Akpabio is Grade A Material For the Senate; Aloysius Etok is Grade B+ -Ezekiel Nyaetok Architect Aniekan Ezekiel Nyaetok stands out in a crowd as one of the young men blessed with gray hair. A one time gubernatorial aspirant in Akwa Ibom State, Nyaetok believes Gov Akpabio is a grade A candidate for the Senate while Sen Aloysius Etok is a grade B. in this interview with Edoamaowo Udeme, He opens up on both state and national issues. Excerpts How exactly do you view zoning in Akwa Ibom context? The world knows peace when there is a certain degree of justice, fairness and equity. We belong to the Nigerian system where the political dynamics is such that when those you perceive as your people are in power, you are empowered. On account of this, there is always a constant agitation that your people should join the power block; this is basically the sentiment behind zoning. It is a faulty ground but we run what is called nascent democracy, we have transition from the military where things were done and nobody questions to break and quench democracy where democratic governance starts. The military come in and democratic process starts again, the military come in again and we transited to the present relatively stable democracy. The import of this journey is that we have had to learn the essence of democratic principles. A man is elected not because of the interest of his immediate constituency but to serve the larger interest of the full constituency. We are yet to hit that note. That is the best note, the ultimate note the note that opens the vista to the best. You don’t need a rocket scientist to know when you have the best administration. When you have a half-backed administrator you have a half-backed administration. For me, where we are today I cannot be unduly realistic but I need to let the people know that there is a choice to be made. For now we need to find a middle ground that pacifies every side of the coin. It will not work completely, the essence of democracy and governance is the largest good to the largest number of people so the bottom line on my take in zoning is that I believe that we should prioritize this. There is A and B. A is “who is the best man for the job”? B is assuming three brothers come up A B C, the first one scores 90% but he was the immediate past and the second one scores maybe 85% , I would say give it to the second person on the account of second consideration being sentiment but sentiment has a percentage factor of less than 10% as far as I’m concerned. Excellence has a percentage factor of less than 90. Coming down to what is on ground today we have two types of sentiment aspects. One is ethnic consideration and the other is Senatorial. In ethnic I was born to hear Ibibio, Annang and Oron, I have known this all my life but for administrative expediencies or exigencies we have senatorial districts. Now Eket Senatorial District (ESD) says Uyo Senatorial District (USD) has gone, Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District (ISD) has gone, its now our turn. While Oron as an ethnic nationality says the Ibibios have gone, the Annangs have gone its now our turn. It so happens that Eket as a senatorial district and Oron as an ethnic nationality are of the same constituency, now you from Eket, where is justice and where do you stand? Do you jettison ethnic nationality and work on senatorial district and you from Oron, do you jettison senatorial district and consider ethnic nationality? How do we draw a line that fits the two? Thirdly which is even the main thing, as I said earlier, A train, plane or even a car is too sensitive to be given to anybody note the underlining word anybody to drive. If you want to be considered to drive this plane called government where we are all inside, please do me the favor of lining up your best drivers who have agreed to take up that responsibility. When you board an aircraft and you sit by the aisle where you have the exit route, the hostesses will approach you and ask if you can take the responsibility of that exit should there be an emergency, if you are not willing, you will be relocated. So it’s not enough for you to list out 25 people you consider to be eligible, are they ready to say if Akwa Ibom wants us we will go? Its not just I want to run, No! Some people in principle will say should the people want me I am willing to serve. Do you think there are people who will actually say that and mean it not because of what they stand to gain considering what comes into the States purse or for prestige’s sake, From the bottom of your heart do you think such people exist? I will tell you that as I consider myself as one of those people means that there are a lot of others. I for one believed that it will be an honor and privilege to be the governor of a state but I do not believe that I must beg you to serve you and I have always said that any man that is too eager to be a governor, we need to watch out. Any man that is willing to pay you is not coming to serve you; only a fool will do that. What makes you think that aspirants are not paying already? None of us is as stupid as some people think we are, an average Akwa Ibomite knows who we are that is why I don’t subscribe to overnight aspirant, come out on time, early enough. An average Akwa Ibom person even in Ibom Forum (referring to an online social media manned by Dr Tom Mbeke-Ekanem in diaspora) knows who Nyaetok is. I remember in 2005 a man came to my office after I had finished entertaining him he told me “Nyaetok, I came to tell you that you will not be governor” I found that interesting and probed further because a lot had come praise singing and telling me all sort of sweet things, so I saluted the mans courage and asked him jokingly. “You can’t be serious, you mean after drinking my wine you said so”? He laughed because he already knows who I am. The man simply said, “Nyaetok, in Akwa Ibom we like bad but not very bad, we like good but not very good, you are very good so there is no way our politicians will vote for you” we laughed over it and when he left, I felt very sad, not because I will not be governor but because we really don’t believe in excellence when I said we, I am referring to politicians. They believe that if you are straight forward the will not eat money unknown to them; they have forgotten that they have not been eating from those who are not straight forward because those ones know how to play them. But the man that will put the cards on the table and say gentlemen, take 10% and they will scream their hearts out in protest saying its too small ask yourselves, in the past have you been offered even 2 %? But someone that will say its 50/50 they will jump at it. Back to zoning Sir, are you saying that according to the unwritten zoning code that everybody is free to contest? There are certain considerations you must understand. First, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria allows everybody, whoever is eligible within the constituency to contest. Secondly, let us realize that there are over 20 political parties in the state, if we do not open our eyes to these realities and think that we only have one party, we will be in for e rude shock. Thirdly, an average Akwa Ibomite is looking for that breathe of fresh air, a new political dynamics where there is honesty, capacity, sincerity, competence, ethnic excellence and values. If another political party fields a candidate that fits this bill and Akwa ibomites says this is the man, no matter the ethnic nationality, no matter the senatorial district he comes from, people will vote for him. That man does exist in all senatorial districts, that is my personal conviction, so I want to beg of ESD and Oron Ethnic Nationality to leave these loud talk, they don’t need to appeal for sentiment they already have sentiment on their side, let them go in house and bring that man that we will know as a man that will be a good governor. You may ask “who is a good governor”? I have addressed this issue over and over again. A good governor is that man that will come in and consider Akwa Ibom as his constituency not his tribe, family, senatorial district and himself but the largest interest of the whole society. A good governor is that one that will reach out to another political party and bring out someone that is generally accepted, acclaimed as the best hand in the area of say, industrialization to be commissioner of industries or in any field of endeavor that means he goes for the best. A good governor ensures that politicians are well compensated because politics is a game of interest that is in the home front. In the external, he will stand among his peers at the national level not looking subservient, not looking like someone who is too happy to be there but one who is fit to be there. His personal charisma, carriage and confidence goes with him, the decorum and protocol of office wherever he steps into he is respected. He is informed and must be a good leader. A good leader is he who points at a direction and people willingly follow so he must command a lot of respect of the people as a man who deserves to be followed. People are of the opinion that you contested during the Annangs turn, now since you are of the opinion that anybody is free to contest, are you contesting? That is a very smart way to couch that question, I have a friend on the Ibom Forum ( still referring to an online social media) his name is Chris who believes that I am contesting but I have asked him a very open question, do I look like an insincere person? Do I look like a typical politician who says yes when he means n? Do I look like a confused person who doesn’t know where he is going? I keep saying this and I will answer your question directly, I will not beg to serve, I will not turn away if there is an overwhelming weight of responsibility on me. If you say that there are no competent persons, it’s not true, there are in abundance within Oron and ESD so I really don’t see the need for me to stress myself. I am not desperate to become the governor so I don’t see myself contesting in 2015 except something happens which has not yet happened, except God talks to me about it which he is yet to. As far as I am concerned, I want to be an elder statesman who helps in the process of bringing up a governor that is good enough for our people. So are you saying that zoning does not exist and shouldn’t be a criterion for choosing the next governor? No, if I say that I am being unfair, there is a sentiment which I acknowledge that favours Oron and ESD, that sentiment exist and I subscribe to it, the only difference is that it has a rating factor of less that 10% but 2% can make a whole world of difference so ESD And Oron Ethnic Nationality should bring out their best and if you ask me who does the rating I will say your conscience. Let me tell you something else that is of utmost importance that I want us to consider, there is a modified political structure that I think we should be looking at, I’m still working on the details. We should demarcate between politics and administration, it happened during the time of NPN, let us have a strong political party so that the Chief Executive Officer of the state concentrates 90% on the running of the affairs of the state. That CEO doesn’t need to be a politician, rather, a strong party will be supports by the executives, he should be able to handle the affairs of the members because politics is a game of interest. One of the biggest problems we have is a major distraction from politics running on the CEO who wants to be the head of political system and head of administration also, he will not give us the very best. Right now, every aspirant is looking for a party that will make him/her a governor, so politicians should come back home and look at the political structure that will be refined, modified version of what we already have that would serve them better and one of the best structures is what we had in NPN of those days, before a man gets the mandate there should be an understanding, if you defeat yourself before time you are the same person killing yourself. Sometime optimism works. Secondly, look at the character of the person you are bringing to bare; is he honest, sincere, a man of integrity? Look at the person that fits into that cap and make him the CEO, make that pre condition and let him come out and fail but don’t assume that he will fail because most of those that will fail are your co politicians who understand you. So a lot of times, we may look outside the box for that man who is not a perfect politician but a perfect leader that will have confidence not insecurity, he who would be secured enough to share with his party. Those people do exist but if we continue to recycle politicians, we can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result because that is a classic case of insanity. Do you agree that Nigerian politicians of yesteryears are still the same leaders of today; will there ever be a possibility of having fresh leaders? The question is, these people put a knife in our necks and ask us to vote them in and bring them back? As long as we keep quiet and watch them, nobody wants to get out of power. What do you suggest we should to do? But the power belongs to us, who have we gone behind and support and ask him to come out and contest because we are sure he is good enough? No we aren’t doing that we just keep quiet and watch and they will come with their money and hijack the system again and we will start to do the silly thing of crying wolf. Now that the power is in our hands, how many of us from ISD “who is eligible to represent us in the Senate”? Same with USD and ESD. Who do you think is eligible to represent you in Ikot Senatorial District (ESD)? I believe that you want to indirectly ask me if I support Governor Akpabio to represent us in the Senate, come out straight and stop beating about the bush you know you media people have ways of tactically asking questions, hit me with it hit me directly (general laughter). See let me tell you something about the Senate, in the past we have so shortchanged ourselves that it has been unfortunate, imagine a scenario where we have Godswill Akpabio who take it or leave it is a national figure in the senate. The senate is a place we need to understand what its all about, it is the height of power play in Nigeria, there are people in Akwa Ibom whose world ends in Itam Junction and you send them to Abuja, they will be too happy to be there so when major issues of the country is to be discussed the Senate will arrange and sends them to America and they will be busy calling the whole village telling them that they are in America while major national issues are taken, discussed and sealed in the senate. Why don’t we look at those that are exposed and are nationally at par? So Governor Akpabio is the only qualified one? Akpabio is one of them. Some people are of the opinion that Governor Akpabio is using the Senatorial ambition as an escape route to avoid being…. (Cuts in) how does that affect the price of fish in the market? Its not important weather it’s an escape route what is important to me is does he carries the weight of that office and my answer is a resounding Yes. Secondly, if you come back and say that within the power dynamics of senate rotation within the senatorial district, after it had left Abak axis, gone to Ini/Ikono it should return to Ikot Ekpene and you now say within Ikot Ekpene since Governorship has gone to the Essien Udim axis the Governorship should come to Ikot Ekpene axis, we should sit down and negotiate and ask ourselves what is the best? Politics is about empowerment, the Senate is one major empowerment platform everybody sees except he says when I get there my allowances will come to you which is impossible. At the end of the day we ask ourselves, how do we have the best of both worlds? But you cannot take it away from him that he Akpabio is the most prominent or should I say one of the most prominent sons of Akwa Ibom State at the national level and those are the sort of people we need at the Senate. If a man like Don Etiebet, outside of the fact of recycling old people, gets to the Senate, he cannot be treated without some a lot of respect but let one Udo Udo Usoro gets there and people will say “who is this one”? so within Annang sub sector we have the best. Imagine where you have Eseme Eyibio, this man gave us pride of place when he was at the national level, Udo Udoma is about the brightest and best brand of Akwa Ibomites in my lifetime. Ita Enang has held his own and I am very proud of him and of course Akpabio. Imagine carrying those set of people and dumping them if I may use that word with responsibility, in the Senate, what will the outcome be? Are you now saying that Senator Aloysius Etuk is not representing you well and why are you not nominating yourself? On Aloysius, I have mentioned Ita Enang, Eseme Eyibio, Udo Udoma, Akpabio, these are grade A materials. Aloysius might have a B plus which is good enough but we are talking about the people that will stand on the Senate floor and Akwa Ibom People will say “that’s my man” someone that will command respect of the state. As for me each time I visit home and people tell me they have watched my interviews on television I get very happy that they appreciate that. How that translate to wanting to vie for an office of a Senator I still believe that my life runs on certain principles that I myself sometimes wonder. Does it mean that you don’t belong to grade A group that you mentioned earlier? I want others to rate me not the other way round. There was a time in Ibom Forum (still referring to the online social media) where people were asked to nominate three people that deserve awards, I nominated Udo Udoma, Akpabio and Attah and several people wrote back and asked why I did not nominate myself that I should be on that list and I told them let someone nominate me, its more honorable that way but if I nominate myself people will say “who is this? Please go and sit down. In other words you want Governor Akpabio to “take a bow” and not Sen Aloysius Etuk? I had said that I should not respond to that question so at this point I should take a bow. Are you now saying that the person that admitted on a national television to rigging election and robbing a candidate off a Senatorial seat is eligible to represent you? You have asked that same question in a different way but as a case in isolation let me answer that its is very bad and condemnable but wholistically the was a time an American president was caught in an act that was unbecoming of a president but Americans looked beyond that act and someone even said “we are looking for a leader and not a Pope” he was forgiven. If Akpabio can give us a good representation I am willing to forgive him But he has not admitted to wrongdoing so where does forgiveness come in? I was very clear on it, I gave all my premise and conditions I wasn’t there and.. Sir its on you tube and you have some phones and an Ipad here, we can view it on our fingertips in seconds, but I still ask you why does he need to apologize? You seem to have very harsh words for this man but to err is human and if he has apologized let’s forgive him. It was nice talking to you Sir
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 22:04:51 +0000
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