Date Published: 06/21/09

AKWA IBOM: THE UNNECESSARY BICKERING

By Emmanuel Onwubiko  

Political analysts who are looking for proof of the indubitable claim that one major attribute that our politicians in political offices in the last ten years and especially now have not imbibed is tolerance to plurality of opinions, need not look too far from Akwa Ibom State especially with the cacophony of organized attacks directed at the immediate past Governor of that state Architect Obong Victor Attah who presided over the affairs of that state from 1999 to 2007.

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These cacophony of organized and clearly sponsored media attacks on the person of former Governor Victor Attah by supporters of the current Governor, Barrister Godswill Akpabio started when the immediate past Governor gave a professional advise to his successor on the futility of embarking on some giant building projects in Akwa Ibom state especially the proposed Tropicana project. The candid advise of Architect Attah was initially privately conveyed to Godswill Akpabio, a learned gentleman, but when the author of the correspondence did not receive a supposedly gentleman’s reply, he (Victor Attah) decided to exercise his constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression in compliance with section 39(1) of the 1999 constitution to publish his otherwise innocuous professional advise in Nigerian Newspapers.

Observers say that there is absolutely nothing wrong in a professional Architect Vast in the technicalities associated with Building projects to offer his individual advise to a lawyer holding political office in trust for the people, on issues concerning his field of professional calling. Observers also say that it is shocking that a lawyer holding public office who is vast in the constitutionally protected human rights, should express his strong dislike for the ways and manners that a citizen of his state has chosen to publicly exercise his right to freedom of expression by publishing what was hitherto sent to him privately but which he did not extend states-manly response.

Some commentators believe that prior to the ongoing public altercations between former Governor Victor Attah (who has so far refused to rent any crowd of supporters) and his successor in office Godswill Akpabio (whose supporters are buying up a great deal of Newspaper advertorials to canvass their support for him), the relationship between the two principal characters had been frosty because of the perception that the immediate past Governor Victor Attah did not back the emergence of the current Governor, who incidentally worked under the former Governor for eight years as commissioner in different strategic positions.

Since the emergence of the current Governor after the alleged opposition of his predecessor, there has been a silent political war going on between the two political figures and the entire Akwa Ibom is polarized along the two divergent camps. But what is really the origin of the ongoing media war of words especially from the camp of the current Governor of Akwa Ibom who has predictably won the vociferous support of the entire elected parliamentarians both at the National Assembly and the state House of Assembly?

Before delivering into the origin of the media war between the two political gladiators, Nigerians were once told that the current Governor of Akwa Ibom allegedly bought with public funds, brand new Jeeps which were distributed to the National Assembly legislators from Akwa Ibom state.

Some observers believe that the total support by the National legislators from the state rendered to Governor Akpabio could be traced to these wonderful “gifts’ of brand new Jeeps offered to them allegedly by Governor Godswill Akpabio. Regrettably, even the traditional rulers that ought to mediate peace have dabbled into the quarrel in support of the Governor by spending stupendous amount of scarce resources to fund newspaper adverts canvassing support for Governor Akpabio.

Specifically, in his letter, Attah had raised an objection to the siting of the Tropicana project. He said if governor Akpabio had taken the necessary step of conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study which such a large project demands, he would have come to the same conclusion that it would be wrong.

He pointed out: “A few meters down the road, on the same side of the road, is another large hotel, the 10 th anniversary hotel, which we hope will be completed someday. In the opposite direction, and again only a few meters away is the very large recreational park – Union park – which harbours the Ibibio Union museum. This road, Udo Udoma Avenue, and its extension from Aka to Abak road are expected to be one of our most prestigious roads, giving character to the town. “It is along this road that plots have been made available for the federal judiciary buildings, the bank layout and financial district, the prestigious House of Assembly building, the cultural and information zones with museums and art galleries, the central library and such other prestigious developments.

“I am not going to compare it to Broad Street or the Marina in Lagos because those are purely commercial, but there is some analogy in their comparative characterization. You may want to think of it more as our Park Lane in London or a sublime combination of Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas), Park Avenue and Fifth Avenue in New York. Certainly not a place for such a project as the proposed Tropicana.”

He also raised the issue of priority, saying that the proposed Tropicana cannot be a priority to Akwa Ibom state. He stated: “Even if the Tropicana project can be considered as something nice-to-have it can hardly be looked upon as a necessity or priority today.”

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Attah also spoke about a fly over which Akpabio’s administration has constructed at the entrance into Uyo, the state capital and concluded that the project could not serve the need for the volume of traffic but merely so that the people of Akwa Ibom state will know what a flyover looks like which he said Akpabio too has admitted. In conclusion, Attah said although not many people will have the courage to come out openly and tell the governor certain things, but tongues are wagging.

“So please allow me to tell you that the people that you govern are beginning to think that you want to ruin the town, a town that you never lived in till you came a few years ago as commissioner, and, after running it, to move back to Lagos where your learned senior and colleague, His Excellency, governor Babatunde Fashola is turning what was considered a dangerous place to be, into a loveable, livable city.”

The controversial letter reads:

“I am very aware of the tendency within your government to regard anybody who differs, however slightly, from your held position or opinion as an enemy of your government. At the risk of being so labeled, I feel in conscience bound to express my total disagreement with you on the proposed Tropicana project.”

The current Governor unhappy with the position canvassed by his predecessor which kicked against some of his proposed projects, has predictably adopted a number of harsh measures to demonstrate his disdain for Right to freedom of expression.

The state government has asked the House of Assembly to set up a commission of enquiry into the Science ark, a subtle move to open a probe into the activities of Attah’s administration. Other actions already taken against Attah, include:

As a body of human Rights practitioners, the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria think that in as much as we do not support some of the language used by the former Governor in conveying his professional opinion, we are opposed to the reactions that have so far emanated from the current Governor who as a lawyer should have known that democracy is built fundamentally on the constitutionally protected Right to freedom of expression.

Just like Roland O. Watson, we ask;

“Why do we have democracy? For whom does democracy exist?

The answer to this is the people, the general public. It is the presence of inalienable human rights, and the fact that power lies with the people which infers that society must be democratic. However, this is not a one-day street. For democracy to succeed, and serve the people, the people in turn must fulfill a number of obligations. This distinction, that democracy serves us but we must also serve it, is easier to understand through considering dictatorship. The people in a dictatorship are subjects, not participants. They do not make decisions for themselves, instead they are told what to do. The misrule and repression of dictatorship generally compels the people to concentrate on survival. Interestingly, it is common to use group or community survival strategies. While it is in a sense forced by circumstances, they cooperate together. This is the basic obligation that the people in a democracy bear: they must be willing to cooperate”.

Watson further stated rightly that;

“An important problem for democracy is that many social influences seek to undermine our reason and self discipline for examples institutions commonly treat us as subjects. To religion, we are believers, and to corporations, employees and consumers. Such institutions attempt to control us, including through manipulating us using appeals to our emotions. For democracy to function well nothing is above criticism”.

As Human Rights practitioners, we believe just like Watson that public opinion is strategic to the enthronement of an open society, vibrant democracy and the rule of law, anything contrary would otherwise mean that we have lost our right to freedom of expression, and taken the first step towards truly becoming the subjects of dictatorship. When democracy fails, the people become disordered mobs, including such things as ultra-nationalists and religious fanatics. This is unacceptable. We must learn to work together, and to leave our differences behind. To do this, every one must confront, and defeat, the influences that encourage such mobs.

Rather than waste public funds that ought to be used to provide democracy dividends to the rural poor, the current administration under Barrister Godswill Akpabio should call their supporters to order and allow an atmosphere of unfettered freedom of expression and the enjoyment of other constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights to thrive in that beautiful state.