Obong Attah deserves our commendations and felicitations. In fact, I and my family sincerely wish him a happy birthday.
The problem I have is when we attempt to 'dress someone with borrowed robes, it is either the robes isn't gonna give him a perfect fit or he will suffer the indignation of wearing what is not his own.
On a very personal note, Obong Attah is a great man, having traversed various professional and political strata to become governor, despite his age and when most of his contemporaries weren't capable of working or had retired back to their villages. God has been kind to our great sage.
Let me address some very fundamental fallacies that have apparel the illogic of some of friends notably Franklyn Isong and one Bassey Willie, whose argumentum ad hominem is aimed principally at projecting Obong Attah in a better light at the expense of actors such as Governor Udom Emmanuel and former Governor Akpabio considered as being opposed to him.
It is the apogee of idiocy and primitive generalization to allude that during Obong Attah's stewardship, there were no politically-motivated killings, kidnapping and armed robbery in the state, when the memory of Akwa ibomites are fresh regarding the sad events like the brutal murder of an NNDC Executive Director by assassins believed to have been hired by highly placed government officials in the state
Was it in Governors Akpabio or Udom Emmanuel's time that Obong Etukudoh Ekproh, a dynamic and astute politician and one-time governorship aspirant was structurally poisoned in a stakeholders meeting? When was the Vice Chairman of Itu LGA kidnapped, with his hands cut-off and remains yet to be found? If these are not politically-motivated killings, I beg Franklyn to give these events a better expression!
When in the very recent history of Akwa Ibom did all the banks in Etinan Local Government Area close -down owing to daily, routined and serial armed robbery attacks? Do we need to announce that there is no more a bank in Etinan. As students in Uniuyo, was there hardly a day many we did not hear sporadic gunshots lasting several hours in respective banks in the state? If we fail to acknowledge this as insecurity, I implore Otuekong Isong to give it a better nomenclature.
Another issue with deserves my comment, perhaps in the passing, is the allusion by Franklyn that during Obong Attah's time as governor, there was a level- playing field for members of his party and that that resulted in a less- acrimonious political atmosphere in the state.
I pardon franklyn's ignorance in this respect because he is not sufficiently equipped with facts on the political undercurrents in the period under review. I hold firmly that there is no perfect being on the planet earth, I also hold as sacrosanct the 'Peter Principle' that no man should be promoted to his state of inefficiency.
In this prism, it begs to enquire, was the impeachment ( which was later reversed to resignation) of Chris Ekpenyong, Obong Attah's Deputy on account of insinuations that he was 'warming up' for the 2007 governorship elections, a true reflection of internal democracy and a less- acrimonious political atmosphere?
Should a man whose deputy described after three months in office in 1999 as "the worst dictator in the world and in the mould of Idi Amin and Adolf Hitler, and whose Speaker of the Assembly, Peter Linus Umoh refused to pass the budget proposals after six months, describing most of his administration's projects in 2001 as "white elephant", be celebrated as a saint, great leader and statesman?
My concern in the entire discourse, debate and insights about this "great man" rest on his questionable statesmanship disposition and demeanor which has been flagrantly abused and politically mis-used. Last weekend, the entire nation converged on Etim Ekpo for the convocation of a private university in the area, during the time of Obong Attah, could this have been possible when that area was completely cut off from the state by terrorism and poor access road? Did this stateman ever set his foot in Ika(known as a war zone) throughout his tenure as governor?
Without sounding immodest, Obong Attah is not a statesman in the true meaning of the word. (Mind you, i called him a sage and I agree to an extent that he is a leader, because leadership style is a function of one's choice and ideological persuasion; with Attah limiting his leadership to select friends in Ibibio of Uyo Senatorial district.
Statesmanship is thinking outside the box. A statesman, Rufus Fears, a Professor of Political Science argues, is not a tyrant; he is the free leader of a free people and he must possess four fundamental qualities: a bedrock of principle, a moral compass, and a vision, and the ability to build a consensus to achieve that vision. Perhaps, it is apposite to explain these intrinsic features for clarity, aid the ill- informed and for the records.
A Bedrock of Principles
The statesman builds his platform on a foundation of firm, unchanging, fundamental truths. These are the things he believes at his very core, his overarching philosophy. Just as in the foundation of a house, storms may buffet the structure, opposition and challenges may arise, times will change, but the foundation remains.
A statesman may change the details of his policies and his methods for achieving those policies, but only inasmuch as those short-term tactics of expediency serve the purpose of furthering his bedrock of principles in the long run.
A simple and commonsensical extrapolation of this shows clearly that Obong Attah is not and cannot be qualified to be addressed a statesman. The reasons cannot be divorced from the fact that having been the architect of zoning in the state, the former governor surreptitiously threw his weight behind Udoedehe at time Ikot Ekpene senatorial district had not completed its tenure, and supported Umana, a candidate from Uyo at the time Eket Senatorial district was to produce the Governor.
Again, his disposition to zoning today reveals that his earlier decision that zoning be entrenched in the state was individualistic- to entrench a dynasty in the state.
A Moral Compass
Dr. Fears argues that the modern politician makes decisions by using “antennae.” He puts his feelers out there to gauge the public mood. Once he figures out which way the wind is blowing, he then shapes himself and his message to give the people exactly what they want.
But as Dr. Fears would emphasize clearly: A statesman does not govern by public sentiment.
On the contrary, the true statesman makes his decisions by following the dictates of his own moral compass. He is not a relativist; he believes in absolute truths, and his moral compass is rooted in a sense of absolute right and absolute wrong.
When something is wrong, he plainly says it is wrong and does everything in his power to fight against it. When something is right, he is willing to overcome any opposition to preserve and spread it.
This again, subjects Obong Attah's moral compass to a critical and clinical re -examination. Agreed, people have different views and dispositions to morality, while others see what is "good" only in the context of their personal interest.
That Obong Attah chose to support Obong Umana Okon Umana, a corrupt and despotic character against a seasoned investment banker who's cross-cultural and transnational experience on institution building, questions intoto his sense of morality- what is good and evil.
But there are things a statesman simply will and will not do to get to the top. He is a man of integrity; he speaks the truth. He leads by moral authority and represents all that is best in his countrymen.
Does this conceptualization define Obong Attah's approach to the politics in the state? Can a man who is opposed to a constituted authority or a democratically elected government in his home-state be described as having a moral compass or possessing a preponderance of moral authority?
What nomenclature would we ascribe to the genre of Dr Alex Ekwueme, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Prof Jerry Gana,Joseph Wayas, Etim Inyang and Nsikak Eduok, who rather than fight younger leaders, play advisory roles and caution them on the need for a tranquil social order? In our clime, dead men are usually respected by all, but during Obong Attah's tenure as governor he refused to authorise the burial of Oku Ibom Ibibio 1 Nsonyin Okon Ekpo Ekpo, simply because of pecuniary family misunderstandings. It was after the end of his tenure that Ekpo who was a paramount ruler of his local government, got a burial. Statesmen rise above pettiness.
A Vision
It is believed universally, that a statesman has a clear vision of what his country and his people can become. He knows where he wants to take them and what it will take to get there.
Fears argues that a statesman’s foresight is one of his most important qualities, as he must be able to recognize problems on the horizon and be able to come up with solutions that are good not only for the short-term, but for the long-term as well. The statesman keeps in mind not only the here and now, but the world future generations will inherit.
The Ability to Build a Consensus to Achieve That Vision
What differentiates a statesman more from a politician is their ability to build consensus to achieve visions. A politician may have a bedrock of principles, a moral compass, and a vision, but if he lacks the ability to build a consensus around his vision, his efforts to change policies, laws, and the course of history will largely be in vain.
A statesman, who again is a free leader of a free people, must enlist those who serve with him in the government to support his initiatives, and their willingness to do so rests on the pressure they feel from their constituents to align themselves with the statesman’s vision.
Thus, a statesman’s success in building a consensus ultimately hinges on his ability to convince his countrymen of the soundness of his philosophy.
To win their hearts, the statesman does not use slick advertisements and PR campaigns. Ads and propaganda, Fears argues, are the tools of the despot. Rather, the statesman harnesses the power of the written, and especially the spoken word. He is master orator. His lifelong study of great books and the lessons of history allow him to speak to the people in intelligent, potent, well-reasoned arguments.
In this connection, it begs to ask what could better, more just, inspiring better-reasoned as "giving to everyone his due" as posited by the political philosopher, Plato? Should the people of Eket Senatorial district have sacrificed their turn to have a Governor on the altar of the personal "fight" between Obong Attah and former Governor Akpabio?
Because a statesman follows his moral compass instead of opinion polls, his ideas are often initially out of step with the public mood. But instead of tailoring his rhetoric to that mood, he speaks to the very best within his countrymen. He understands that while their ideals may be deeply buried, powerful rhetoric can bring them forth and activate them.
The strength of his words comes from the fact that he actually believes what he says. And he does not make his countrymen’s hearts soar and burn with empty promises; he keeps his word and does what he says he will do. Following this, did Obong Attah keep to his assertion that Eket Senatorial district should as a matter of sequential logic, produce the next governor of the state? Furthermore, if statesmen should believe what they say, doesn't it show in bolder relief that Obong Attah is yet to be one for having reneged on his earlier belief in zoning which he espoused in 2007?
I wish to use this medium to advise Frankyn Isong and my other friends in the media profession that it does the state no good to denigrate a section of our leaders based on our ideological leanings while
During my studies on Effective Broadcast commentaries at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, we were made to understand that irrespective of Political inclinations , a good journalist should be an agenda -setter, he should imbibe the culture of objectivity, truth and public interest. Constructive criticism is expected from media professionals, as endless barrages of attack may massage the ego of the writer, but adds little or no value to the people.
Again, Happy Birthday Your Excellency!
Uwemedimoh Umanah, a Diplomatic Scholar, Peace & Conflict/Development/Public Affairs Expert, writes in this piece from Uyo.
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