An Akwa Ibom-born philanthropist says the love of his people coupled with the need to checkmate high incidence of insecurity in his locality motivated him to have undertaken and donated an edifice to Nigeria Police Force for use.
In an interview with the publisher of Straightnews newspaper at his residence in Ikot Edem Ewa in Ukanafun last Friday, Mr. Nsidibe Alexander Udoh said the love of his people motivated him to have embarked on the building of a Police station and Adat Ifang Clan Council hall for use by the people.
The Port Harcourt-based Oil and Gas dealer who was overjoyed at the completion and inauguration of the projects in Adat Ifang Clan, thanked God as his people would experience relative peace while traditional rulers in the clan would have a decent place for their meetings.
Nsidibe sadly recalled how his father was kidnapped during Ukanafun crisis and kept in the abductors’ den for almost 30 days over their reluctance to pay them N30 million ransom, which they demanded.
‘‘It is the love of my people that has motivated me to embark on the project. My father was kidnapped on May 27, 2010. They picked him from his house and kept in the kidnappers’ den for 30 days. They demanded N30 million ransom. They persuaded him to call his children to pay the ransom or be killed. My father told them that he would not call any of them after all he was 72 years and could die anytime.
‘‘Though almost cut his hands, they broke his two hands. Later, they released him. We took him to hospital and he stayed for one year. Later, we took him to Ikot Edet in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area for massaging and bone mending and he remained there for six months.’’
When I saw what some people from my community did, the rate of ignorance coupled with the increasing rate of insecurity, I was moved to do something. You could imagine how a man followed home a common trader who sold his produce in a market. In the night, young men walked into his house, and collected the money with threat to kill him if he refuses to surrender the money to them on time.
‘‘These are people the villagers know their fathers and mothers, yet they operated with arrogance and impunity. I vowed that this aberrant attitude must not continue. I summoned some prominent people in our community and we put our heads together. I decided to build a police station to bring insecurity to barest minimum in the area. In the absence of security, there cannot be development. I took that as a challenge.’’
On being fulfilled for undertaking the projects, he responded ‘‘I wish I could have the opportunity to do more. I am not yet fulfilled. We discussed at the family level, we agreed to set a foundation to train, transform, empower and educate some selected people from the clan. When people are enlightened and empowered, there will be peace in the area.
He, however, announced to commence building the police barracks next year close to the police station, saying this was so because this year is already coming to an end.
‘‘We will commence construction of the police barracks from our 2024 budget as this year is already burnt out. We will not stop half way until there is development in the land. We cannot start any investment until there is security. There are so many products people could engage in to rake in money for them, but insecurity is the bane.
‘‘The major means of income in Malaysia is palm produce. We have palm produce as abundant resource. If people want to plant palm trees and process the palm oil and kernel, they will be very rich. But nobody will do it in the midst of insecurity. If someone wants to invest in the business, he has to recruit many to assist him. By so doing, many people will be offered gainful employment.
Commenting on his readiness to invest in the clan, he stated ‘‘I am an individual. If we create an enabling environment, people will be interested to invest here. But I want to ensure that the place is conducive for people to invest. I have investment in Port Harcourt. I have a mentor who is Elder (Dr.) Idongesit Demas Udom, founder, Sure Foundation Polytechnic. From time to time, he will advise me to come home and invest. He encourages us to do what we are doing. We continue to emulate him as a role model in development.’’
On his message to the youths, he enjoined them ‘‘I advise the youths (anyone who is below 50 years are those I am addressing not the elders) that I am always disappointed when I see young men with two hands going to solicit alms. It is not right for such young people to be a burden to others. This is the reason we set up the foundation to reorient and encourage them to wake up and help themselves.
The message to them is that ‘‘Your destiny is your hands. I attended recent Rt. Hon. Unyime Idem’s programme. His speech at the occasion appealed to me greatly. I grabbed it. The man made an illustration thus: that a cricket is faced with white and black holes. If a cricket goes to the black hole, it will remain poor forever. But, a cricket has to move to white hole to make it.
‘‘I tell young men that their destiny is their hands and that they should sit and not allow their destiny to waste. I have not seen a terrorist who lives for more than five years. Right from the time of Osama Bin Laden, Lawrence Anini to Don Wali, they died prematurely. I advise youths to stay away from social vices that would lead to their untimely death. Seek advice from successful people, emulate those who have made it. Such people were not born with those ideas or with riches, but they pushed against the odds and made it in life.
Also in an interview with the Straigtnews newspaper, Alexander Udo Unwa Ekpo, Clan Head of Adat Ifang ‘‘I am very happy in that God has preserved my life to see the inauguration of Adat Ifang Clan Council Hall and Police Station in the area built pioneered his foundation, built and completed by his son. It bore old zinc. My children knocked down the one and put a new one. May God bless and prosper them for this kind gesture.
The clan head who is the father of Nsidibe said ‘‘I am happy in that this has not happened while I am alive not when I am dead my corpse would have stood attention to watch the projects helplessly. In particular, I thank God for seeing the Clan Council through in the execution and completion of the hall. In the olden time, the best clan head was Ubokudom Udo Unwa Ekpo, and Umoren in Ukanafun. It is Godswill that I should be elevated to this status.
‘‘I had sat in a Customary Court in 1975, during the era of the late Justice Edem Koofreh. In 1980, I was appointed a member of Customary Court in my area. After serving, I reapplied and two years was added, which I served from 1983 to 1986. In 1987, I was elected a village head of Ikot Edem Ewa. In 2020, I was elected as the Clan Head of Adat Ifang.
‘‘I like education. I sent my children to schools. They have come back and are doing well in their chosen professions to help in the growth of the clan and my family. I was a drug vendor. I had dealt with retail and wholesale in markets located within and outside our area.’’
