Mboho USA Fights Back, Insist on Autonomy

- Fingers MMI Nigeria in Okuibom crisis
By Franklyn Isong
It is not yet uhuru in Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio (MMI), the umbrella socio-cultural youths organization in Ibibio land as a faction of its members in the United States of America has dismissed with levity the disclaimers placed on them by its headquarters in Nigeria, insisting that Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio USA, Inc. is autonomous and remains separated from the Nigeria headquarters of the organization.
Trouble started in Mboho when some members of the body in the united States of America wrote to letter to its headquarters in Nigeria declaring autonomy of its chapter from the Nigeria headquarters. The group had alleged amongst other things that the leadership of the Nigeria MMI got itself involved in politics and had not communicated with it on issues affecting the growth of the body.
The USA MMI action was countered by the Use Ubeh-led Nigeria headquarters of the body. The headquarters was to later expel those involved in the action and published their disclaimers in some newspapers in Nigeria.
But unrelenting, the USA group has written another letter to MMI Nigeria where they proffered more reasons for their actions and maintained that they remained a separate entity from the MMI Nigeria.
The three-paragraph letter which was signed by Akparawa Joseph Ibokette, the General- Secretary of MMI, USA, Inc. and made available to Weekend Insight, further accused the leaders of Mboho in Nigeria of getting involved in Nigeria politics, noting that it has elected its national officers with Akparawa Sylvanus Okon as their National President.
The letter read part: “Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio USA, Inc. is an autonomous non-profit and non-political organization, which was started in 2005 and is duly registered in the United States of America.
“On October 16, 2011, Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio USA, Inc. separated itself from Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio in Nigeria because of serious irreconcilable differences, including inappropriate communication, lack of information and respect, involvement of leaders of MMI-Nigeria in politics, which hinders its proper representation of the Ibibio community and its citizens in Akwa Ibom State. This separation will allow Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio USA, Inc. to conduct its business, elect its leaders, and remain a voice for its community without seeking political clearance from Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio in Nigeria.
“Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio USA, Inc. has elected Akparawa Sylvanus Okon as its interim National President. All appointments and directives from Mboho’s headquarters in Nigeria are therefore void and non-binding on Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio USA, Inc.”
When this paper contacted some of the aggrieved members of MMI USA, Inc. through their telephone lines on the crisis, though, they however pleaded anonymity, because, according to them, they had already spoken as a body through the press release, but, they pointedly said that, “the crisis rocking Ibibio land in Akwa Ibom State today as it concerns Ifim Ibom Ibibio and Okuibom Ibibio stool is politically-engineered by the leaders of Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio Nigeria because of their selfish interest in the 2015 general elections in the state. The leadership of Mboho Nigeria has been infiltrated by Akwa Ibom State Government who uses them to perpetrate crisis in Ibibio land so that Ibibio people cannot unite and speak in one voice while other ethnic groups in the state are united and speak in one voice.
The aggrieved members contended that, “The leadership of Mboho Nigeria are politicians and some of them are holding political offices in Akwa Ibom State Government as compensations given to them for using Mboho to fight against their own brothers and sisters in the 2011 elections in favour of their pay-masters who are from other tribes in the state. They are not speaking for Ibibio people but for their political interests. None of them has ever supported the cause of Ibibio people. They are only eating fat from the state government in the name of speaking for Ibibio people while they are actually deceiving and betraying Ibibio people.
“They are only using Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio in Nigeria as a platform for their selfish and self-seeking political interests in the state. They were sponsored and installed in leadership positions of Mboho by those in government authority today, so, they rather work against Ibibio interest, than work against their masters and sponsors in government.”
Meanwhile, the International President of Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio, Akparawa Nse Ubeh has dismissed all the allegations leveled against as leadership as cheap blackmail. He also made the assertion when Weekend Insight contacted him on his telephone on Wednesday, January 25, 2012.
Akparawa Ubeh said, “there is no crisis in Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio both in Nigeria and in USA chapter or any chapter for that matter to the best of my knowledge. Messer Sylvanus Okon, Joseph Ibokette and their cohorts are not members of Mboho because they were expelled from the organization for insubordination and lack of respect to constituted authority.”
“Sylvanus Okon is not the chairman of Mboho in USA chapter; the chairman of the USA chapter is Prof. Ekwo. Mr. Sylvanus was angry that he was removed from office of the USA High Commissioner of Mboho Mkparawa. That office is my prerogative as the President of Mboho to appoint someone to fill it. Sylvanus Okon has served under several other president of Mboho as the High Commissioner before I came into office, and we said he should give another person the opportunity to also contribute to the development of Mboho in USA chapter and he became annoyed and wanted to split Mboho so during one of our congresses in our international headquarters in Uyo, Sylvanus Okon, Joseph Ibokette and their cohorts were expelled from Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio on adoption of the recommendations of the USA chapter of Mboho.
“The matter as I speak to you now is in a court in USA. They cannot split an organization they did not form. They joined Mboho just five years ago while Mboho has been in existence for over 20 years. Prof. Ekwo is the chairman of Mboho in USA so call him and also hear from him too.”
On the involvement of Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio in the crisis of succession rocking Okuibom stool in Ibibio land, Ubeh explained; “I am the President of Mboho, I am not Mboho. Mboho has its organs and structures that takes decision on any issue. The decision to support the Paramount Ruler of ONNA Local Government Area, Akwa Edidem (Dr.) Akpabio Udo Ukpa to ascend the Okuibom throne was unanimously taken three years ago when I was not even the President of Mboho.
“When the decision to install Akpabio Ukpa came up few years ago at the State Council of Chiefs, it was Mboho that opposed it on grounds that the Okuibom II, late Usonyin Okon Ekpo was yet to be buried. We told our monarchs then, to wait until the bury the Okuibom II. We also told them to count Mboho out if they still want to go ahead with Ukpa’s installation. That was why His Excellency, Governor Godswill Akpabio, asked us to be involved in the settlement of the conflict that had existed between the family of Okuibom II, Ifim Ibom and the state government.
“The paramount rulers cannot now say they want to follow Ifim Ibom Ibibio constitution after Ukpa had been selected and presented to Ibibio people. We took the decision to support Ukpa because, we want our Paramount Rulers to learn to also stick to their words no matter the situation. They are the ones playing politics with the Okuibom stool and not Mboho because we stand for the truth and we have no regret whatsoever supporting Akwa Edidem Akpabio Ukpa as the Okuibom Ibibio III. In fact, if we have another opportunity, we will still support Ukpa for the stool.”

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