The much-talked unity of Akwa Ibom State and indeed Nigeria cannot be treated as a vacuous item. It must be viewed, weighed and treated on the principled lens of justice, equity, fairness and good conscience.
It is idleness smacking of any reasonableness for any leader to declare that the unity of a state or country is not negotiable. Where negotiation is not required, then preachment is unnecessary.
That Governor Udom Emmanuel identifies unity and oneness of purpose as the major fulcrum driving the people into actualizing the state numerous developmental projects from its creation was apt.
Speaking during a Special Inter-Denominational Thanksgiving Service held in celebration of Akwa Ibom State’s 34th Anniversary and Nigeria’s 61st Independence, on Sunday at United Evangelical Church, Aka Road, Uyo, the governor reflected on the selfless contributions of the Akwa Ibom forebears and their agitation for State creation predicated on love, unity and oneness of purpose.
He pre-emotively made a thoughtful statement on what should form the plank of meaningful development. The statement coming from the governor, who unarguably is the leader of the state, is not only timely but very important. In fact, it is a wake-up call for our people to close ranks and cement our wobbly relationships towards moving the developing state forward.
In adopting the governor’s proposition, we hasten to ask the governor how far has he adopted the unity and oneness of purpose as the key principles of our forbears in the running of the state?
Needless to say that the state is more divided in our era than united owing to our unpatriotic actions and egoistic inactions in the state. We have used our dialectal differences as a vicious instrument to put knife into the flesh of our collective aspiration and unity. Why the Pull-him-down syndrome? Why the frivolous penchant for petition writings against our leaders? Why do our leaders wait for petitions before they are moved to take action on any issue or stand somewhere to complain of what they view as an act of misdemeanour?
Despite the fact that we are having micro-linguistic groups, we have not exploited the ‘atomistic’ nature in building an egalitarian, virile and prosperous society rather we use such sever our socio-economic harmony and cultural hegemony.
Some of our political, cultural and religious leaders have created more chasms in the state than our founding fathers who fought for the soul of Akwa Ibom holistically. Certain strategic and financially viable offices are won by winner-takes-all antics. Tribal exclusiveness is at the call and beck by most of leaders in power. Small enclaves are built around some people from a particular tribal group. What gut or audacity do we have to criticize major ethnic groups in the country for suppressing us- the minority? Are we not cannibalizing our own and becoming carnivores to one another in our anthill colony?
Are more social amenities not sited in a particular tribal group or in a few local government areas to the detriment of others? When it is election time, we collapse our devious thoughts and pretentious actions and gullibly go about preaching unity and deceiving ‘them’ not ‘us’ that we are one? Wherein lies the love for one another as professed Christians?
Go to villages and smaller hamlets, you will shed tears over the dearth of infrastructural facilities. Poor road network, no pipe-borne water, no electricity supply, dilapidated primary or secondary schools, dearth of teachers to handle many pupils or students paint the villages black. At election time, we burrow our paths to the neglected places and canvass for votes. What man’s inhumanity to man!
Why is the location or relocation saga of Ibom Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom generating much furore and rancour? Who is supposed to bury pride for the collective good of all or is not doing the biddings of the masses- the host community? Why are the people venting their anger on the location of the project? Why are we drawing knives against ourselves instead of against the Federal government and its cronies? Why are some of our leaders lethargic and aloof in the face of supposed tyranny and deprivation? This is our dilemma!
Apart, non-payment of gratuity and pension arrears to their beneficiaries could open the vista of disunity. Non-payment of compensation to the land owners could be another outlet to the gripping disunity we are preaching against. Neglect in siting social amenities in many local government areas on the pretext that they had benefited portends a source of disunity to any occupier of the office even after leaving the office. Packing up projects in an inaccessible area could fan embers of disunity.
Much as unity is an essential commodity, the leaders and followers must be doers not preachers. We must treasure unity as an inestimable asset rather not mouthing it so that the millennial may take us seriously. This should be Udom’s model panacea to the development of the state.
