by SANDY ONOR AND THE IMPERATIVE OF CONFRONTING THE ABSURD IN CRS
By Dr Gabriel Ncha
It is common knowledge that what is seen as good governance, is understood in terms of good and efficient service delivery. This in Commonwealth political parlance is known as dividends of democracy, meaning that the basic needs of the people in terms of food, clothes and shelter, a healthy environment for actualization of one’s potentials, health, and security, and above all the provision of job opportunities are made available to the citizenry. On the contrary, the feeling of alienation and exclusion from mainstream political participation by the people hinders the success of these objectives, which ultimately ensure the peace and stability of any government.
This is the situation we found ourselves in Cross River, which makes it imperative to have an absurd thought, an existential device for navigating through difficult human existential situation.This is the position that the PDP gubernatorial candidate Prof Sandy Onor has taken to ensure the deliverance of Cross Rive from the clutches of ineptitude and non performance. Please follow me carefully..Basically, the “absurd” is a term associated with Albert Camus an existentialist and famous novelist and Poet.The attempt to analyze problems, ask basic questions and try to find out the meaning of life and if there can be any meaningful existence reflects a feeling of existentialism. So,the hard facts of life captured by anguish, death, pain, suffering, crime, killings, disasters, injustice, economic/political evils, and a host of other vices, constitute the paraphernalia of existentialism.
Camus,in his existential philosophy, uses such terms as absurd, revolt, and passion, these are basic tools for understanding and solving human existential problems. “Absurd ”is a feeling which arises from the confrontation of the world, which is irrational, with the hopeless but profound human desire to make sense of our condition. The appropriate response to this situation is to live in full consciousness of it.
By ” revolt” Camus means the defiance in the face of the bleak truth about the human condition, hopeless but not resigned, lending to life a certain grandeur. By *passion” Camus means the resolve to live as intensely as possible, not so as to escape the sense of absurdity, but so as to face it with absolute lucidity. The experiences of Prof Sandy Onor, over the years places him in a comfortable position with these tools mentioned above, to change the narrative in Cross River State governance, and return the good people of our dear state to the paradise that God gave them. Prof Sandy has gathered experiences in various positions as executive chairman Etung LGA,Deputy National President of the Association of Local Govt of Nigeria, Acting National President of the same Association, Cross Rider State Coordinator of Obadanjo/Atiku Presidential Campaign Director ,Directorial General of PDP Campaign Organizations in Cross River State,represented Cross River State in the Political Reform Conference, Commissioner of Agriculture and Environment,Chairman Cross River State local government Service Commission, among others and now Senator of the federal republic of Nigeria. Thousands of Cross Riverians have benefited from Prof Sandy’s humanitarian activities as testified by many. Most importantly, in all these, Prof Sandy, has acquired what is called Positional Consciousness in existential parlance. Positional Consciousness puts Consciousness into relation with one’s surroundings. This gives one an explicit awareness of being conscious of one’s surroundings. Identity is constructed by this explicit awareness of Consciousness. How ever, this is distinguished from Non-Positional Consciousness which is being merely conscious of one’s surroundings, without affecting it positively. It is instructive today that the current regime in Cross River is guilty of Non-Positional Consciousness, as it’s activities are not existentialized, meaning that the condition of the human person is not taken into cognizance.This has resulted in people being constantly haunted by hunger, unemployment, hostile environment and a political climate that smacks of deceit, betrayal, unfaithful ness,and hard hearted ness that have left virtually and literarily everyone to groan underneath with no one to rescue them. In this circumstance therefore, the saviour is no other person than Sandy Onor, with the acquired Positional Consciousness, has arrived to provide the needed succour to Cross Riverians. With the Sisyphean spirit of defiance in the face of the absurd. Sandy is armed sufficiently to tackle the menace of absurd. More technically, and less metaphorically, it is the spirit of opposition against any perceived unfairness, opposition or indignity in the human condition.
Cross River State, the people’s Paradise has not experienced any paradized atmosphere for many years, rather a shadow of itself, now has the opportunity to regain its past glory by making a rational and fundamental choice by voting Sandy Onor with the strength of character akin to that of Caterpillar and Bulldozer, to clean the mess deposited on them. It is a fact that if any government is existentialized, the people would rejoice. So, as a philosopher of History, Sandy, with an existentialized spirit, passionate about the human condition, is poised to change the lives of Cross Riverians positively. It is germane therefore, to state unequivocally, that in a setting where personal accountability for decisions and actions made, seems to be fading in public opinion, and excuses seem to be replacing responsibility, Prof Sandy,is coming to liberate the oppressed people of the state who do not rely on fate or chance to guide them on the way of life, but on the Consciousness of in dividual existential situation. So,a vote for Sandy, is a vote to re-orientate, reposition, re-conscientize, sensitise, reawake, and re-energize Cross Riverians. These ingredients galvanize the individual Cross Riverians for a positive, worthwhile, and useful life for development, growth and progress of the state. In fact, Sandy Onor is a paradigm for an honest life of commitment to duty and human progress. Let us rise up as one body to ensure his victory on the election day, keep a date.
