By INNOCENT OKON
The various ethnic nationalities that make up Akwa Ibom State today have a rich history. Their forebears were not poor in vision, short in brotherhood and deficient in altruistic service. Unlike succeeding generations they sired, their motto was never : ME , MYSELF and I.
History has it that the people of the present Akwa Ibom despite their lean demographic profile , never played a second fiddle in the pre or post colonial era of Nigeria. Both pre and post independent Nigeria cannot be complete without contributions of prominent Akwa Ibom sons like Wellington Bassey , Chief Nyong Essien , Chief E .O. Eyo , Hon. Minister Akpabio and Justice Udoudoma among others . What is today Akwa Ibom was conceived and given birth to by the vision, sense of brotherhood and sacrifice of her prominent sons and daughters drawn arguably from all the ethnic extractions under the aegis of IBIBIO STATE UNION. This omnibus vehicle was used as a catalyst to provide scholarships for qualified members to obtain western education outside the shores of Nigeria as well as provide resources for the establishment of the famous IBIBIO STATE COLLEGE in Ikot Ekpene ! Trite to say that the brotherhood harped and sowed by our heroes’ past has today been made hollow by ethnic consciousness predicated more on dialectical differences than fundamental distinctions in race , culture and beliefs !
The creation of Akwa Ibom in 1987 therefore gave the generations that only read of the sacrifices of their forebears from history books , unqualified privilege to reinvent the noble dreams of love , sacrifice, unity and selfless service to the motherland . At present, one can charitably say that many leaders and elders of Akwa Ibom across the identified ethnic nationalities have preferred unity in diversity than the monolithic brotherhood envisioned and given practical expression by their forebears! This may explain why ethnic cocoons have given birth to more active development strides than pan Akwa Ibom unions and Associations. Besides the plethora of ethnic Associations within the state whose existence are unarguably nurtured and sustained by politics; there is a pan Akwa Ibom Association in America that has not posted a satisfactory community development scorecard ! It exists with the acronym, AKISAN. From its constitution , it provides the umbrella for Akwa Ibomites from all ethnic extractions living in the US and possibly North America.
Regrettably, AKISAN as a collective, has fallen short of the ennobling dreams of its progenitor, IBIBIO UNION. While history has recorded the educational laurels and infrastructural developments brought home by IBIBIO UNION, AKISAN seems to be perpetually clutched to the feeding bottle with a milk supply pipeline from home!AKISAN is supposed to be an Association of illustrious sons and daughters of Akwa Ibom living in the USA who have acquitted themselves creditably in their chosen professions . And have decided to use a pan Akwa Ibom platform to preserve/promote their culture and most importantly explored ways to give back (economically and educationally) to their home state. But so far , it seems this sterling mission has been put consistently in reverse gear by succeeding AKISAN leaders !
When Akwa Ibom was under the watch of Governor Attah ( 199 -2007) , attending AKISAN annual convention in the US was a yearly pilgrimage of sorts!
It was during one of those conventions that AKISAN leadership reportedly demanded and was assured of a seat in the state legislature. When Governor Akpabio took over ( 2007 – 2015) the yearly jamboree continued, and even allegedly enjoyed financial support from the coffers of the home state government.
When it came to the tenure of Governor Udom ( 2015 – 2023), AKISAN reportedly secured a seat in the State Executive council for one of its members! The goody bag from Governor Udom also contained a promise for an Akwa Ibom House in Houston ! The edifice , we were told, would serve as an offshore investment of Akwa Ibom state that would fetch the state American Dollars ! As at the last fact – check, the progress on that project is yet to be made public.
This year, AKISAN hosted the present State Governor, Umo Eno in the US, during its ubiquitous yearly convention . As expected, the Governor led a delegation from the home front . Since it was an official visit, it is not debatable that substantial state funds left the state treasury as estacodes for the home delegates !
Now that Akwa Ibom state is clocking 37, it’s high time we demanded the service record of AKISAN? How many scholarship awards to brilliant Akwa Ibom youngsters has AKISAN given since its inception? How many schools have been built or renovated with AKISAN assistance? How many small scale factories that could generate jobs have been facilitated by AKISAN? Why should AKISAN cultivate the ignoble penchant of demanding public offices back home when they are living in an environment where dreams could be achieved with minimum efforts?
By always inviting a serving Governor to attend AKISAN conventions with entourage, AKISAN directly contributes to capital flight and depletion of public funds which could have been invested in the provision of basic utilities and critical infrastructure here at home. Why should AKISAN, like the Biblical prodigal son, prefer enjoying our collective patrimony in a foreign land? Why can’t Akwa Ibom be the perpetual and preferred host of all AKISAN annual conventions ? As done by similar ethnic Associations in the diaspora, it could be tagged : Homecoming! And needless to enumerate the socio economic benefits of such annual retreat.
*Culled from thesouthernexaminer.com
