“[A] wise man…built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had a foundation on the rock….[A] foolish man…built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell down with a great crash” (Matt, 7:25-27, NIV).
“UOU…will be that man that will get ESD huffing and puffing, going back into their inner chambers and contacting their ‘oracles’….ESD UOU is at the door! Look in and either resign, or smile as you pull out (—) that will make UOU raise the white flag” (Nya-Etok, August 1, 2013).
Arc Nya-Etok is not a newcomer to commentaries on cyberfora. He has offered very fascinating ideas and constructive suggestions in the area of his professional expertise. His approach to urban housing can potentially help ameliorate housing problems in the country. Not that our savvy architect is concerned only about housing. In fact, his urban housing concept is infused with political connotations. Yet, he has been relatively tempered and one could decipher some kernels of objectivity in his conceptual framing of his political beliefs. However, his political commentaries in recent times have assumed worrisome dimensions deserving serious meta-analytical deconstruction and interrogation on several grounds. First, it is a common phenomenon that when the wind blows, we have the opportunity to see the rear of a chicken. Second, it is an endemic human foibles that, try as our prominent architect often laboriously does to whitewash sensitive political issues of considerable import for our state coupled with his tortuous efforts to embellish his political commentaries with the niceties of a typical salesman, he is no less an unapologetic advocate of ethnic supremacy. Third, by juxtaposing his recent political utterances vis-à-vis the ongoing unfolding political scenario in our state, it is very obvious to discerning minds that our prolific architect has been designing and building his Akwa Ibom political house on quicksand. The political house that our great architect is designing and building will inevitably come crashing down because of its faulty and unsustainable foundation: injustice, inequity, and unfairness.I always and will continue to ground my discourse on the AKS zoning/rotation politics on the triple principles: justice, equity, and fairness. In contradiction, by designing and building his Akwa Ibom political house, our eminent architect is impervious to these self-evident principles. Beyond this, Arch Nya-Etok would prefer to design and build his political houses with foundations for USD, while the one he designs and build for ESD will not have foundations. Yet, the Holy Scripture admonishes that “False weights and unequal measures–the LORD detests double standards of every kind” (Proverbs 20:10). Our prominent architect does not believe in the current zoning/rotation regime of the three senatorial districts. He came up with what he believes to be more equitable: Ibibio A; Ibibio B; and Ibibio C–a convoluted formula predicated on reductionism. While I do not believe that we are more atomistic than any other ethnic group in Nigeria (ala Prof. Ayandele), it is however befitting to verify from our theoretician-architect if the structural configuration of our senatorial districts is so atomistic that no political accommodation will “satisfice” all constituent groups? By contrast, I am persuaded that what our people need most is a political arrangement rooted in justice, equity, and fairness. The seemingly elegance of the political house designed and built by Arc Nya-Etok is bereft of these triple principles. Therefore, the design has no sustainable foundation; it is hallow; and it cannot stand the periodic political storms that characterize any system in flux. Our self-described urbane architect operates in concert with a fraction of political fringe that thrives on chaos. He has become self-identified “SHADOW RACER” of this fringe. Our architect-shadow racer is among those who believe that there is no qualified person in ESD to become governor of AKS in 2015. Yet, ESD has paraded Prof. Eyo Ita, D. J. Edoho, Justice Udo Udoma, Gen. U. J. Esuene, Dr. Clement Isong, Sen. Udo Udoma, Sen. Victor Akan, and so forth. Simply because, as law-abiding citizens, prospective governorship candidates from ESD play by the rules of the game, our eminent architect concluded that there is no qualified person from there. To market their candidate, our architect use code words, such as “excellence,” “performance,” “progressive,” “competence,” quality leadership,” and the list goes on ad infinitum. Conspicuously missing on their supposedly patented list of qualifications, however, is corporate experience. Curiously enough, our architect joined the fringe in the league of injustice and inequity to sing kumbaya, screaming themselves hoarse in celebrating the appointment of Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, with intimidating qualifications and unparalleled corporate experience, as the new SSG. I asked myself: didn’t they say no good thing ever came from Nazareth? This goes to demonstrate with unimpeachable certainty that our architect, like his colleagues in the wrong lane of history, is Janus-faced with investiture of subjectivity in understanding there are qualified people in all corners of AKS universe. That Gov. Akpabio has appointed a corporate management titan as his new SSG is a testimony to his political sagacity and purposeful leadership. In an interview he gave and posted on the different fora on July 27, 2013, our renown architect bragged that he has “spent quality time talking DIRECTLY with key players including the governor, UOU, Albert, and so many others, and come out with the real concern of a terrible disaster that await [sic] us in 2015 that will make the issue of 2011 child’s play if we don’t honestly and sincerely pitch for honesty, sincerity, fair consideration, and good conscience.” The list of the key players with whom our architect spent time is both instructive and conclusive: not people in ESD and ISD because he does not count them as key players in AKS affairs. The honorable architect touts honesty when he practices dishonesty; he mouths sincerity when he elevates insincerity; fair consideration whereas he is inconsiderate; and he preaches good conscience when his utterances are unconscionable. Does our distinguished architect believe ESD will compromise on governorship to avoid his conjectural “terrible disaster”? If our eminent architect insinuates that such a threat will preempt ESD’s unyielding demand for justice, equity, and fairness in 2015, then definitely he may be wallowing in grand delusion. That our architect-turned-theorist could employ pedestrian language in describing the proud people of ESD not only diminishes his status, but is even more troubling: “UOU…will get ESD huffing and puffing, going back into their inner chambers and contacting their ‘oracles.’ ESD does not need any advice from our esteemed architect on whom to consult on its existential political future. Undoubtedly, ESD will not consult our eminent architect whose dysfunctional belief system is diametrically opposed to what it stands for. Arc. Nya-Etok does not hesitate to express his unsolicited sympathy for ESD. For one, why should ESD go to individuals with vein of injustice and inequity for advice on politics 2015? ESD does not need and will never ask for sympathy from anyone or group. ESD has truth on its side as well as individuals with superior brainpower to offer it constructive ideas that reflect the reality of AKS as a
political organism. Our dear architect and his cohort must come to terms with the fact that insofar as governorship had been zoned to USD (1999-2007) and ISD (2007-2015), the next call is ESD (2015-2013). For 2015, we will critique governorship candidates on all dimensions of human experiences, including corporate experience. I believe that an amalgam of diversity of corporate experience/strategic planning skill; public sector experience; knowledge of our state, its people and their yearnings, and ability to carry all sections/groups along; and passion for industrialization and generating employment and institutionalizing entrepreneurial culture will constitute the minimum criteria for governorship in 2015. A purely bureaucratic experience will not cut it this time; bureaucrats are good for policy implementation and civil service rules enforcement. Rarely are bureaucrats strategic thinkers and visionaries. Long tenure of office is a major handicap for bureaucrats, because it renders them victims of tunnel vision and obsolescence. To build upon the sustainable foundation that Gov. Akpabio has established so far, ESD will present a credible candidate whose combined corporate and public sector experiences will position him/her to perform for AKS. To realize this goal, ESD will cultivate and earn the support of its conscientious brothers and sisters in USD and ISD. Neither ESD as a geopolitical unit nor AKS needs Arc. Nya-Etok