DAKKADA : ANNANG, ORO AND EKID PEOPLE
ARE NO SLAVES IN A'IBOM
By Emmanuel Nicholas
It could be a sad fact to admit without sugar
coating that it was Lord Luggard’s manipulation
that brought about the entity called Nigeria, with
different ethnic nations, still struggling to remain
indivisible till date. In Akwa Ibom State, as in
Nigeria has several ethnic groups occupying the
same geographical space for years. The marriage
of cultures and values has been refreshingly
beneficial to all and we wouldn't wish for
anything different if there is a life after now. I
however write these lines today clothed as an
Ibibio man who has spent no fewer than four
decades on this soil. Some of my brothers- Ibibio
people have developed a pattern of action that
may threaten the soul of the unity of our people.
I do not subscribe to the belief that other parts
of the State are infidels and therefore, have no
inherent right to be in leadership positions in the
State.
In the myopic thinking of some bigots, other
persons should remain slaves , serving the Ibibios
in Uyo Senatorial District. I was highly
embarrassed when a reader of one of my articles
published in a local tabloid sent me a nauseating
text message challenging what he perceives as
my opposing view to an Ibibio son of Uyo
Senatorial District. I receive tons of such
messages regularly lace with bile and hate but
this one just struck me and I felt I have had
enough of this and should share it.
The sms was sent from 0803-860-2865 and he
wrote ‘’Akwa Ibom State was created for the
Ibibio’s and all other ethnic groupings are our
servant. The mistake of zoning brought in
Akpabio, and Ibibio have since learned from that
mistake, and we will do everything to stop its
further occurrence ‘’ When I received this I
thought I should engage the sender. So I replied
him, Is Onna not part of Ibibio land? he replied
‘’mme utip-udong ‘’ they are descendants of Ekid
people’’ I knew there was no need to further
engage the folk. The argument will lead
nowhere. A lot of things ran through my mind
after reading such provoking and demeaning
rants from an Ibibio man, my own brother who
sees no good in others, but wailing in self-
imposed owner of Akwa Ibom State mentality.
It reminded me of 2011 and some of the nasty
things I heard during the campaign of Senator
Akpan Udoedehe, when someone said the
Annangs where slaves that were brought in by
the Ibibios to help them in farming and fishing.
Absolute rubbish. In one of those rallies in Uruan
Local Government, where I hail from, the failed
ACN- Candidate told his followers that the
‘’Annangs where ndito ubom’’ (canoe boys). I
also have on record what someone said at the
palace of Edidem Umoette, that man, a
candidate from Uyo Senatorial District told the
monarch that is time the Ibibio’s in Atai Uyo took
back power and remained our slaves tribes that
Akwa Ibom State is an Ibibio enclave and the
slaves whom our fore fathers gave land to earn a
living should be reminded that they are not part
of us and therefore cannot dictate the space of
leadership in the State.
I know these sentiments flow well with politics
and work quite fast on gullible people but do we
forget so easily? Years back sentiments like this
led to the brutal mass slaughtering at Uyo
Roundabout and at the location we have the
University of Uyo town campus. The murder was
done by Nigerian Soldiers, but was however
instigated by sentiments like this. Thankfully,
Akwa Ibom has laid to rest that dark side of our
history. As you move to Ibom Hall grounds, about
31 heroes, who were brutally murdered in the
state during that ungodly carnage are honoured
with plagues. With the unveiling and dedication
of memorial plaques at Ibom Hall Grounds, Uyo,
the innocent leaders who were the victims of
extra-judicial executions by the Nigerian Army
are forever remembered. The former Governor of
Akwa Ibom State , Senator Godswill Akpabio CON
during the memorial service he organised to
honour these slain heroes and heroines lamented
by saying “Unfortunately, at the peak of their
glory, there was an eclipse, and darkness was
cast over our land. It was the fratricidal Civil
War. Evil men and women crawled out of their
covens to unleash horror on our land.
Wickedness bared its fangs and flourished in the
land. The Devil laid it upon the hearts of his
infernal agents to destroy our leaders. The finest
men in our clime, some of the best in our
country were not only murdered, some met very
gruesome deaths. “Innocent men were tied to
cars and driven on the road until they died.
Decency would forbid me to give you more
details of how some of them met their deaths for
they are indeed gory. I fear that some of you
here might become sick, and it would further
traumatize their families. Innocent, righteous
men were killed because of petty jealousies and
envy. The devil left a trail of blood from one end
of this state to the other. Our state capital
became the Golgotha (the place of the skulls) of
our leaders. We lost the finest crop of leaders in
our clime and some of the best this State has
ever had".
I could recalled how some of the families
present at the memorial service collapsed and
were rushed to the hospital and others present
cried, even after many years had passed by,
when they recalled how some elders from Uyo
Senatorial District used the civil war to murder
their political opponents and others were also
murdered because they were not Ibibios of Atai
Uyo. I would not want to mention all the names
of those men and women that were killed , recall
Minister Affiah from Abak and Public Service
Commissioner Udo Udo Okure were among the
prominent sons of Akwa Ibom State that were
senselessly murdered . Until Akpabio’s memorial
service for mercy, their blood became curses to
our land, that is why it is very hard to eradicate
political blackmail and ethnic sentiments from
the State as it was institutionalized by our
founding fathers , recall Minister Affiah from
Abak and Public Service Commissioner Udo Udo
Okure from Ikot Ekpene, top shots in the then
Eastern Nigerian government that who fought
and paved the way to our statehood which we
all today jubilate about. Let the record also
reflect that in recognition of his outstanding
government service to Nigeria and the former
British Colonial Government, Queen Elizabeth 11
of England awarded Udo Udo Okure the high
honour award of OBE (Officer of the Order of the
British Empire). The Order of the British Empire
recognizes distinguished service to the arts and
sciences, public services outside the Civil Service
and work with charitable and welfare
organizations of all kinds. One might also point
out that Udo Udo Okure significantly contributed
towards the translation of the English Bible into
our native vernacular. We killed him. Ethnicity
killed him.
My submission is that we imbibe the good
principles of the Dakkada Initiative of Governor
Udom Emmanuel and rise from these primordial
sentiments. Dakkada is a call to re-orientate the
minds of the people of the State to move away
from this bile and tar where some tribes will
regard other tribes as slaves that should not
have a say in both the development of the State
and the leadership. The mind is a reservoir of
ideas and dreams. It is a safe house of
everything that can ever be imagined. The mind
is the greatest motivation microcosm in all
humans. Nothing comes to be without receiving
the amazing touch of the mind. Everything that
was, that is and that will be is conceived in the
mind. One of the greatest achievements a man
can bequeath to his people is the mind power. If
we resolve in our minds to let go of these forces
that take us backwards, we can have a new
beginning.
It is in that light that the Dakkada philosophy has
been celebrated across Akwa Ibom State and
beyond. The greatest tool in changing
primitivism, unproductivity and complex is to
transform the mentality of the people through
inspiring and motivational best practices.
Inspiring leadership is not approximately based
on economic and infrastructural development
alone, but is also a contrivance that breeds
attitudinal change and spiritual rebirth. Governor
Udom Emmanuel’s Dakkada Spirit is conceived
to destroy every tribal line and divide and bring
Akwa Ibom State under one umbrella, where
Annangs, Oros and the Ekids will not be regarded
as infidels or outcast but as true citizens of
Akwa Ibom State , with the right to lead and join
in the development of their land. Governor Udom
Emmanuel’s primary aim of inspiring the people
of Akwa Ibom State, is to change the mind-set
of the people. He wants to move the State
forward by encouraging the people to look
beyond the stereotypic attitude of hating our
brothers in other ethnic groupings. He wants the
entire State to unite against segregation and
ethnic egosm. The Nigerian army killings of the
innocent were simply caused by envy of the
opposing elites who were betrayed to be killed
by their fellow brothers due to conflict of
political and economic interest stirred by
propaganda and saboteurs from the majority who
then wanted to diminish the voices of the
minority who are power brokers to remain
majority forever .
Recently some elders in Uyo Senatorial District
have remain adamant in changing their stand
that every ethnic group should have the right to
govern the State. They have said in one of their
press releases , that Ibibio in Uyo must retain
power twice , before any of the minority
groupings can have one turn, even when the
elections have come and gone. It is myopic and
an act of man's tyranny against man. We are
equal in the sight of man and God , the grand-
standing by some of the elders is misleading and
capable of causing tribal war within the State , or
secret killings along ethnic lines. Akwa Ibomites
must stand up against segregation. It is time to
grow above ethnic- biases and see each other as
men that have equal opportunities. The
leadership of Akwa Ibom State was not given to
any group as a birth right but all ethnic groupings
within the State have the right to govern be
governed without prejudice. Lets forget about
what went wrong yesterday and see what we can
do today, to right the wrong of yesterdays .
Those ancestors who brought this hatred have
died and are since buried. Let us the new
generation allow their evil to rest in their graves
with them –Dakkada, let's unite as one , It is
only in unity that we can become so great as a
people.
No comments:
Post a Comment