A clear conscience fears no accusation but when your case is handled by the wicked, the verdict cannot be positive. A cockroach cannot get fair hearing in a court where the judges are fowls. Dear readers, the foregoing forms the basis of my concern in the wanton vitriolic campaign of calumny waged against Comrade Otobong ‘Aquila’ Akpan, who is the Special Assistant to Governor Udom Emmanuel on Student Affairs.
Of a truth, in our clime, propaganda sells. However, when unintelligent lies are packaged and presented with the vicious intent of smearing a person’s image, the outcome may backfire. The duties and privilege of being a journalist should place one above being a willing tool in the hands of blackmailers whose antics are fast becoming a fruitless exercise, a journey into futility and a mere chasing of the wind.
As someone who has been following the activities of Comrade Otobong Akpan, yours truly can unequivocally declare that the discordant tunes are played by those who don’t believe in the corporate existence and well-being of Akwa Ibom students. The tunes are the voices of separatists whose stock in trade is to create factions in students’ forum. They live on malice. Their hobby is to cry wolf. When they kick a stone, they blame Aquila. When they are rejected by students, they blame Aquila. They abuse her overtly and covertly. But their sands are fast sinking. Of a truth, these individuals have invariably stripped themselves of a garment called common-sense.
How this erudite lady has been able to withstand the barrage of blackmail meted on her will continue to be mysterious to many. However, to me, it isn’t a surprise. Afterall, she is called Aquila. Aquila is the Latin word for Eagle. The eagle is a symbol of authority. The eagle is the king of birds. With its broad wings, the eagle soars above all other animals and woe always betides its enemies because of the ease with which it tears its prey apart. Dear readers, be mindful of what you call yourself. What you say is what you are. Boxing legend, Mohammed Ali, called himself “the greatest.” Till date, he is regarded as the best boxer ever liveth. Comrade Otobong Akpan calls herself Aquila, and she is exemplifying the qualities of an eagle. And anyone who still dares to rub shoulders or seek to disparage her can be said to be living in fantasy land. They just need draw lessons from recent goings-on around her and decode the fact that God is at work in what she does.
Ever since she rose into prominence in students’ politics, her profile has been inundated with sterling achievements recorded because of sheer perseverance, hard-work and dedication. She is not lily-livered. She has the guts of a man. She is as bold as a lion. I liken her to Prof. Dora Akunyili (God bless her soul), who while serving as the Director General of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), carved a niche for herself by working hard to sanitize the health sector. Her work made her have several fierce confrontations with the fake drug barons who had turned Nigeria into their haven. God being God made Akunyili to overcome series of assassination attempts, blackmail and other negative antics waged against her. And when the story of NAFDAC’s success shall be told, the name Dora Akunyili will be mentioned copiously. Also, when the success story of Akwa Ibom students is told, the name Comrade Otobong Akpan shall be mentioned copiously.
For want of space, I will not be attempting to chronicle the life of Aquila from the beginning. I rather choose to pen about her antecedents ever since God brought her into prominence by directing Governor Udom Emmanuel to appoint her as the Special Assistant on Students Affairs. The appointment which was unanimously lauded by students across the state was largely seen as well deserved thanks to her giant strides as a frontline students leader who till her appointment was the President of the Joint Campus Committee (JCC).
Realizing that to whom much is given, much is expected, Aquila started working assiduously to reposition the status of Akwa Ibom students. She represents a paradigm shift. To her, gone are the days of yore when students’ voices were unheard in the polity. Today, students are not only properly heard but their welfare properly catered for.
The blackmailers hate facts. If not, they will readily realize that Comrade Aquila has proved them wrong by performing well, thus rubbishing their initial moves to block her appointment citing alleged incompetence as reason.
Not satisfied, the agents of falsehood reportedly sponsored someone to hijack power in the JCC. When their motive was strongly resisted by Aquila and other sane students’ leaders from all the tertiary institutions that have Students Union Governments (SUG), they went to town with the unfounded rumour that Aquila wanted to impose someone as JCC President. However, such school of thought was rubbished on January 15, 2016, when students leaders from across the state, converged at the Akwa Ibom Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene, where a new exco of the Joint Campus Committee and National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Akwa Ibom State Chapter was inaugurated with Comrade Michael Ibanga emerging as President. The inauguration was witnessed by national representatives of NANS and JCC as well as the management of AKWAPOLY led by Dr. Israel Affia.
Still not satisfied, they again went to town with a very fictitious report wherein a very infantile claim was made that Comrade Akpan has absconded with the 100 bags of rice donated by the governor to students to celebrate Christmas. In the report captioned: “Udom’s aide in fraud scandal”, it was also claimed that the SA has been selling the bags of rice at the rate of N 9,000 each. Dear readers, the masterminds of the report were shamed when the SA later presented the 100 bags of rice three cows,and cash to the students in Uyo.
Addressing students at the event, she lamented the ploy by some persons to deliberately frustrate her efforts to unite students in the state and reaffirmed her determination to remain committed to effective representation of Akwa Ibom students.
And I ask: ‘How far should human beings go to blackmail a fellow human?’ Ordinarily, reports against Aquila would have been ignored but for the concern that such ill reports have become episodic, the need for a refutal suffices. Each fabricated episode is made to look like a missile from the pit of hell. It is as if they were given a do-or-die order to ensure that Aquila does not rise in life. Recently, they came up with claims that she was expelled from the University of Uyo because of her involvement in examination malpractices. And I ask, can an institution that expel its student readmit the said student? I challenge them to go beyond mere claims and instead provide facts to back up their allegations. These unintelligent blackmailers are invariably shaming themselves with the quality of propaganda they churn out.
Are the blackmailers not aware of the fact that Aquila is even too busy to worry about their antics? Instead of being distracted, she has remained focused on her job. Achievements litter the short span she has been in office so far.
It is on record that Comrade Akpan has so far intervened to solve students’ related problems in institutions including Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) and School of Health Technology.
Also, she has so far doled out 200,000 naira cash in support of students who had difficulties in paying their fees at the AKSU. And plans are underway to launch a STUDENT’S WELFARE INTERVENTION SCHEME, efforts are being channeled towards developing a technological hub there with the support of technical partners.
Comrade Akpan has also ensured sustained peace and harmony in the students’ movement through frequent enlarged meeting of organized Students Movement Leadership. She has also been sponsoring an Inter-Campus Debate/ Oratory Competition.
In the area of ensuring prompt bursary payment and other largesse, Aquila has also been dedicated to creating awareness on deadly diseases like her present partnership with FeyRep Students’ Volunteers/ Miss FeyRep, to sensitize the populace on the scourge of the dreaded Lassa fever.
The list of her achievements is by no means exhaustive. Of a truth, space won’t contain an attempt to chronicle all her achievements, but I must throw in that the 2015 edition of the International Students Day organized by Comrade Otobong Akpan was rated as second best globally by the Czech Republic based International Union of Students.
Dear readers, Aquila is a lady of substance whose only ‘sin’ is displaying excellence much to the chagrin of the leg pullers. By ignoring the fact she has performed well, the blackmailers have placed a huge moral burden on their shoulders. Their epistle of lies which drips with bile cannot reduce but increase the reputation of this lady who has lived according to her reputation of being an eagle in human form. It’s high time they started swallowing their vainglorious pride and join hands with her to lead the students’ entity forward because digging up dirt to splash on print and social media with the intent to embarrass the SA is so far backfiring.
Lest I be accused of bias, Aquila is not a saint. As a human, she has her shortcomings. But her rights greatly outweigh her wrongs. And so far, the blackmailers have not been able to punch her to a corner because her hands are clean. Yes, he who wants equity must come with clean hands. But are the mudslingers hands clean? I shake my head because any hand that slings mud must be dirty.
(Ofonime Honesty is a journalist and general affairs analyst. honestyofonime@yahoo.com 08025286082 )
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