I am in bewilderment where we are being taken to, and where we are heading to. This story of our irony of existence is upon the seeming livelihood of a people that have been unfortunately infested and invaded by some strange ailment that keeps them visionless even as they occupy the fourth largest ethnic position in Nigeria. It is already a bitter pill for us to swallow and we are bound to swallow, either to survive or die as a people. Whatever happens, we shall all be guilty of the war we have not fought, but which have devastated us. I am ashamed as an Ibibio son that a group has constituted themselves into Ibibio Nation to commit sacrilege against our land, without due consultations of our records or history of the past glory as well as its failure. This has confined us into a beggarly position, despite our numerical strength, whereby our contemporaries are not having regards to us.
How I wish as this idea has been muted, so could it also be transmuted to fight for our right nationally, which of course would often translate into multiple outcome for elevating our sons and daughters nationally. But this is a nation that will be slumbering while others are painstakingly sticking out their necks to be heard while demanding for what they want and are comfortably confined not to see nor think beyond the nose. I am ashamed that a people could still be fooled to constitute themselves into a clique or bunch of people who themselves cannot mimic nor talk of the history of the people called Ibibio, except by figment of imagination, to desecrate a heritage being the enclave of the sacred shrine of Ibibios which is the hallowed place for entire Ibibio deities.
The Asan Ibibio, the traditional domain for common acknowledgement of existence of Ibibios, was borne out of the deep desire for the Ibibios to gather themselves together to always consult or confront issues bordering the Ibibio. This well thought out conviction gave birth to Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio comparatively likened to Egbe Omo Oduduwa of old, now Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, is the umbrella cultural body for the entire Ibibio. The event that took place during the inauguration of Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio, while still in Cross River eventually resulted in having our own state reminds us that it was meant for people with conscience and loyalty. But for whatever reason, the place has since the creation of Akwa Ibom State, been witnessing sporadic events, including the recent one that the place was used in the name of the entire Ibibio, against the warning issued by one of the pioneer member, NTISONG 11, Sir James Sebastian Umoren, who himself failed as a custodian of the people's cultural heritage to live up to the expectation of the content of his letter and his highly exalted objection concerning the place, making himself available at the same function diminished his entire projection about maintaining the sacredness of the place, which in essence could result in jeopardising the sacred cultural heritage of Ibibios. His appearance at Asan Ibibio during the event is one of the greatest headaches the Ibibios are having, not living to its stature, position and strength. Can that go to confirm what the government in its assertion described as “antics of faceless and attention seeking politician” by all fairness, nobody could say the octogenarian politician could be campaigning to be favoured politically in term of juicy office or contracts, unless otherwise. What capacity can he be useful to us again, except protecting our cultural heritage from being ridiculed and jeopardised. Above all, the rally or rather the endorsement has not really gone down well with the large section of the Ibibio people. Though NTISONG EKIDEM 111 the patriarch of Ibibio had made known that the Asan was being applied for to be used, but to other Ibibio people thinking, some other venues could have served them better as this keeps undermining us as the people. Infact, what took place at Asan in the name of Ibibio nation, endorsing one person for another term depict us as people with no history, I could recall vividly during Obong Victor Attah's Administration in a function at Ibom Hall, when he made mentioned that Ibibio is a tribe without history. I went home very confused over the comment and couldn't comprehend what he was really taking about. How could someone of his intellect make such remark? I queried my curiosity, after I have read a book “Ibibio Jews of Nigeria, authored by a Jewish religious leader, which foreword was written by Prof. Monday B. AbasiAttai, a renowned historian, and University Lecturer.
In the book as indicated and quoted Dr Eyo O. Akak stated that the Palestine theory has come as a big challenge for historian, philosophers, professors, and academician, to produce our history. It was that challenge that prompted Nabi Umoh Faithman the author of the book to put a full stop to every mouth to produce history of Ibibio people, concerning their name and origin. I was still not satisfied with Obong Attah's comment not even when I have read a Book “A short History of Nigeria, by C. R. NIVEN who at page 134, Chapter 12, the coast (before 1850) acknowledged the Ibibio people as one of the earliest inhabitants they came to meet in the Niger Delta, earlier than the Ibos. Then why shouldn't we have a history, but it has suddenly dawned on me that Obong Attah probably might not have meant our historical record as it implies, but rather as the people who cannot protect their integrity and dignity, and as a people who are easily carried away by cheap propaganda. May be the ex-governor said out of annoyance on realisation that there is nobody in Ibibio that could defend Ibibio interest in the face of stiff opposition or otherwise, in the face of when we are being marginalised. It could be it was the statement from the former House of Representative Member that represented Eket in the National Assembly, Rtd Hon. Ndueso Essien, who once said in one of his papers presented sometime ago that Ibibio came from Eket, which no Ibibio son or daughter since then stood to react to, till date.
Also, I could recall once when an Oron man said that no single Oron man benefited from the scholarship programme initiated then by Ibibio State Union for people to obtain education abroad, that they sponsored their own sons abroad. All these and more several statement and behaviour from some quarters that has been coming out to undermine our existence, influence and authority, without any responsible Ibibio son and daughter debunking such. Then why wouldn't it appear so when I also remember, an incident that happened during Idongesit Nkanga tenure. When Ibrahim Babangida was in the state on a visit, he pronounced giving a Federal University of Technology to the newly Akwa Ibom State. Certainly, on that strength, the former South Eastern State Military Governor, Brigadier Udoakaha Jacob Esuene, whom during his regime was regarded as Ibibio son, and was known as Ibibio son, when we were all then at Calabar. But it was devastating to learn that when he approached Governor Nkanga with his kinsmen, for the new Federal University to be sited in Eket, Nkanga told him point blank, that the project was meant for Ibibio land. Where is the Federal University of Technology in Akwa Ibom today? Other states of the federation have all benefited from the scheme. Observingly, that incident has alienated, the entire area of Eket, Ibeno Esit Eket etc from Ibibio cause, and that of course point to the several weaknesses of our not tightening our tribe knitted against invasion from other tribes, who are out to undermine and underrate us due to lack of no credible, purposeful leadership that guide zealously and jealously Ibibio cause as a nation. We wield enormous influence in all sphere of life, but lack of cohesion, foresight, cooperation and unity has been the bane of Ibibio attaining the lofty height of progress and development. Still doubting, if what was done on Saturday, 10th October, 2009 at Asan Ibibio will stand. Many schools of thought have considered what happened as the greatest sacrilege against Ibibio culture and custom, an insult to the tradition. If for whatever reason the present Administration has been privileged to be applauded for development of Akwa Ibom, his effort toward that is not outside the scope of what has been expected from government by the people. What else if it has not been for the few always mentioned achievement, what else outside, yes, agree that the achievement often listed like the free compulsory education programme, the free health care service, massive roads and rural development scheme, rural water and rehabilitation of primary health institution. Excuse, do all these things not what make government to be in existence, which are the constitutional right of the citizen to get. After all, this is an Administration that has collected revenue derivation more than any Administration in the state. If Ibibio people as a whole could be spitted to have endorsed someone when we are operating a democratic form of governance whereby everyone, whether you consider him a rat or tortoise or whatever has a freedom to contest. With all fairness, will the Asan also receive and endorse all other candidates that will eventually emerge? Though we do not know when the Ibibio nation was initially inaugurated, Ibibio should not be endangered to divine its unity. In Ibibio, there should be respectable culture and custom. If there is none, then we should conduct a cultural revival than attempting to truncate what has been established by our forefathers in the process of supporting a single candidate. We should be fair minded, with fair-play and Justice to all. Meanwhile, I want us to know that what happened there was just a gyration of a particular group comprising some current serving officials in government, mainly commissioners, PA's, some House of Assembly members, some Local Government Chairmen and some Commission Chairmen etc, who felt they should find a way to defend their loyalties, but it should not be at the expense of the entire Ibibio. This is all about sycophancy and not about Ibibio as an entity. Ibibio socio-cultural organization should only be conscious and alert not to be disorganized by sycophants who have nothing to do with the entire Ibibio Race, except that they are sons and daughters of Ibibio Race. We should realise that if it was Ibibio Nation affairs as proclaimed, NTISONG 111, Obong Ekidem, would have made proclamation. In that occasion why didn't Oku Ibom have a role? Ntisong had no role except when he was being urged by the Governor to say something. Imagine that happening in a sacred place of Ibibio race. That means there was nothing absolutely done by the Ibibio at Asan. Altogether it was one person jamboree that became the Ibibio and did the whole proclamation. The question is why was the chairman of the function the spokes person who made the proclamation. We must want to know which Ibibio platform he spoke from. Agreed that he is Ibibio son, who gave him the mandate to speak for Ibibio's, and who funded the programme. Was it a collective effort of villages, groups, clan heads and Paramount Rulers to host the event that could make it believe it was truly Ibibio affair? Sadly, that the chairman of the function became the Governor's protocol boy, who gratefully took him around. Was that what the chairman of the occasion could have done? He was the chairman, spokesperson as well as the Governor's protocol officer. Didn't people listen to the satirical comment from the anointed person, who was so elated that he kept asking the people why they were happy about, that it is the same money that was being used to purchased tissue papers, send legislators wives abroad, sponsored seminars many time for different classes of people. I believe if people are conversant with history and event, they will remember that those statements have been said over and over at Ibesikpo, at Airport site, isn't it an indirect way of ridiculing an Ibibio son, in Ibibio land in the present of Ibibio people. It is certain that if not Obong Attah, probably the present helmsman may not have been anywhere. He may not have been able to win a councillor election in his ward. It is based on this that we should condemn in totality, those languages that someone could use against his Master. Those words stand to be enough insult not only to the former Governor, Obong Attah but to the entire Ibibio race. Yet people proudly gave him credit on how Ibibio Elders could be so insulted. Can that happen in Yorubaland, can it happen in Hausa land. Do we still remember what eventually happened to Dr. Chuba Okadigbo in the course of insulting Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. We should not be ignorant of the tragic history of what happened in 1982 when NTISONG 1, Vincent Uwemedimo took a political stand in favour of a certain party. It is happening again where the silent majority of Ibibio are of total different opinion. History may not vindicate us if we dare allow any sad occurrence to engulf our great nationally. After all, on that same, the Offot clan council and the entire Offot clan of Uyo, also anointed Senator John Udoedehe as its sole gubernatorial candidate, come 2011. Offot clan in Uyo is also Ibibio. The chairman of the Asan Ibibio declaration of 10th October, 2009 is the same old and one person who in 1988 said Eket people are not Ibibio people. That is to say Eket are exclusive of that declaration. But NTISONG 111, Obong Ekidem is an Eket son. For 2011, the unfolding drama is unending.
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