When CrossRiverWatch started publishing under Governor Imoke’s second tenure, it was a very trying period for us. It was novel to use the social media to hold government accountable in a very conservative State like Cross River where almost everyone, including those who call themselves comrades, did not have a contrary voice to whatever government dishes out. We were still publishing under all kinds of pseudo names to protect our sources.
We were very hard on Governor Imoke’s government and that sent some shock waves around the State. We didn’t spare him a bit. The climax was when the Governor took ill and was taken abroad for treatment and that became a major editorial common place for our operators at the time, until it dawned on me that, what we were supposed to dwell more on, was the activities of Government and not on the fine details of the personal health challenges of the Governor, because anyone can become ill.
Hon. Alex Egbuna, who is now in the House of Representatives representing Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency, was Chief of Staff to Governor Imoke and Christian Ita, was the Chief Press Secretary. Mr. Emmanuel Unah, who was the Vanguard Newspaper Correspondent in the State at the time and now the Chief Press Secretary to the Yala LGA Chairman, was the Editor of CrossRiverWatch. Emmanuel signed a fourteen page retainership agreement with the Imoke government to pay our organization 500k monthly to promote the activities of the government on our budding platform.
The government paid the 500k for three months, and I think the soft pedal they anticipated from our organization was not forthcoming. Suddenly I got a call from the office of the Chief of Staff to the Governor that they were going to terminate the retainership because our platform was not relenting on holding the government to account. I reminded the caller that there was no paragraph in the 14 page retainership agreement that required our platform to stop holding the government to account. What was signed was to publicize government activities and nothing more. I told them to go to hell and that led to the abrupt end of that contract and we continued our work in good faith.
When Governor Ayade took over in 2015, he came with theoretically bold and gigantic ideas that sounded fabulous on paper and we decided to give him breathing space to see how he was going to run the State. During his first term, we were one of his greatest allies. Some people referred to me as his de-facto Chief Press Secretary. There is no evidence of me criticizing him in his first term. It was deliberate. I personally reined in on our editorial team to reduce the pressure on his government and let us see where he was headed with his highfalutin ideas. The first term drew to an end without anything eventful.
But something happened. The critics turned their nozzles on us. I was accused of collecting bribes from Governor Ayade to keep mute. It was said that we were not pressing Ayade’s neck the way we did to Imoke, because Governor Ayade was my kinsman from Obudu LGA where I hail from. All other forms of allegations were thrown into the arena. But till date, even after challenging everyone in that administration and outside the government, not a single person could provide any evidence of bribery or any money that was given to us by the Ayade administration and I can bet that no one can prove it till date, because nothing was actually given to us. They were all baseless allegations and beer parlor talks. Again, we were doing our work measuredly in the interest of our State.
At the start of Ayade’s second term, I called the Governor on the phone and expressed my displeasure with his first term and informed him that I wasn’t going to lose my voice because of him. He wasn’t happy. We increased the heat on his government in the second term. The tension kept growing and climaxed with my arrest and incarceration and the rest is history. Yes, the Governor felt I was his brother and expected me to close my eyes to certain things and I did not bulge. It is not in my nature to keep a blind eye to corruption. Not then, not even now!
Now Governor Otu is in the saddle. His first term is drawing to a close. Just like under Ayade’s first term, I am being accused of collecting bribes from Otu and refusing to talk. Both the high and mighty and the ordinary people are wallowing in their hallucinations and waiting for my opinion on almost every topical issue in the State. So many things have been said in beer parlors and government offices about how so much money has been given to me not to talk. And when I manage to stumble on some of them, I laugh out loud.
I laugh because, even after spending over a decade opening up the media space in our State and teaching our people how to use the new media to hold leaders accountable, the lazy and laid back attitude of our people is refusing to dissipate. They feel so entitled to my opinion that they must wait for me to comment or escalate every issue in the State as if they are paying me a salary to do so. Imagine that I dropped dead before now, won’t there be anyone else or any voice to continue from where I stopped? Are there no younger persons in the State who have learnt from me in the past fifteen years? In my sabbatical, can’t no one else step into the void and take the shine? These are the questions that continue to torment the carapace of my mind as I watch from the sidelines.
For your information and without any form of perturbation, I CANNOT BE BRIBED. Not by Governor Otu or by anyone. If you have any evidence where I have been bribed to stop talking, bring it out NOW. Bribes are not in my DNA. Secondly, I cannot also be pushed around by people, both loved ones and those who don’t love me, by fans, supporters or non supporters, to speak when I do not want to. I speak only when I want to speak. I am not a ball that can be pushed around. If a people who are oppressed cannot raise a voice against their oppressors but continue to queue behind them and wait for others to always talk for them, society will remain in bondage.
Unlike some of my critics, social media did not make me an activist. I became an activist as a young teenager out of secondary school, during the Abacha regime under the tutelage of Dr. Beko Ransome Kuti. There was no social media. There was no internet in Nigeria. Newspapers were still published in stencils. That is what informed my long standing relationship with progressives like Femi Falana Omoyele Sowore, late Gani Fawehinmi, Wole Soyinka, DrJoe Okei Odumakin , Richard Akinnola II, Seun Anikulapo Kuti, Lanre Arogundade, Sylvester Odion Akhaine, Edafe Oghenebrume and many others in the South West. Our activism is leaning on ideology not on click bets and clout hunting and bribes.
But in all these, there is a glimmer of hope. I have seen a few younger persons who are standing up to be counted. Those who are growing daily in courage and audacity and that tickles my imagination. Their voices are gaining momentum in the State against all attempts to intimidate them. I am in touch with some of them and you know yourselves. My word to you is, remain rugged. No one will do you anything. Grow in strength and knowledge. Fight with a pure heart. If they come after you, we will come for you. I will still talk when I am moved to talk, not when cowards who can’t even fight for themselves, want me to talk. If this statement hurts you, start talking. Your mouth no the pain you.
Finally for the government people who think our people cannot criticize your boss, YOU LIE! More and more voices will rise. They will be critical and vociferous. They will peruse every move of the government and hold an opinion no matter how that detest you and the worst mistake you will make is to come after them. Prepare answers not hostilities. You are paid with our money to explain to us and not to abuse us when we ask questions. Know this and know peace!
Yours sincerely,
Citizen Agba Jalingo.
Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Agba Jalingo and does not represent Theluminenews, its agent or the organisation the author works for/with.