More than before, there is a growing concern that the Ibibio people have been systematically marginalized and incapacitated. And in many circumstances, this position has been justifiably argued and defended. Many have evaluated what the Ibibios are passing through as a political deluge ordained by a few, with selfish political commitments, to socially weaken, economically deprive and impoverishand politically cow, subdue, exploit and enslave the Ibibio nation.It is arguedthat though the impacts of these commitments are debilitating, the Ibibios, by their republican nature, have only made near passive attempts to collectivelyresist conditions that havesustained their incapacitation in recent years. This, for many, is one of the many challenges confronting the Ibibio civilization.
Obviously, for many others, the challenge, that theIbibios are hunted, is surmountable. The real fear however, is the fact that forces that are up against theIbibios have almost succeeded totactically annihilate core values and rip apart institutions that unified,empowered and firedthe legendary indomitable spirit of Ibibio forbears.Embarrassingly, in some instances, sacred stools instituted to preserve and enhance Ibibio civilization have been abased and the sacredness of revered institutions defiled to evolve factionally-acclaimed supreme leadership institutions with contestable supremacy. At other instances, the quest to resolve leadership contradictions have,ironically, evolvedmyopic perceptionsandprompted a rancorous craze for ascendency to veneratedthrones in Ibibio nation. The reality is that the Ibibios have been mindlessly fragmented and factionalized,first, to rob them of the power of their numerical strength, and then, to forestall the emergence of a popular, respectable and unifying leadership framework that would weld massive authority to protect, preserve and project the essence of Ibibio civilization.
Manifestly, as countless revered institutions nowcontend for supremacy, hitherto sacred traditional gongs have lost their timbre. And royal injunctions now convey confusion and emptiness. While these persist, the vast majority ofIbibio people are trapped in an apparentlycolourless world of despair and tossed, this time, in an ebbing politicalflood that is surging aimlessly in torrent current.
The question is: why would a clobbered and subdued people sailing in a murky political deluge roll out drums to celebrate a son who holds no active political position and whose celebrated legacies as a governor have since been disingenuously politicized?Or put it plainly: Why would Ibibio people celebrate Obong Victor BasseyAttah? And, why at this time?
Forward looking societies celebrate great men while they are alive.Despite its peculiar challenges, Ibibio nation is one forward looking society that strongly believes that its sun sets to rise again. The collective resolve by Ibibio people to celebrate Obong Victor Attah is a timely necessity to demonstrate the indomitable will of a chosen race whose progress could only be temporarily hindered but cannot be prevented. A people who, even in the abyss of suppression, have demonstrated domineering faith in the immeasurable capacity of God to fight their cause and have continued to march boldly with the conviction that hearts rebuilt from hope will resurrect dreams killed by hate.For many reasons, in celebrating ObongVictor Attah, the Ibibio people have convoked a solemn congress to reconstruct their souls,mindful of the fact that souls reconstructed with faith will ultimately transform agony into peace.
Peace. Yes, relativepeace.It is incontestable that one of the greatest legacies that Obong Victor Attah bequeathed to Akwa Ibom people was a state with relative political peace. Unfortunately this peace was beheaded when political greed and selfishness eclipsed sanity and moral conscience, and bred bloodthirsty commitments that wiped away many of our priceless gifts. A culture of impunity and lawlessness then engulfed the state and erected bestial spectaclesthat institutionalized fear such that, at a time, even security operatives needed gallant and armed security escorts to walk on the streets again.More than anything else, Akwa Ibom State, the land of the Ibibios, needs and deserves peace - more so, in the next few months ahead.For it is only in an atmosphere of peace that the collective dreams of the people would be realized and it is hoped that celebrating a man of peace would herald a return of peaceful engagements and strengthen the bond of our common humanity.
Obong Victor Attah in words and in deeds is a great man. And one of the greatest hallmarks of his greatness is simplicity demonstrated in the courtesy with which he treats ‘lesser men’. He is celebrated, first, as a quintessential Ibibio son, and then, as the father of modern Akwa Ibom state, a nationalist per excellence and a respectable citizen of the world. Obong Attah is a multidimensional and multi-faceted characterwith tremendous propensity and capacity for immensities. He could best be described as one of the worthiest and brightest sons of Ibibio. He is not only a one time governor of Akwa Ibom State but one that has borne great offices and left behind indelible legacies.
Obong Attah is an honest man. And in the words of Alexander Pope, ‘An honest man is the noblest work of God’. He is God’s noblest gift to Akwa Ibom State which he administered at a time whencourage and honesty were in short supply;when greedy outcomes were not celebrated as leadership achievement;when opportunism was not venerated as ingenuity; when vices were not idolized as virtues; when mediocrity was not extolled as excellence; when sycophancy was not the highest paid enterprise; when leaders did not pay to get praises they least deserve; when rudderless acts could not disguise as vision; and a time when leadership service was defined by its enduring positive impacts and overriding public interest.
Attah is one man who had many crucial opportunities and utilized them positively to boldly engrave his name in posterity.At one time he had a rare opportunity to mortgage the fortunes of Akwa Ibom people over the onshore offshore derivation principle. But being a true father and statesman, he initiated and sustained a struggle for self-determination and emancipation and earned for himself hatred from the enemies of the state just to demonstrate his commitment to the wellbeing and prosperity of his people. The balance is the riches, the resources, and the abundance that Akwa Ibom State is enjoying today.
The Ibibio people are celebrating, in Obong Victor Attah, a man with great moral courageto showcase the worth of the moral substance on which every legitimate leadership should grow and draw its character and strength.Attah by all standards is a great man of vision and unparalleled depth of imagination. Perhaps, his visionary and imaginative finesse is best appreciated in the poetic imageries painted by the greatest poet and playwright of all times, William Shakespeare, in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ of an exceptional character whose ‘imagination bodies forth the forms of things unknown, and turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing a local habitation and a name..’.
By his depth of imagination, Attah did not only establish in Akwa Ibom things that were unimaginable and seemingly impossible, he named and situated them in strategic locations to secure both the social, economic, political and religious interests of Akwa Ibom State and for timeless benefits. Today, while there is a consensus that the benefits of sitting, for instance, an international airport in Akwa Ibom Stateby the Attah administration is immeasurable, many are also arguing that his vision of establishing a state university as a technical institution complemented by the Science Park was to fast-track industrial revolution of the Akwa Ibom state.Some are also arguing that the choice of the location of the State University was an indirect policy of protecting the land resources of the state. Today, many also hold the view that the policy behind the sitting of the state university would have checkmated the recent expansionist programme of the Ijaw nation which is seeking to excise part of Akwa Ibom land covered by the areas of the initial site of the state university into their proposed Oil River State.
The Ibibios are celebrating, in Obong Victor Attah, consistency, maturity, wisdom, tenacity, great courage, goodwill, ingenuity, patriotism and greatness. He is not only a man of exceptional brilliance, enthralling sagacity and captivating oratory but indeed a dazzling specimen of an enigmatic character that can hardly be disregarded in moments of serious national or global intellectual discourse. Recently nominated by the Ibibios to the just concluded National Conference, Obong Attah, was on the merits of his glorious antecedents and capacity, made Chairman of one of the most sensitive committee of the Conference, Committee on Devolution of Power. There, he exuded wisdom, maturity and sensitivity andyielded his deep knowledge of issues to help stabilize, sustain and guide the National Conference to arrive at amicable resolution of vexed national issues.
Obong Attah did not only represent the Ibibios at the National Conference, he represented Akwa Ibom State very well and successfully engaged his consummate wit to mobilize contending interests to recommend additional 5% increase of the derivation formula. When ratified, this will certainly translate to more wealth to the state. Even when he attended the conference as a representative of the Ibibio nationality, Attah, became a rallying point for delegates from Akwa Ibom State, the South-south, the Ex-Governors and indeed stood out as a patriotic national symbol and an active agent that played prominently active roles in the creation of a national consciousness. Not only was his views sought in resolving contentious national issues, they were respected and highly valued.And his eloquent vote of thanks during the closing formalities of the national conference has continued to vibrate in tidal echoes that will outlive many generations.
Naturally, trailing his defining positive traits are series of heated arguments that Obong Victor Attah, in certain aspects, did not do well as a governor. As human, Attah could not have been perfect. Granted that there were certain things some had expected him to do which he did not and many other things that others had expected that he should not have done which he did, it is only proper to assess, appreciate and celebrate him based on the genuineness of his intentions.
Nevertheless, one of the hallmarks of greatness is contradictions. And Obong Victor Attah has, perhaps, more than a fair share of this. Butfrom whatever standpoint this man is assessed, there are still many defining aspects of his life that are reflective of a shining example of a truly great and sincere leader. Attah has his stubbornness and weaknesses which also add to his strength. He is one great politician that has remained consistent and a leader that is indispensable. It is natural that many would agree with him and many would also disagree. But ultimately, Obong Victor Bassey Attah is one man you commend to condemn. He is also the same man that you condemn to commend. He is a man that you love to hate and indeed also the same man that you hate to love. Yet in all these, Attah is one man who does not court praises. Rightly, he deserves the praises he enjoys andearns the massive respect he commands.This explains why today in Akwa Ibom State, every serious politician irrespective of party affiliation reckons on ObongVictor Attah and every governorship aspirant irrespective of sponsor wants to consult Obong Victor Attah.
Though ObongAttah left governance more than seven years ago, and has no platform to award contracts to politicians he is one leader who has continued to touchthe essence of his people and naturally captures the individual and collective imaginations and hearts of Ibibio people. The vast majority respects his opinion. They want to hear him speak. He does not only remain a unifying factor, he rules and reigns in the consciousness of forward-looking minds of Akwa Ibom people.
This explains why, at this perilous time in our collective history, when very many things that could have aroused the collective interest of Ibibio people seem to have been Balkanized, celebrating the immensities of Obong Victor BasseyAttah becomes a humongous affair that has stimulated the Ibibio consciousness and brought the generality of Ibibio people together.
Though it would be foolhardy to deny that the timing for the celebration is apt and the event itself divinely arranged, it is apparent that no other better reason could best justify what has prompted a seemingly disarrayed Ibibio nation; a deprived, oppressed and subdued people, to suddenly rise and rediscover their voice.
It is on these foundations and more that Obong Victor BasseyUdoAdiahaAttah, authentically, unassumingly remains the metaphor of consistency and the fulcrum of the Ibibio renaissance.
*Idorenyin Aquaisua is the Editor-In-Chief, Media Post International, 07037518224, editor@mediapostonline.net
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