Udo Udoma: The trouble(s) of a goldfish

Udoma

BY UBONG SAMPSON

I envisage this to be one of the easiest of all jobs I have done so far in the writing business. Not that the content is expected to be any less than the lots, but merely that I have as a subject matter, a man whose story is to the people as familiar as the biblical story of Christ’s birth and crucifixion is to christians. In essence, the foregoing will be discussing a man whose records is already known to all. The story of Late Justice Egbert Udo Udoma is one I was privileged to be familiar with at a tender age. Then as an indigene of Ikot Abasi before the creation of Mkpat Enin, the renowned legal legend hard escaped any topic of discuss my dad had
with his associates whenever his busy schedule afforded him time to do so; and I was always there to listen with rapt attention, while enjoying the adoration on a man that became an inspiration to my early childhood.
The Hon. Justice Sir Egbert Udo Udoma was one of the most important Nigerians of the 20thcentury, he rose to become an iconic figure, not just in Nigeria and Africa but in the entire Commonwealth through the distinction of his achievements in every field in which he was engaged: education, politics, law, community service, Christianity, statesmanship and scholarship. His personal example defined by his prodigious output, his versatility, his capacity for self-reinvention, his professionalism in legal practice, legal science and administration, his commitment to values and his sheer, divine anointing, even at the family level, has become the stuff of legend.
In Uganda, where he served as Chief Justice for six years and as acting Governor-General in 1963, he continues to be remembered through the annual Udo Udoma Symposium organised by the Law Society and the judiciary of Uganda. In Nigeria, his contributions as a legal practitioner, as an orator on the floor of the Eastern Nigerian House of Assembly, and the Federal House of Representatives, as founder of the Calabar Ogoja Rivers (COR) state creation movement, as a jurist, and as a public administrator remain indelible. He was a nationalist, a patriot, one of Nigeria’s early gifts to Africa, who helped to establish Nigeria’s worth as a leading country in the continent.  But like the sad part of the human nature, Sir Udo Udoma eventually tasted the inevitable fruit of death on  February 2, 1998, a few months shy of his 81st birthday… but this was not without producing a worthy successor and heir of his throne of legacies.
Like the Supreme Creator had designed to suit the beauty of His eyes, every living creature was meant to reproduce its like. That way, lions were never meant to reproduce goats and vice versa; though a popular Ibibio adage of “ekpe uman; afo abied ebod” seems to prove the possibility of a contradiction. However, this contradiction nevertheless affected the case of the late Sir Udo Udoma, owing to his ability to produce, breed and train his successor, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma who grew into the noble goodwill path and lifetime legacies of his father and predecessor. Like father, like son indeed.
Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma (CON) took to the legal field of his father and graduated in 1976 from Oxford University, England and was called to the Bar in 1978. His background as a resource person in business and public policy, consultancy, legislation and reform is providing guiding impetus on investor protection. He is a Senior Partner of Udo-Udoma & Belo_Osagie and had served as a two-term member of the Nigerian Senate from 1999-2007 where he served variously as Chief Whip, Chairman of the Committee on National Planning, Revenue Mobilisation and Poverty Alleviation and Chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Mr. Udoma has been Chairman of UAC of Nigeria Plc January 2, 2010.
He served as the first Chairman of the Corporate Affairs Commission in 1991-1992 and is the part time Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He has served the Nation in other roles such as Special Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources from 1993 to March 1994. He has been Chairman of the Presidential Committee Waivers, Incentives and Concessions since 2007. Mr. Udoma specializes in advising on Nigerian investment laws and the investment environment generally, particularly in the petroleum, energy and natural resources sectors; advising Nigerian and international companies on company law, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions and the raising of financing in the capital and money markets, as well as on major construction and engineering contracts.
Mr. Udoma has been Chairman of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc since February 2013 and its Director since November 27, 2012. He served as Vice Chairman of Linkage Assurance Plc and serves as its Director. He has been a Director of Unilever Nigeria Plc since January 1, 2008 and UAC of Nigeria Plc since 1995. He serves as a Director of First
Aside the outlined outstanding records, as well as the amiable qualities he inherited from his biological predecessor, Senator Udoma also inherited my love, admiration and fanaticism for his father and was, by his noble ways, no less an inspiration to me. At least, I can recall my resolution that if the height of his dad would be too high for me to reach, his would not. However, that was if he eventually does not surpass his dad. After all, it is possible and expected that a student grows to surpass his teacher.
No doubts, Senator Udoma in his reserved and modest political involvement,  had retired to the privacy of his personal life at the expiration of his eight year stay in the national assembly (senate). Hence, why less was heard of him all through the political developments in times recent. But like the saying goes that a goldfish has no place to hide, his displayed competence again found him out recently, and without any regard to the hitch(es) of political party affiliation, won him a place in the heart of incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari in his insistent search for trusted minds and competent hands to assist him in the onerous task of running the affairs of the country. This has always been one of the troubles for goldfishes like Udoma.
However, while acknowledging the wide and overwhelming positive comments and reactions that have so far trailed Senator Udoma’s nomination to serve in the Federal Executive Council, a few narrow minds, I have noticed, have made noisy attempts to discredit this commendable gesture of Mr President. In their laughable claims that have seen their reasoning only struggled without success to meet the confines of rationality; the choice of Senator Udoma will be of no political benefit(s) to his geopolitical constituency, state and the structure of Mr President’s party (APC) in the state. A few other detractors had also seen the across-party consideration of Mr President as a means to score political point(s) by attempting to drag the APC guber candidate, Mr Umana Okon Umana to the opposing side of this development. That however was immediately addressed by the former secretary to government through a press statement that both refuted the claims and confirmed Udoma’s nomination as a welcome development.
Be that as it may, misgivings as this can be understood of a typical Nigerian polity where the people are unrepentantly of the belief that every encounter with a public servant should end in a non-empty handshake. And these negative minds, I can only refer to records of the senator’s eight year membership in the upper chambers. But to ease the burden of the research job on them, a brief details of the onshore/offshore bill fight in the senate and the success story of Akwa Ibom, methinks, is of necessity. When he came into the National Assembly in 1999, he was among the few politicians that were looked up to by the younger generation because he was then in his 40s and with unblemished record.
He opted for the Senate not as a career, but owing to an inborn commitment to public service. Fully conscious of the limitedness in the time frame, he took to the lawmaking duties as if the end of the world was staring right at his eyes. But then, despite his initial desire not to have his stay exceed four years, a delay in the passage of the bill to abolish the onshore/offshore dichotomy which was critical to his state and people, forced on him the necessity of a return.
Returning to the upper chambers, Senator Udoma coordinated the efforts of his colleagues including those from the northern part who would have been least expected to move in support of such bill… and got it through the National Assembly to the then President Olusegun Obasanjo who eventually approved of it after much persistence and pressure from the senator’s quarters. With this, Akwa Ibom State became one of the top two or three in terms of revenue allocation, thereby setting the structure and providing a smooth financial ride for the state- same which was benefitted more by the succeeding administration of immediate past Governor Godswill Akpabio. Today, whatever story is to be written of the modern Akwa Ibom and how it came to be, would not be complete without a mention of Senator Udo Udoma.
Going on and on with this exposition, would I love to do with all pleasure, but that will only end up consuming the whole day and will as well ignite the unfriendliness of time and space. But then, having done this much, I hope and believe that I have been able to convince the confused minds, and not confuse them further that, the presence of characters like Senator Udo Udoma in the federal government is a guarantee for more federal presence in, and benefits to the state.