusive. Until victims of fraud, for example, get the recouped proceeds of the fraud schemes anti-fraud institutions recover from the perpetrators, the justice being fought for isn’t restorative. Arresting, trial, conviction and recovery are only validated fully by restoration.’’
Typifying with the Nigerian reality and those in the corridors of power at all levels, Thomas pointed out if aspiring and presumptive leaders were bound by sacred oaths to lead aright and manage the common patrimony of the led judiciously, corruption would have been eliminated. In communities and climes where Ubuntu was practised in its strictest forms, guarantees were always in place to hold everyone – including leaders – to account, and consequences visited upon defaulters.
“Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way” is, “Though I am also a priest, I believe humanity should be the first religion – love of neighbour just as of self, and protection of the next human as you would yourself”.
This, he insisted, is the founding block of all religions, and anyone who flouts this basic principle makes a ridicule of whatever show of religiosity he or she professes.
Reacting to the book review, Dr. Udeme Nana said ‘‘Ubuntu is a foreign concept, though our people have tended to embrace it. We have to go back and embrace our values that were practised and were useful to the growth of the society. Our people had lived with the spirit of Ubuntu for years. It is not a new thing.’’
Reliving lessons gleaned from the review, such members of Uyo Book Club as Engr. Akanimo Ekwere quizzed the difference between Ubuntu and socialism or communism since both are seemingly concerned with prioritizing the welfare of the individual. The July 2026 Book Reviewer of the Month clarified, unlike Ubuntu which equates the individual to the community, communism particularly inherently seeks to arrogate more powers to the state, towering fhe state completely over the individual.
For Dr. Vincent Aluu, a journalist and the Registrar of the College of Nursing Science, Obohia Ndoki, Ubuntu ties in with the practices over the years in his native Afikpo in Ebonyi State. ‘‘Relatives were held responsible for the actions of their kin, and the individual was always accountable to the community.
But, as is increasingly becoming the norm across Nigeria and Africa, the relegation of Ubuntu guidelines and the championing of self over the collective, even in Dr. Aluu’s native Afikpo, the disintegration of such communal norms has steadily eroded the hallmarks of peaceful co-existence.
Banker-turned-investment-expert, Mr. Chukwuma Amadi; veteran Journalist, Mr. Israel Umoh; Mr. Edet William, the Coordinator of Ibiono Ibom Book Club, and creative-writer-cum-female-rights-advocate Mrs. Esther B. Attih had questions and commentaries on the practical and everyday implementation of the Ubuntu philosophy, anecdotes of instances which corroborate claims of the balkanization of communities where the philosophy has waned, and steps to implement Ubuntu within the ambits of the law.
At the end of the day when the Uyo Book Club July 2026 Reading Session, the July 30 International Day of Friends, and Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane, book of the month are distilled, the core lesson is championing humanity and being humane as the priority.
Placing being humane and prioritising humanity at the apex of our individual and collective aspirations mean corruption, crime and injustice would be pushed down the pecking order while restorative justice, access to what constitutes basic human rights, and peaceful co-existence get elevated above all else. Ubuntu, more than just a philosophy and the theme of books, is a liveable lifestyle beneficial to all when pracitised in its purest sense.
Ubuntu also extends to the cyberspace. It is embodied by mutual respect and ethical use of digital tools. As a matter of fact, there’s a coined term for anyone who doesn’t know how to use or misuses digital tools – digidiot. Now accepted and published on the 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲, 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐲𝐨 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛, 𝐃𝐫. 𝐔𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐚.
Unveiling the campaign to turn the tide against society breeding digidiots at the event was medical-doctor-writer, Dr. Martin Akpan, the Uyo Book Club Orator.
