Date Published: 03/11/10
Why Victor Attah Will Never Give Up By Thompson Essien
I first wrote this piece on January 15, 2007, and in view of the prevailing situation in my State, occasioned by the former governor’s persistent and unrelenting tactics to distract the incumbent Governor Akpabio in his strides in the State, I am persuaded to reproduce it. This is as a consolation to the people who do not know the true person of Obong Attah.
I don't have a degree in Mental Health and I have never even taken a single class in Mental Health. So, if academic credentials are the pre-requisite to figure out who is mentally ill, then I am out of luck.
On the other hand, after a full 57 years of living on earth and interacting with fellow human beings, during which I have lived in 2 continents of the world, and during which I have traveled far and wide, I don't need academic credentials to figure out who is or who is not afflicted with mental illness. I may not have the academic lexicon suitable enough to eloquently and articulately describe my notion of a mentally ill person. But I know one when I see him or her.
I have enough life's experiences long enough to smell a mentally ill individual from 100 miles away. Therefore, I don't need no body, no Ph.Ds and no expert to lecture me before I am convinced that the Governor of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, Obong, Architect, Chief, Doctor, King Victor Bassey Attah is mentally deranged, to say the least.
Many, many years ago, during my growing up years with my father, who was a trader, at Akani Obio in Oron, Oron was commercially viable enough for anyone to describe it as the commercial center of what is now known as Akwa Ibom State. In those days, people used to travel from as far away as the Northern part of Nigeria to trade in Oron. It was a teaming place indeed.
So, among the multitudes of the people that used to crowd the markets and the streets of Oron, I used to see some of them, men and women, walking around naked, disoriented, smelly, uncompromising, somber-looking, and all of them had one common peculiar characteristic --- they were always having a conversation with themselves. Back then, we used to call them "mad people." Until I came to America, that was my idea of who a mentally ill person was supposed to look like.
But now, I know better. Because I am not an expert in Mental Health, my first source of consultation as to how the word could be articulately defined, was to rush to my small library in the basement of my house for a dictionary. By sheer luck (I have no idea how it got into my book shelf), I found "Mosby's Pocket Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, & Allied Health." It was like manna from Heaven. I checked for the word "mental illness." I found it and it said "check mental disorder." I did. And this is the definition I found.
"Mental Disorder, any disturbance of emotional equilibrium, as manifested in maladaptive behavior and impaired functioning, caused by genetic, physical, chemical, biologic, psychologic, or social and cultural factors." Then I remember that when I took a classes in Psychology, I used to read about words like "psychosis" and "sociopath." I decided to check them out too.
These are what I found; "Psychosis, any major mental disorder of organic or emotional origin characterized by extreme derangement or disorganization of personality, often accompanied by severe depression, agitation, regressive behavior, illusions, delusions, and hallucinations that so greatly impair perception, thinking, emotional response, and personal orientation that the individual loses touch with reality, is incapable of functioning normally in society, and usually requires hospitalization. "
It was also included in the definition that, "kinds of psychosis include affective psychosis, alcoholic psychosis, bipolar disorder, Korsakoff's psychosis, paranoia, schizophrenia, senile psychosis."Could Attah be suffering from any of these? I will let our mental experts sort that out.
But I know one thing for sure, any body who spends the people's money, determined to suppress the outcome of people's mandate, is certainly not of himself and not in the right frame of mine. And that is why I am convinced, beyond any reasonable doubt that the man, Victor Attah, is mentally ill.
I think his mental illness could have been triggered by some chemical re-routing in his brains as a result of the stress induced by the loss of his bid for Presidency and his failing expectation of being succeeded by his son in-law, as the next Governor of Akwa Ibom State. That is why he feels disoriented, erratic, careless with his utterances to the point of having to stand in front of his boss, the President of Nigeria, to say that he can afford 10 billion Naira to destabilize a section of the country.
Victor Attah is going through a lot of stress. I am appealing for those who are close to him to please find some form of relieve for his ailment before his condition gets to the level of those "mad" people, which I used to see as a youngster at Oron.
Let's remember the old Ibibio saying, "obut omum eyin eka idat akan idat"
Thompson Essien
A native of Ibibio nation of Ubium Republic extraction, now living in the beautiful and safe city of Portland, Oregon, where no Akwa Ibom State politician can reach.
By Thompson Essien
I first wrote this piece on January 15, 2007, and in view of the prevailing situation in my State, occasioned by the former governor’s persistent and unrelenting tactics to distract the incumbent Governor Akpabio in his strides in the State, I am persuaded to reproduce it. This is as a consolation to the people who do not know the true person of Obong Attah.
I don't have a degree in Mental Health and I have never even taken a single class in Mental Health. So, if academic credentials are the pre-requisite to figure out who is mentally ill, then I am out of luck.
On the other hand, after a full 57 years of living on earth and interacting with fellow human beings, during which I have lived in 2 continents of the world, and during which I have traveled far and wide, I don't need academic credentials to figure out who is or who is not afflicted with mental illness. I may not have the academic lexicon suitable enough to eloquently and articulately describe my notion of a mentally ill person. But I know one when I see him or her.
I have enough life's experiences long enough to smell a mentally ill individual from 100 miles away. Therefore, I don't need no body, no Ph.Ds and no expert to lecture me before I am convinced that the Governor of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, Obong, Architect, Chief, Doctor, King Victor Bassey Attah is mentally deranged, to say the least.
Many, many years ago, during my growing up years with my father, who was a trader, at Akani Obio in Oron, Oron was commercially viable enough for anyone to describe it as the commercial center of what is now known as Akwa Ibom State. In those days, people used to travel from as far away as the Northern part of Nigeria to trade in Oron. It was a teaming place indeed.
So, among the multitudes of the people that used to crowd the markets and the streets of Oron, I used to see some of them, men and women, walking around naked, disoriented, smelly, uncompromising, somber-looking, and all of them had one common peculiar characteristic --- they were always having a conversation with themselves. Back then, we used to call them "mad people." Until I came to America, that was my idea of who a mentally ill person was supposed to look like.
But now, I know better. Because I am not an expert in Mental Health, my first source of consultation as to how the word could be articulately defined, was to rush to my small library in the basement of my house for a dictionary. By sheer luck (I have no idea how it got into my book shelf), I found "Mosby's Pocket Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, & Allied Health." It was like manna from Heaven. I checked for the word "mental illness." I found it and it said "check mental disorder." I did. And this is the definition I found.
"Mental Disorder, any disturbance of emotional equilibrium, as manifested in maladaptive behavior and impaired functioning, caused by genetic, physical, chemical, biologic, psychologic, or social and cultural factors." Then I remember that when I took a classes in Psychology, I used to read about words like "psychosis" and "sociopath." I decided to check them out too.
These are what I found; "Psychosis, any major mental disorder of organic or emotional origin characterized by extreme derangement or disorganization of personality, often accompanied by severe depression, agitation, regressive behavior, illusions, delusions, and hallucinations that so greatly impair perception, thinking, emotional response, and personal orientation that the individual loses touch with reality, is incapable of functioning normally in society, and usually requires hospitalization. "
It was also included in the definition that, "kinds of psychosis include affective psychosis, alcoholic psychosis, bipolar disorder, Korsakoff's psychosis, paranoia, schizophrenia, senile psychosis."Could Attah be suffering from any of these? I will let our mental experts sort that out.
But I know one thing for sure, any body who spends the people's money, determined to suppress the outcome of people's mandate, is certainly not of himself and not in the right frame of mine. And that is why I am convinced, beyond any reasonable doubt that the man, Victor Attah, is mentally ill.
I think his mental illness could have been triggered by some chemical re-routing in his brains as a result of the stress induced by the loss of his bid for Presidency and his failing expectation of being succeeded by his son in-law, as the next Governor of Akwa Ibom State. That is why he feels disoriented, erratic, careless with his utterances to the point of having to stand in front of his boss, the President of Nigeria, to say that he can afford 10 billion Naira to destabilize a section of the country.
Victor Attah is going through a lot of stress. I am appealing for those who are close to him to please find some form of relieve for his ailment before his condition gets to the level of those "mad" people, which I used to see as a youngster at Oron.
Let's remember the old Ibibio saying, "obut omum eyin eka idat akan idat"
Thompson Essien
A native of Ibibio nation of Ubium Republic extraction, now living in the beautiful and safe city of Portland, Oregon, where no Akwa Ibom State politician can reach.
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