THE PARADOX OF IBOM MEDALLION

Everyone is his own individual tone. Now is Pastor Bush’s turn. According to Bush, Akpabio’s exit is sure to user in combo “of pastors, elders, evangelists, economists, lawyers, doctors all forming what he calls Ibom Medallion with Umanah Umanah as its political star who will drive the aspirations and ideals of Ibom Medallion with” Akwaibom community as its students- quite an interesting proposition isn’t it?

EXAMINATION OF MEDALLION:

CHARACTER:

The group has become grotesquely dictatorial even before it takes off. You are automatically a member of the group if you are a professional living in Akwaibom or out of state or country – a fundamental assault on our freedom of choice and association. 

THE GROUPS’ AVOWED GOAL:

“Akwaibom project belongs to us all, its time we partake in deciding those to be at the helm of the affairs of the state,; so that we can assist in articulating policies that will impact on the economic well being of our people with the sole aim of having a better state ..”

The group it seems advocates a transformation from unchecked individualism of Akapbio administration in which Umanah Umanah is a dominant player to the same Umanah Umanah “who will drive the aspirations and ideals of Ibom Medallion” and not that of the people of the state. This will force the state into crises because of the group’s arrogant overreach in imposing its alleged candidate and its elitist opinion on the rest of the citizens of the state. This is not what our people want. 

QUALIFICATION OF UMANAH UMANAH AS A STAR CANDIDATE:

 As I pondered on Medallion’s claim of Umanah’s competence to govern our people, I looked back and saw a poignant scene of families presently languishing in grieves in the state. Three to four months behind in the payment of teachers’ salaries who teach our young ones and Civil servants whose December salaries are yet not paid by Umanah and Akpabio administration.

The shock of alleged state “sponsored terrorism” abuses and cruelty to our people while Umanah, our churches and Clergies like Bush remain muted and in some cases benefiting economically and praying for the redemption of the perpetrators and a guaranteed place in the Kingdom.   

I thought of a government which has a policy to resort to the use of brutal force in circumstances deemed totally improper, unnecessary and deadly. I thought of our people who are maimed, brutally assaulted by repressive government of Akpabio administration in which Umanah is a principal actor.

All these cruel practices are not necessary to preserve internal order and discipline or institutional security. They are arbitrary and purposeless, brutal and cruel and contrary to contemporary standards of decency. I could not help but ask myself the question, do these people really have consciences?   

Due process clause of the constitution requires that pre-trial detainees not be punished at all because the state does not acquire the power to punish them until it has secured a formal adjudication of guilt in accordance with due process of law. But the record of Akpabio -Umanah administration is replete with instances in which political detainees are brutalized, humiliated and in some cases murdered in cold blood.

I look again intensely and even in an area like free Secondary Education of our children that I may have given Akpabio administration some credit, I also saw it sprinkled with evil.

The so called free Secondary Education is nothing but an attractive nuisance. It is a blanket open door policy without any requisite safeguards like residency requirement and is intended to encourage people from the neighboring states who incidentally are Akpabio’s in-laws to migrate to our state to neutralize Ibibio majority –an avowed policy of Akpabio- Umanah administration. With no comparable employment opportunities created to absorb the new immigrants, they resort to robbery and all kinds of criminal activities that now plague the state.    

Then I could not help but question the legitimacy of Pastor Bush’s claim of Umanah’s fitness as the messiah to redeem the state from the very evils he has help create. I could not help but conclude that Pastor Bush although a pastor is fascinated with worldly pleasure and business, money, contracts and Akwaibom projects and support for corrupt governments and its leadership. For if Pastor Bush’s attention were focused on things eternal –truth, righteousness, justice, the love of our state and its people, he would never have truthfully lay claim to Umanah’s  fitness to govern our people.

I can go beyond and state Pastor Bush’s additional problems- the difficulties of a Clergy indulging in politics. For one thing, there is a big wall separating the church and the state. The church is not a political institution. Therefore, the Priest should stick to gospel as much as the State should stay away from the business of the church. “The church and its disciples cannot and must not take our economic destiny in their hands nor should Pastor Bush’s Mandellion and its elitist disciples.” There is a church- state divide- the two don’t mix.  

What then you may ask, is the role of the church and its Clergy when our people are being murdered, kidnapped, abused and persecuted by repressive governments disguised as democracy?

Is the policy of inaction by the church and Pastors like Bush when God’s people are being murdered, kidnapped, abused, brutalized, persecute even in their backyard not a functional equivalent of the decision by the church and their clergies to violate the liberty granted them by their creator? In other word, do the church and its clergy have a distinctive role to defend God’s people against the evil practices of oppressive governments?

It appears Job might offer us some help. “When doubt and temptation mar moral instinct, God, through the spiritual self” as Job says, “approaches mankind sometimes in slumber” or as in this case this writer “to impress his instructions that men may change from their wicket ways.”

 Pastor Bush needs to retire Umanah to a life of repentance for the evils he has substantially rained on the lives of God’s people of this state. Hopefully he can forgive him.

  Sodom and Gomorrah , vile with debauchery of a nameless crime were not deserted by the Angel of Love until the fire which they had lit their souls had consumed them.

If Pastor Bush does not retire Umanah to a life of repentance but insist on fielding him as his star candidate for 2015 Governorship election, then the evil which he had lit in his soul may consume him as did Sodom and Gomorrah .  

The Evangelists Jonah, the Sam Jones of Hebrew theology, exhorted the adulterous Neneveh many times to repent as we do now exhort Umanah to retire to a life of repentance and save our people the repeat agony of Akpabio-Umanah administration.

David, while intoxicated with love under the seductive embrace of Bathesheba as Umanah is intoxicated with ill gotten wealth of two corrupt administrations, heard the voice of Nathan. Surely, God is no respecter of persons and will speak to mankind if only they will not stiffen their necks and harden their hearts. The Governorship slot for the 2015 election under PDP is for Eket Senatorial District . Those who have ears let them hear. 
  

Akpabio’s influence in Akwaibom state will go with him. The state will not be saddled with existential enemies- hooliganisms, vandalism, murder, kidnapping, arrogance and violent political style - never again shall we allow anyone rot such evil upon our peace loving people.   

Dr. Inyang Oduok

Atlanta, Georgia.


I thank you and others for your compliments but I honestly wish that you did not carve out exception on zoning. Here is why?

 

Zoning is an objective methodology adopted by PDP to achieve fairness in the distribution of political power at the top. It is strictly followed at the central level and other states and was even followed by Isemin's administration in the "appointment of cabinet members." But as you have heard from the Council of Uyo elders, it “has not been followed in the previous elections in our state.” Consequently, we have produced  toothless, incompetent and political monsters as Governors.

 

 The three failed leadership is absolute proof that non-zoning does not work. It seems to me that we should all be concerned about adopting a methodology that has not worked in the past and comply with the party’s policies and procedures.

 

 On my part, I am playing the part of avuncular elder stateman and not trying to be invidious about Umanah Umanah. However, I am compelled to attack his political record in the state and Pastor Bush’s claim of his fitness to govern in light of Umanah's record.  

As you can see, the announcement by Bush of Umanah’s candidacy is already creating tension among the various ethnic groups in the state. This is what these crops of politicians are very good at doing.

 

The announcement also reflects on Governor Akpabio that he does not intend on smooth transfer of power or exit. He is pressing ahead to destabilize the state before he leaves office by cutting a deal with his secretary to run as Governor so he can cover-up his back and possibly shelter him from criminal prosecution. I understand he is "shipping Chief Asam to Canada as Nigerian ambassador to prevent him from feuding for the governorship office with his political ally Umanah."

 

Umanah as you already know is an important political ally of Governor Akpabio. You did not hear Governor Akpabio issue a statement condemning Mendallion's action nor did you hear Umanah issue a statement disassociating from the group and denouncing the statement. Therefore, the statement and the group’s action appear authentic. 

   

The statement by Mendallion’s chief executive was highly provocative and drew immediate response from someone from Eket Senatorial district making it very clear that any attempt to impose a candidate on Eket Senatorial District will not be tolerated.

 

I reiterate here that if we are deprived of our right to field a candidate for the party, our response will be swift and painful. We will go up to the extent of disrupting oil flow and disrupt economic life of the state and the country if necessary.  

  All are on notice. 

Dr. Inyang Oduok

Atlanta Georgia.

Oduok,

 

No body stops anybody from contesting in whatever political party or position he or she desires, however, there will be no free lunch or reservation for any ethnic group or locality. If you like block the sky so that rain does not fall. Any candidate needs to come out for people to gauge hisintegrity and competence against other candidates.

 

Chris UdohPHC, Ng.

Fine, Chris:

 

I do not have trouble with gauging a candiate with the requisit integrity, qualifiaction and experience to run on the party's platform, but the candidate must come form Eket Senatorial District and zoning which is the party's means of producing a candidate should be enforced. People from Eket Senatorial District have by appointments produced two Governors Isong and Essuene with no dents on their integrity and competence. We are not afraid of competition although we do not have politicians who have robbed the state to enrich themselves as some other Senatorial Districts have.  

 

However, we demand fairness and compliance with the party rule and will insist on it. You are never again going to waste the resources of our people with your failed leaders.

 

I thought you were going to say that when our people block the flow of oil, you will still survive as a state. That tells you who calls the shot.

Dr. Oduok

Atlanta, Georgia

You can only make this kind of comment because you do not know that it took a blockade and the burning down of Picaso club to stop Exxon from transporting Yorubas from Lagos to provide labor at the oil terminal while our impoverished people were there jobless. You cannot understimate a people.

 

We in Eket Senatorial District are peace loving people but the leaders you provided us the past years are underperforming. Substantial percentage of your legislators are either crooked, criminals or semi criminals and have provided us with nothing but conflicts and chaos that have bitterly divided Akwa Ibom State while either engaging in painful waste of the resources of our people or embezzling or stealing them. We have had it and are determined to put a stop to it. Be assured that we will.  

 

 Yes, I know quite well that there is a price we must all pay to protect our liberty and dignity and if called to do so, will readily answer the call for the liberation of our people. We will not continue to watch your leaders turn Akwa Ibom state into a repressive police state in which thousands of our innocent citizens are starving to death or a hereditary or clandestine formular for the transfer of political power from one incompetent and brutal dictator to the other.

 

Recall the late Chief E.O. Eyo of Action Group and his violent political style. That is the political liability that Uyo people saddled us with for years. Recall that when federal troops entered our area, the first thing Chief Eyo did was to have them arrest his political opponents and execute them. That is how the late principal, Mr. Obot of Lutheran High School Obot Idim died. Now how is that different from what you claim Governor Akpabio is doing if I may ask?

 

Stay clear because it is Eket Senatorial District's turn to produce a leader for the party and we will ensure with your help that we select a good leader that will best serve the interest of Akwaibom state people.  

 

  Dr. Inyang oduok