FRANCIS OGAR writes on the battle of wits between the Ibibio ethnic nationality and the Akwa Ibom state governor, Godswill Akpabio, over the politics of Federal Polytechnic’s location and other related matters towards 2015
There is trouble in the land. The war is allegedly caused by Governor Godswill Akpabio. Even an Ibibio child in the womb is aware of the gnashing of teeth by the parents’ anger over alleged denial of their rights by an Annang person.
Before now, the two brothers were regarded as one. An Ibibio man (Attah)had healed old existing wound and mended the crack which had existed between Ibibio and Annang. According to history, eighteen (18) permanent secretaries from the Ibibios extraction were sacked in 1983 when an Annang man was installed as governor because of the accord it had with Ogoja of the old Cross River State.
Today, the story has changed: as an alleged seed of discord has been sowed. Again, a visit to the state revealed that the Ibibios are wearing stony and gloomy faces while there is life and affluence among the Annangs. The two ethnic groups are now at each other’s jugular over the location of the newly approved Federal Polytechnic at the governor’s home village in Ukana Ntuen in Essien Udim local government area of the state.
Blueprint gathered that a letter approving the establishment of the institution in the state was delivered through the Minister of Education, Barr. Nyeson Wike with a grant of N1billion from the Education Trust Fund(ETF) for its smooth take-off in September this year.
It was gathered that the Ibibios are not happy with Governor Akpabio for several reasons. According to them, the management team has Akpabio kinsmen Mr. Cristsantus Azuka, permanent secretary in the sate ministry of education as registrar. They also alleged that projects in the state were not evenly distributed across the three senatorial districts and 10 federal constituencies.
“By siting the Mopol state headquarters in his home, when such establishment should have properly been sited in the state capital; by siting the Police Secondary School, and the first of its kind federal prison all in his home, and now a federal polytechnic has been added, Governor Godswill Akpabio is not living up to the virtues he frequently espouses. Was there none wise to have advised him to do himself some additional credit by taking the institution to, say, Obot Akara, if it had to be sited in Annang land?,” a source queried.
The source further accused the governor of “carrying nepotism to ridiculous dimensions bordering on uncommon audacity. This also shows in appointments even to federal boards and parastatals that are being criticized”
It was gathered that polytechnic was originally penciled down for Itu/Ibiono Ibom Federal Constituency, represented at the National Assembly by Senator Ita Solomon Ennag. Our reporter further learnt that sometimes last year, three sites were visited by a federal government delegation over the location of the institution.
The team was reported to have gone round the state went round the state and assessed Union Secondary School, Ibiaku, and Presbyterian Senior Science College(PSSC), Ididep, both in Ibiono Ibom local government area; as well as the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua in Ikot Ekpene local government area as possible site for the school. At the end of the site inspection, PSSC was the preferred choice. The governor’s village was not listed as possible choice, hence the accusation of the governor promoting an ethnic agenda.
The people are further amazed that that the institution is sited close to the MOPOL state headquarters and the General Hospital Ukana, an upgraded health care centre ,few kilometers from the Ikot Ekpene General Hospital
Defending the new location, the state commissioner for information and ommunications, Aniekan Umanah in a statement said the choice was the federal government’s and not that of Akpabio, as being speculated in some quarters. While saying the federal government must have based its decision on established parameters, Umanah claimed it was informed by the need for equity in the distribution of federal higher institutions in the three senatorial districts of the state. This was however faulted by the Ibibios.
One of those pained by the decision is Senator Ita Enang who recently fought back tears while narrating how his Ididep community lost the opportunity he claimed to have initiated as far back as 2012 . This, according to him, followed observable admission deficits in existing tertiary institutions in the state. He said the science college in the community was okayed following a recommendation by the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) which visited the state in 2013
Addressing journalists in Uyo, the lawmaker said: “I did in 2012 draw the attention of Mr. President to the admission deficit and vacancies to get admission to tertiary institutions in the state.
“I requested of Mr. President that a federal polytechnic be established in Akwa Ibom State. Mr. President directed the then Honourable minister of education, Prof. Ruqaytu Rufai to process the matter and the minister directed the National Board for Technical Education to come for inspection of the case and the proposed site.
“The NBTE team was received by officials of the Akwa Ibom state government which proceeded to inspect the State polytechnic at Ikot Osurua and the Senior Science School, Ididep following which they recommended the latter as the site for the federal .polytechnic.”
He wondered why the federal polytechnic originally proposed to take off at the Senior Science School; Ididep was moved to the governor’s village despite the fact the fact the state polytechnic was one and a half kilometers away.
But the Ibibios are vowing to relocate the institution at the end of Akpabio’s tenure just as they wait for him in the 2015 contest. “We will not allow him to for his preferred candidates for the governorship in 2015. We gave him the mandate in 2007 and want him to return it back to us.
“It is our position to give the mandate to whom we want not by him to cover up his alleged bad deeds. If Akapbio likes, let him use the state’s one year allocation to buy his way but I assured you that he will not succeed,” the source claimed.
Their position was further articulated by the patriarch of the Ibibio ethnic nationality, Ntisong (Dr) Essien Ekidem who said they won’t allow imposition of candidate on the Ibibios going by the accord they had with the governor in 2007..
Making the position known to some senior editors, Ekidem said: “The Ibibio is still standing on that accord and the Ibibios want that mandate back. We want that bargaining power which we gave out. Let them bring out the person so that we can present the candidate to Asan Ibibio.” .
If the Ibibio community makes good its threat to fight back, then Akpabio should be ready for another political setback. Not too long ago, the governor failed in his bid to recall Senator Aloysius Etuk from the National Assembly. Recently, he also lost out in the obnoxious governor and deputy governor’s Pension bill. Will history repeat itself in the controversial location of the federal polytechnic from his home town? Certainly, like the Obi Okonkwo of Chinua Achebe classic novel,‘No Longer at Ease’, so it does appear for Akpabio.
