ONOFIOK LUKE WRITES AKWA IBOM PEOPLE *A WORD FOR US ALL IN AKWA IBOM STATE* *“**But now they desire a better Country ……. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for He hath prepared for them a city.”Hebrew.11:16* *AT A TIME LIKE THIS:* When there is seeming peace and calm in the land, and the people have refused to speak up who would have been expected to speak; others are afraid to speak for fear of being maligned; those who speak have spoken sour, grievous, or harsh words- capable of stirring up contentions, and contrary to the Biblical instruction in Proverbs 15:1, I am inspired and compelled to write to you, not unaware of the grave demands of the season, and the overriding need for individual responsibility and collective focus. I write not minding the possible misinterpretations and misapplications of the content of my mind. *I write as a stakeholder in the Akwa Ibom project; a holder of public trust saddled, among others, with the constitutional responsibility of law making for the development and peaceful administration of our State. More importantly, I write as a young responsible son of the soil who believes innocently and strongly in the Akwa Ibom dream; who lives in Akwa Ibom State with his family (nuclear and extended). I write as one who has no other place to call a home, and therefore, absolutely determined to contribute and to work with the governor, government, and other well-meaning Akwa Ibom indigenes and friends, to preserve the peaceful co-existence, development, and continuous corporate existence of the dreams of our founding fathers.* I do not deny the fact that the present political atmosphere in the state is seriously tensed and characterized by palpable toxic element of blackmail, campaign of calumny, character assassination, name-calling, ethnic bigotry, etc, etc. The consequence of this ignoble situation is the attack and disrespect for the office and person of the Governor, sponsored press/media attacks on notable citizens, intimidation, and lawlessness in some quarters. My brothers and sisters, these things ought not to be. We must ensure that no level of politicking shall tear us apart or denigrate the office of the governor or the person occupying it. We shall not disrespect our elders and bring down the good image of our dear state in the name of politics. Let me remind us that the office of the governor is an embodiment of our collective political governance, the symbol of unity and authority of our dear state and greater than the occupier. The office is permanent while the occupier is ephemeral. We must therefore, do all we can to respect and protect the integrity of the office by showing respect to the occupier. I appeal to the governor to seize this moment and convene a political summit where major stakeholders in the Akwa Ibom project shall attend to air their views and determine the way forward for the state. I propose that the governor should find a way back to our elders especially those with contrary opinions and views on the subject matter. The summit, I admonish, must not be a media stunt but one with sincerity of purpose. All stakeholders must view the summit as the only sincere approach to solving the internal problems of the state internally for posterity. It should bring together sincere leaders of thought to discuss with open mind our common future and that of the generation to come. The governor should be open to all shades of opinions, views and ideas no matter the angle divergence from his own belief and idea. Stakeholders on the other hand must accord the governor due regard commensurate and consistent with the office of the governor. The summit must offer the panacea for solving the problems of the state. We must show ourselves as a people capable of uniting to confront and resolve their problem through dialogue and negotiation without a mediator. Remember that each time we distract ourselves in a fight, outsiders take benefit; they receive gifts of cars, houses and large sums of money as consideration to further tear us apart. We can change this ugly trend. *Let us show love and loyalty to Akwa Ibom State. Let us be altruistic by placing the interest of the state above ourselves and work deliberately towards the greater good.* I perfectly understand that under an atmosphere of competition, there are bound to be some degree of rivalry. My contention, however, is the extent of such rivalry and its attendant consequences on the common good of the people. We must exhibit decorum, maturity, candour, and understanding throughout this period. We must be conscious of the fact that power comes, not by struggle but by the grace of God- *“By me Princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges and Governors of the earth” Proverbs 8:16* I challenge my generation, the youths, not to be used as agents of destabilization in the State. The youths need to give maximum support to the Governor and at the same time must be seen to be respectful to elders of the land so as to curry the blessings of God Almighty as recorded in Ephesians. 6: 1-4 To the religious leaders, the demand of the times is that they be non-partisan or should be seen as being non-partisan. Faith leaders must bring to bear their responsibility as strong moral agents to correct political leaders in the fear of God. The prayer of the faithful is most needed at this point. Let me appeal to our traditional rulers to remain non-partisan and neutral. Our royal fathers should be mindful of the fact that they are the custodians of our traditional institutions where we all belong. I appeal to them to strive to make peace where there is conflict. They should act for the interest of all in the society of all. *I fear not that the motive of this letter may be misunderstood, misinterpreted, or misapplied but deeply fulfilled that I have discharged the burden which has laid hold of me for the past five months.* Finally, I pray that we will adopt Immanuel Kant’s postulation of greater good for a greater number of people in assessing government policies and planning our campaigns. The operative question should be: has this government done greater good for greater number of Akwa Ibom people? (My answer is in the affirmative - personal opinion). Do we intend, and do we have the capacity, to do greater good for a greater number of the people we seek to represent? I trust that as we set out to engage in this self-introspection, God will grant us the courage to change the things we can, the fortitude to bear those we cannot change, and the wisdom to distinguish between them. God bless our dear State and keep us in peace. *Hon. (Barr) Onofiok Luke*
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 15:24:18 +0000
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