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Tag: #Dave IMbua

  • A Historical Meditation on Rita Ushie Uguamaye’s Audacity BY DAVE IMBUA

    A Historical Meditation on Rita Ushie Uguamaye’s Audacity BY DAVE IMBUA

     

    History is replete with moments when individuals have dared to break long-held rules—rules designed not to uplift but to suppress, rules that prioritize the comfort of the powerful over the suffering of the weak. At such moments, these audacious voices become the target of scorn, vilification, and threats. Yet, as history has shown us time and again, the voices that defy oppression, injustice, and unbearable hardship often become the voices that posterity reveres, while those who seek to silence them are forgotten in the sands of time.

    Rita Ushie Uguamaye, a youth corps member, has spoken her mind, which is more or less, the truth. She has voiced not just personal discontent but the collective agony of millions of Nigerians struggling to survive under an economic and social system that seems bent on breaking them. In response, some have chastised her, accusing her of violating an oath of allegiance—an oath that, as it is being interpreted, seems to demand blind submission rather than critical engagement with leadership. But history teaches us that there always comes a time when individuals must rise above oppressive conventions and speak out, regardless of the consequences.

    The world once condemned Galileo Galilei for daring to assert that the Earth moves around the Sun, a claim that violated the religious and scientific dogmas of his time. He was silenced, forced to recant, and lived under house arrest. Yet today, he is celebrated as the father of modern science, while those who sought to silence him are relics of a forgotten past.

    Martin Luther, the German monk who ignited the Protestant Reformation, was excommunicated and declared an outlaw for questioning the authority of the Catholic Church. His 95 Theses challenged long-standing religious practices, and he was hunted by those who sought to maintain the status quo. Yet today, his name is immortalized as a revolutionary who reshaped Christianity, while his persecutors are either footnotes in history or completely forgotten.

    Rosa Parks, the Black woman who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, was ridiculed, arrested, and criticized by those who insisted that she had violated the law. Yet that singular act of defiance sparked the American civil rights movement, changing history forever. Her name is immortalized, while those who upheld segregation are but ghosts of a shameful era.

    In South Africa, Nelson Mandela was branded a terrorist for fighting against apartheid. He was imprisoned for 27 years, condemned by those who insisted that his defiance violated the laws of his country. Yet, today, he stands as a global symbol of freedom and resilience, while his oppressors have been erased from the honor roll of history.

    Even in Nigeria, history remembers Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who led women in defying colonial and traditional authorities that sought to silence them. She was brutalized, labeled a troublemaker, and dismissed by those who prioritized oppressive norms. Yet, today, she is hailed as a pioneering feminist and nationalist, while her detractors are long forgotten.

    What do all these examples teach us? They teach us that those who dare to challenge unjust systems are often persecuted in their time, but history vindicates them. The same fate awaits Rita Ushie Uguamaye. Whether today’s Nigerians condemn or praise her, one thing is certain—posterity will remember and be proud of her.

    This is not a legal argument. It may not even be politically correct. It is simply a historical meditation, a reflection on how truth and courage, no matter how inconvenient, eventually triumph over oppression. Rita Ushie has taken her place in the lineage of those who refused to be silenced. And history—our most honest judge—will remember her.

  • The Unwarranted And Barbaric Attack I Suffered In The Hands Of Armed Political Thugs And Hoodlums At Kakum, The Hometown Of Governor Ben Ayade, Inadvertently Kept Me Away BY DAVE IMBUA

    The Unwarranted And Barbaric Attack I Suffered In The Hands Of Armed Political Thugs And Hoodlums At Kakum, The Hometown Of Governor Ben Ayade, Inadvertently Kept Me Away BY DAVE IMBUA

     

    Good morning, dear friends and fellow citizens. The unwarranted and barbaric attack I suffered in the hands of armed political thugs and hoodlums at Kakum, the hometown of Governor Ben Ayade, inadvertently kept me away from this and other social media platforms at a most crucial and critical moment in our political history.

    As many of you are already aware, our only offence that provoked the physical and psychological brutalization on that Wednesday, February 22, 2023, was that we drove through Kakum enroute from Calabar to Bendi despite the fact that we belong to a political camp that was not supporting the senatorial ambition of HE, Ben Ayade.

    I appreciate the concern, anxiety and difficulty with which relatives and friends tried to reach out to me when I was criminally dispossessed of all my gadgets during the attack. I am happy to be back here. I thank God who saved the life of my nephew – John Atiang – who was inhumanly manhandled by our attackers. For sure, it is too late for anyone to intimidate me into submission to an idea that is at variance with my personal conviction.

    We will continue to ask the right questions and to demand the fair treatment of our people. Like my respected elder brother, Prof. Joe Ushie, will always tell us, we cannot plant our corn in the bedroom for fear of the baboon. Let’s keep believing in ourselves and nation, for a new Nigeria is possible! Thank you, once again, and happy weekend.

  • Thoroughbred Stallion Of The Stables: A Tribute To Senator Professor Sandy Ojang Onor @ 57 BY DAVE IMBUA

    Thoroughbred Stallion Of The Stables: A Tribute To Senator Professor Sandy Ojang Onor @ 57 BY DAVE IMBUA

     

    It was day 14, second month, in the year 1966. Historians tell us that Nigeria was going through agonizing crises which prompted the massive acquisition of weapons by both the Federal Government and the Government of Eastern region. The hostility that was rapidly heading towards a war was brought about by such factors as the national census controversy of 1962, the general election crisis of 1964, the Western Region election of 1965, the January 1966 coup d’état and the belief by the Northerners that it was a calculated plot by the Igbos to annihilate their political fathers, the introduction of Decree 34 by Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi’s regime, the July 1966 coup and the pogroms perpetrated against the Southerners, especially the Igbos in the North. Because of all this, life in Nigeria had become extremely difficult and uncertain. In the midst of the drums of war throbbing across Nigeria, especially in the Eastern Region, a devout woman, Deaconess (Mrs.) Cecilia Ikwo Onor, was being urged to do some painful pushing at the Holy Family Joint Hospital in Ikom. She pushed so hard to the satisfaction of the nurses and, before long, a prodigy later to become one of Africa’s authoritative historians, courageous politician and astute administrator was crying out the night. The stars were beaming into light. At dawn, the news of his birth which spread quickly across forests and rivers threw Nsofang community into great ecstasy and jubilation. Ntufam Samuel Ojang Onor was hailed throughout the length and breadth of his community and beyond for proving himself a man. Being addressed as father for the first time gave him a sense of fulfilment in an environment where marriage was first and foremost for procreation. Ntufam Samuel Onor’s family was the first “stable” in which the child was cradled. Senator Professor Sandy Onor has repeatedly paid deserving tributes to his mother who, as commandant of the cradle, ingrained in him the virtues that have come to define his phenomenal life.

    At a very tender age in 1971, he was enrolled at St Martin’s Primary School, Ikom, to receive formal education. This was the second stable, which continued at St. Francis Primary School, Obubra, to where he transferred in 1973. This was the institution that armed him with the First School Leaving Certificate. Beginning from the age of ten in 1976, St. Brendan’s College, Iyamoyong, Obubra, affectionately “mothered” him till 1981, when he sat for and passed the West African School Certificate Examination in flying colours. Teachers at Saint Brendan’s College were awe-inspiring and their broad minds and tall intellects contributed tremendously in cultivating and moulding Sandy Onor into an urbane personality. Fame was already enveloping Sandy Onor at St. Brendan. The period from 1983 to 1987 saw Sandy Onor breaking and setting new records in the Department of History at the University of Calabar. In a special symbiotic way, History was making Sandy, and Sandy was making History. At the University of Calabar, his brilliance made him a source of pride to his teachers and mentors who knew ahead of time that he was going to graduate top of his class and would ultimately become a hair-splitting analytical historian. Immediately after the completion of the compulsory National Youth Service Corps, Sandy Onor enrolled for an M.A. programme. Just barely a year into the programme, he was advanced to the Ph.D programme on account of his outstanding performance and aptitude for independent research. The expertise with which he chiselled out the rocks of history enabled him to produce a thesis that is still standing tall among the best theses produced by the History Department at the University of Calabar till the present. The final product more than justified the huge resources he expended in crisscrossing the Ejagham universe in Nigeria and Cameroon in search of materials.

    From out of the crucible of training institutions, the racehorse was now on the starting line for further races. From the outset, Sandy Onor was determined to justify the exceptional confidence of his teachers, students, relatives, friends, well-wishers and the general public. This was the beginning of stable three. The determination not to disappoint anyone and the unceasing hunger to break records turned him into a modern day Jabez. Poised to challenge some long-standing distortions in History, including those made by established authorities – both white and black –his coast had to be enlarged.

    From 1994, Sandy Onor became a publisher of seminal books. The publication of The Ejagham Nation in the Cross River Region of Nigeria was well-received and highly celebrated. At the time of its publication, the history of the Ejagham was all but terra incognita. We can extrapolate from Professor Onwuka Njoku’s recent assertion that: “There is no exaggeration in stating that few students and even scholars of Nigerian history can locate in a map of Nigeria the homeland of the Ejagham. Fewer still have even a nodding acquaintance with their history” to imagine what the situation would have been before Sandy Onor launched his pioneering research efforts on the Ejagham past. His researches and publications were not restricted to the Ejagham; he studied, researched and corrected distortions on the history of other ethnic groups in the Cross River region. As a young scholar, Sandy Onor took on Adiele Afigbo by challenging his faulty view on the Igbo origin of the Efik. Sandy said without mincing words that “Afigbo’s claim is … either a figment of his imagination or an attempt to create a theoretical basis for Igbo domination over the peoples of the Cross River region.” Being a respected doyen of Nigerian History, Professor Afigbo was surprised at the courage with which a young historian whom they had just awarded a Ph.D visited him with the sledge hammer of historical criticism. Afigbo wrote that “… Dr. S. Ojang Onor descended on us like the Hounds Baskerville and accused me of virtually starting a process of Igbo takeover of the Efik.” As a scholar who knows his onions, Sandy Onor was not intimidated into silence by Afigbo’s credentials and fame. He unapologetically stuck to the evidence and this has made his scholarship to stand the test of time. By the year 2019 when the University of Calabar promoted him to the rank of professor, Sandy Onor had become the author and editor of nine books, several book chapters and journal publications spread across reputable local and foreign journals. This list does not include the public lectures, keynote addresses and conference papers he has presented at several fora. The University of Calabar provided a platform for him to prove his worth as an erudite scholar.

    From early in his career, Sandy Onor has been opposed to the idea of the insular scholar, who is isolated from the public and works in a world of his own. At various times, he has answered the call for public service and this is the fourth stable. In politics and public service, he met and interacted with several people and the experiences from those interactions positioned him as a catalyst for the development of his community, Local Government, State as well as Country towards which he has exhibited uncommon and unstinted patriotism. He had served as the Executive Chairman of Etung Local Government Council; Chairman, Cross River State Local Government Service Commission; Commissioner for the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment. He tasted Nigerian challenges of national integration in a Political Reform Conference where he made significant contributions. In these positions and many others, Sandy’s noble deeds have become ossified. He remains one of the few tested politicians in our country that are difficult to indict by anti-graft agencies. Typical of a goldfish which has no hiding place, Sandy Onor quickly made headlines when he arrived the National Assembly as Senator for Cross River Central Senatorial District. His electrifying eloquence and robust contributions on the floor of the Nigerian Senate confirmed him as a square peg in a square hole in the hallowed chamber. The President of the 9th Senate, His Excellency, Dr Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, GCON was so enamored of Sandy’s rare qualities that he could not help crowning him the Orator of the 9th Assembly of the Nigerian Senate despite such obvious limitations as the two of them belonging with different political parties and Sandy being a first-time senator. Sandy Onor still has much to offer Cross River State and Nigeria; he has indeed proven to be the first among equals in leadership and administration. Interestingly, the vast majority of Cross Riverians believe that he is the right man to clear the garbage heap of refuse and mediocrity that have taken over the veins and arteries of Cross River State.

    Beyond his appreciation of the various agents of socialization that have profited his fortunes, Sandy Onor recognizes the role of the church in his upbringing. This is the fifth stable to which he has remained faithful despite his towering achievements in politics, administration and scholarship. As a way of giving back to an institution that played an important role in his character formation, Sandy Onor has been an instrument of great honour in the House of God. He has helped countless individuals, churches and communities to serve and worship God in a way that is befitting and acceptable to Him. His love for God and God’s people makes us appreciate some parables of the Bible better than what preachers and teachers do from the pulpit. In recognition of his commitment to Christianity in general and the Catholic Church, in particular, he was in May 2022 inducted into the Knight of Saint Gregory the Great by the Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis. He has continued to serve God even with greater devotion after that calling. He has all his life supported the building of churches in various communities. In the discharge of this responsibility, he recently completed a church building in his community, Nsofang. The tastefully finished and furnished edifice, which is in a class of its own, has continued to attract deserving commendations from several quarters. Sandy’s love for God and humanity suggest that His birth on Saint Valentine’s Day was more than a mere coincidence of natural events. God created him as a harbinger of true love and affection, universal virtues which the world continues to celebrate on the day of his birth. He has always provided succour to people in distress. He has left no one in doubt that he is not content with being rich; in fact, his greatest ambition is to build a community of wealthy people who will in turn provide succour to the needy and by so doing reduce the disparity between the haves and the have-nots. This is why he has continued to live modestly, providing ladders for others to climb into prosperity and wealth.

    Sandy Onor is married to a virtuous woman, the quintessential and indefatigable Ntunkae Barrister (Mrs.) Gertrude Manyo Onor, who has been a rock of stability and support to him. This is the last but not the least stable that we will highlight in this tribute that has already become longer than was expected. In a hundred ways, Gertrude has robustly given validity to the assertion that behind every successful man, there is a great woman. She has been a principal conductor of the orchestra of ideas that have blended to make Sandy Onor the colossus that he is. His success story would have been greatly lessened without Gertrude’s devotion to her roles as wife, helper, mother, friend, intercessor, confidant, and house keeper par excellence.

    Let me end where I should have begun. The Thoroughbred is a breed of English mares and Arab Stallions primed for racing. The Thoroughbred is a symbol of emergence from highest social statistics. When we contemplate a life like that of Sandy Onor at fifty-seven, we are essentially rotating the patterns of that life in its route from obscurity to fame and achievement. A careful look at the stables out of which Sandy Onor’s life has been shaped gives credence to the fact that nothing is impossible for a man who upholds the values of integrity, persistence and courage in the face of daunting challenges. It is therefore to the glory of God that a chapter that began in-between Nigeria’s most bloody coup d’états on the eve of a devastating civil war has captured the story of an astute administrator, a consummate researcher, an accomplished scholar and a celebrated legislator, whose vision, foresight, courage and achievements, present and generations will continue to harvest and savour. It is thus only most fitting that a child born in the first of the most trying moments in the history of Nigeria has now readied himself for an interventionist service and mission during the very next most trying moment in the history of the same country. In the end, it will be most auspicious for Sandy Onor to say, I came into the world; I saw crisis; I conquered the crisis. Let me end by wishing Senator Prof. Sandy Onor a thousand more seasons of fruiting and propagation of exemplary life, good state of health, great and encouraging returns for every of his effort. I pray that opportunities should continue to open for him so that he will continue to mentor and reshape the destinies of individuals and communities.

    Hurray! Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Papal knight of the Catholic Church, Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria, a Worthy Ntufam of the Ejagham Nation, the Irunandu of Africa, committed Cross Riverian, exemplary Patriot and Champion of good governance – you are thoroughly blessed, a Thoroughbred among great men.

    Dr Dave Imbua

  • Strange Choices In Nigerian Politics: The Northern Senatorial District Of Cross River State In Perspective BY DAVE IMBUA

    Strange Choices In Nigerian Politics: The Northern Senatorial District Of Cross River State In Perspective BY DAVE IMBUA

     

    Strange things continue to happen at the Nigerian political scene on daily basis, which help any thinking person to understand why development, especially the provision of social amenities, continues to elude us. Year in, year out, we behave like cursed people by putting forward for elections men and women who have demonstrated gross incompetence in leadership and then position the real competent and capable people who have demonstrated astute leadership to help them win elections. And after the elections, the ordinary person continues to suffer in an endless cycle.

    For instance, since I chanced on the document containing the Cross River State All Progressive Party Local Government Campaign Coordinators for the 2023 General Elections, I’ve just been wondering why tested and trusted men like Prof. Zana Akpagu (Coordinator for Obudu) and Dr. Godwin Amanke (Coordinator for Obanliku) were not encouraged by the party to vie for the senate seat for the Northern Senatorial District of Cross River State? In Bendi II where I come from, names like Jarigbe, Akpagu and Amanke are talked about with deep respect, gratitude and reverence. Their contributions to the development of the ward speak for themselves. So, a contest between Jarigbe and Akpagu or Jarigbe and Amanke would have been a very difficult one, one that would have pitched character, competence, capability and courage in one party against same qualities in the other major parties.

    But for some strange reasons, the party gave the ticket to a candidate that will be difficult to sell in many wards of the District. In Bendi II, for instance, there is no single project standing in his honour after four years as senator and almost eight years as governor. I don’t think such a candidate should be the appropriate choice for a people so systematically neglected and in dire and urgent need of development.

    As it stands, there should be no confusion about the choices before us since we are voting for candidates and not tested and trusted campaign coordinators and directors. We need to shun tested and failed, tested and distrusted candidates who will again fail to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people in all of our denominational, gender, party and ethnic configurations.

    Dave Imbua.

    DISCLAIMER: The opinion expressed in this article is clearly that of the author, Dave Imbua and does not represent TheLumineNews or it staff.

  • What You Need To Know About The Newly Elected PDP National Women Leader, Prof Stella Ajah Effah-Attoe BY DAVE IMBUA

    What You Need To Know About The Newly Elected PDP National Women Leader, Prof Stella Ajah Effah-Attoe BY DAVE IMBUA

     

    When I arrived in the Bendi Technical College as a timid village boy to begin my secondary school education over three decades ago, the first event of lasting memory that occurred was the visit to that village school of the then Cross River State Commissioner for Education, whom we welcomed with a number of social activities that had been rehearsed with anxiety for several weeks. I still recall vividly our excitement when a very young lady, in fact the youngest person among the august visitors, was introduced and presented to us as the Honourable Commissioner for Education. I had no inkling on that day that I was being introduced to a woman who would years after be one of my favourite lecturers in the Department of History and International Studies at the University of Calabar, a woman who would later be my colleague, a woman who thirty-three years after, on the 30th day of October, 2021 will be elected unopposed as the National Women Leader of Nigeria’s darling political party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party. If for nothing else, my intimate knowledge of Prof. Stella Ajah Effah-Attoe’s intellectual sagacity and moral capital places me in a vantage position to say a few things about her that may be useful to people that have not followed her growth and maturation as a scholar and public intellectual over the years.

    Prof. Stella Effah-Attoe, distinguished Nigerian public intellectual, courageous and visionary politician, lover of her country and by the grace of God Almighty, the first Cross Riverian and first Professor to be elected as National Women Leader of a formidable Nigerian political party, was born in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State several decades ago. She had her primary education in three different primary schools, beginning at Saint Louise Nursery School, Bompai, Kano; Our Lady Girls’ School, Tiko, Cameroon and our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Lagos where she obtained her First School Leaving Certificate with Distinction in 1971. She did her secondary school studies at Edgerley Memorial Girls’ Secondary School, Calabar, from 1972 to 1976, where she graduated with Division 1 in the West African School Certificate Examination. In 1976, she proceeded to the University of Calabar where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts, Second Class Honours, Upper Division, in History in 1980. She did her graduate studies in the University of Calabar from 1981 to 1985, obtaining a doctorate degree in African History at the age of 26.

    Professor Stella Effah-Attoe began her work experience as a lecturer at the then Cross River State School of Basic Studies, Akamkpa (now Cross River College of Education, Akamkpa in 1981). She left the job in February 1986 to take up appointment as Lecturer II in the History Department of the University of Calabar, where she has taught for the last 35 years. Prof Stella Effah-Attoe grew through the ranks and was promoted Professor in 2010.

    As a University lecturer, Professor Stella Effah-Attoe has taught virtually all courses offered in the Department of History and International Studies at the University of Calabar to several generations of students, some of whom are now established scholars and professionals in their own right. In her eventful career as an academic, she has supervised over a hundred Undergraduate Long Essays, 25 M.A. theses and 15 Ph.D. dissertations. Apart from this, she had at various times served as Graduate School Representative in the defense of Ph.D. and Masters Theses in other departments in the University of Calabar. She had also served as External Examiner to the University of Uyo and Benue State University for their M.A./Ph.D. programmes. She has also assessed candidates for promotion to the ranks of Associate Professor and Professor for several Nigerian universities.

    Apart from teaching, research and supervision, Professor Stella Effah-Attoe has served the University of Calabar at several other capacities including Chairperson, Department of History Graduate Committee (1995 – 1997); Member, Faculty of Arts Examination Malpractice Committee (1996 – 1997); Member, Graduate School and Staff Development Sub-committee of the Strategic Planning Committee (1995 – 1997); Member of Senate, University of Calabar (2002 – 2003; 2010 to 2021); Member, Curriculum Committee, Faculty of Arts (1998 – 2000); Head, Department of History and International Studies (2002 – 2003); Member, University of Calabar Contact Committee (2005 – 2010); Chairman, Local Organizing Committee, Department of History and International Studies’ Conferences (2016 – 2020), member, Faculty of Arts Investment Committee and the Intellectual Property Policy Committee (IPPC) of the University, Dean of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Calabar, a position she left to champion the mobilization of Nigerian women for political participation and national development.

    In addition to her academic career at the University of Calabar, she has served her state, Cross River, and country, Nigeria meritoriously in many positions. She had served as a member of the Cross River State Executive Council in the capacity of Commissioner for Education and later Commissioner for Information and Culture from October 1987 to June 1990. In 1997, Professor Effah-Attoe contested and won elections into the Cross River State House of Assembly representing Biase constituency. Unfortunately, the election was annulled following the death of General Sani Abacha. She was a highly resourceful member of the Committee on Restructuring and Reforms of the Local Government system in Cross River State, which was inaugurated by His Excellency, Governor Donald Duke on July 4, 2003. At the national level, she was member, Governing Council of the National Health Insurance Scheme (2000 – 2003); Member, Board of Directors, Federal Housing Authority Board (2005 – 2006); Chairman, Board of Directors of the Voice of Nigeria (2009 – 2010); Member, Governing Board of the National Youth Service Corps (2013 – 2015), Member, National Population Census Monitoring Team (1991). She had previously served in 1989 as member of the Committee for the Implementation of the nine years Compulsory Education Programme for Nigeria. The recommendations of this Committee are now being implemented in the New National Policy on Education in Nigeria, whereby a child has to go through nine years of Compulsory Schooling, starting from Primary one to six (six years), and from Junior Secondary School – one to three (three years). Her outstanding resourcefulness explains why she has been called to serve the nation in these and many other critical areas.

    Prof. Stella Effah-Attoe is an acclaimed, respected and often quoted humanistic scholar especially in African History and Gender Studies. Author of several books and book chapters, journal articles in local and international journals and conference papers, she has been at the cutting edge of scholarship. Some of the books she has authored are: A Federation of the Biase People: Origin and Development of Biase Ethnicity, 1750 – 1950 (1990); Margaret Ekpo: Lioness in Nigerian Politics, (co-authored with S. O. Jaja) (1993); Women Empowerment and Nation Building in Nigeria (2004); Nigerian and African History (co-authored with O. T. Abia) (2001). She co-edited Okon Uya at 70: Issues in Historiography, Nation Building and the African Diaspora (2016) with David Imbua, C. B. N. Ogbogbo and Yakubu Ochefu. She was the 79th inaugural lecturer of the University of Calabar. Her very insightful lecture on “Gender Mainstreamism in Nigeria’s Political Development: From Hindsight to Foresight” which was well researched, ably written and masterly delivered has remained a reference material on gender studies in Nigeria.

    A widely traveled scholar, prof. Stella Effah-Attoe has attended conferences and other engagements in almost all the states of Nigeria and in many other cities outside the country, including several countries in Africa (Cameroon, South Africa, Uganda, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, etc.), Europe (United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, etc.), Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, etc.), the Middle East (Israel, United Arab Emirate, Qatar, etc.) and North America (United States of America, Canada, etc). Prof. Stella Effah-Attoe has all along committed her outstanding intellect, courage, industry and altruistic disposition to the welfare and wellbeing of humanity, especially women, children and youths. Among her other numerous activities in this regard are the following: the mobilization of women to exercise their voting rights during elections, empowerment of women and youths through grants for business start-ups, enhancement of the girl-child education through scholarships and educational grants in Biase, provision of mentorship and counselling sessions for women and youths, provision of mentorship, guidance and counselling to undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University of Calabar, etc. Specific mention should be made of the role of her NGO – Center for Gender Empowerment, in the sensitization and mobilization of women in Cross River State in particular and Nigeria in general for nation building and development.

    Professor Stella Effah-Attoe is a woman highly recognized and decorated for her scholarship and achievements in various spheres of life. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Administrative Management of Nigeria (FIAMN), Qualified and Incorporated Administrative Manager (QIAM), 21st Century Trust Fellow, London, Senator of the United Nations International Parliament for Peace and Safety, Woman of Excellence Award, Woman Achiever Award, a recipient of the Woman of Distinction Award, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Cross River State Chapter, Public Service Award in recognition of impactful contribution to public service, academics and inspiration to NAWOJ, NYSC’s Award of Honour in recognition of outstanding and inestimable contributions to humanity, to mention but a few.

    What can anyone say in a synopsis that will capture the phenomenal life of Professor Stella Effah-Attoe? By every consideration, Prof. Stella Effah-Attoe is a heroine, a legend and a core humanist, who has blessed the fortunes of a great company of men and women in several communities, institutions and organizations. Because of my intimate knowledge of her life and times, there is no doubt in my mind that the PDP has brought onboard a woman of great capacity and foresight that will reposition Nigerian women as critical agents of nation building and development. I am optimistic that she will convert her rich knowledge of the enormous contributions that women actors have made to the processes, actions and movements that have enhanced the building of the Nigerian state since the pre-colonial era into doses of inspiration and challenge for Nigerian women in confronting the challenges of the 21st century.

    Dr Dave Imbua
    Associate Professor of Atlantic History.

  • Mourning Intellectual Money BY DAVE IMBUA

    Mourning Intellectual Money BY DAVE IMBUA

     

    Though the manner of mourning the dead varies from one society to another, the loss of a loved one evokes deep emotions and grief in all societies of the world, from the most primitive to the contemporary ones. Experience has shown that bereaved people, especially those in Africa find it impossible to adhere to the Biblical admonition that those who have hope in Christ for a resurrection from death should not mourn their losses like unbelievers who do not have hope. It is therefore common to see Africans – the educated and the illiterate – wailing ferociously whenever death strikes.

    Apart from weeping for the death of human beings, some people equally cry at the loss of their pets, money, economic trees, business ventures, ideas among many other things whose disappearance diminishes their fortunes. The most recent of this kind of death is that of Intellectual Money in Cross River State, Nigeria. On assumption of office as Governor in 2015, Senator Professor Ben Ayade did not only give birth to Intellectual Money but advertised her as the capital that would turn Cross River State into Nigeria’s El Dorado. He told those who cared to listen to infatuations that the state was not where it ought to be in terms of development because leaders before him did not give intellectual money its pride of place in the development equation of the state. In what was a strange move to many people, Ayade began to dispense with what should be legitimate sources of revenue in any organized society. For instance, he exempted a litany of business operators (including those who own hotels of less than 50 rooms) in Cross River State from the payment of taxes. He revealed the reason for the various exceptions: “We have exempted them because it is better for me as a governor that I rather tax my brain than to tax my people.” Some enlightened policy makers and experienced technocrats rose to the occasion and advised him to exercise caution with such an ill-conceived policy since governance and development are serious businesses that need to be well planned based on existing realities. But, cheered on by some naïve and inept elements, the all-knowing governor ignored the voice of reason, insisting that there was no project beyond the capability of intellectual money.

    As a corollary, Governor Ayade initiated a number of humongous projects many of which had nothing to do with the pressing needs of the masses. Some of these white elephant projects include Superhighway, Deep sea port, Spaghetti flyover, Calachika, Toothpick industry, Garment Factory, Piles and Pylon industry, International Hospital, Calas Vegas Resort, cargo airport etc etc. This was not all; he spent millions of naira travelling all over the world signing MoUs that were expected to collaborate with intellectual money to transform the infrastructural landscape of the state. With almost childlike (or a hostile critic would say, senile) noise about intellectual money, Ayade broke records by releasing budget figures that were far ahead of other states in the country, including states that are much richer than Cross River State. Indeed, the state’s N1.3trn budget for 2018 was the highest ever by a Nigerian state. Christened “Budget of Kinetic Crystallisation,” Ayade had declared that “the hallmark of the budget was the decoupling of the state from over dependence on federal allocation”, hence the budget “is designed and tailored to fit our dreams of an enterprising economy without depending on oil as a source of revenue.”

    The volume of noise generated by the birth of intellectual money and the declaration by Governor Ayade that he will decouple Cross River State from the federal government and its miserly monthly allocation convinced some gullible elements that intellectual money will bring about massive improvement in the giant strides recorded by Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke who had served as governors before Ben Ayade. Some people were excited that the soon-to-be-witnessed massive improvement in the social, political and economic fortunes of the state will consolidate its enviable status as the tourism destination of Nigeria.

    Unfortunately, no sooner than Governor Ayade settled down to real business that reality began to take the centre stage. Within a short period of time Cross River State was losing everything that had defined her as the preferred tourism destination. Increasingly, Cross Riverians began to see evidences of mismanagement and maladministration, collapsing health, education, political and economic infrastructure, absence of security and serenity that had characterized the state, stark evidences of poverty occasioned by the increasing pauperization of civil servants and retirees as well as the institutionalization of what Governor Ayade calls “Food on the Table Appointments”, pollution of values as seen in massive corruption, indiscipline and dishonesty of uncontrollable “food on the table” appointees who, to borrow the words of the governor, “ are given political appointments for a completely different thing and you see them going back” to drag the poor masses to make money. Because of all this, Calabar, the capital city of Cross River State that was handed over to Ayade in 2015 as the cleanest and greenest city in Nigeria lost its glitz and clamour too quickly.

    Governor Ayade learnt in a hard way that the use of empty slogans to excite fans was one thing and the provision of the dividends of democracy to the people, a different kettle of fish. The affairs of state continued to deteriorate steadily under his watch. From the summit of ecstatic goodwill, the general opinion on the leadership of Ayade slumped into the vale of despair and frustration. However, it took some time for the governor himself to admit that things were falling apart under his administration. He finally expressed disillusionment with the plethora of failures that characterize his administration after he had spent five years in office. On that occasion, Ayade himself found it difficult to account for the fact that he had put in five years without achieving anything of significance. Interestingly, in a video that went viral, Ayade suddenly turned focus from intellectual money to God! In what looked like deep passion for the less privileged, he asked God, men and women of God to help him, even if it requires him to follow the example of Zacchaeus by returning his accumulated wealth “for every single Cross Riverian to become rich.” As predicted by those who know him better, this noble wish did not materialise.

    As intuitive persons would attest the governor tried to get off his high horse after the demise of intellectual money. For example, he declared in his Budget of Blush and Bliss that: “We have decided to shift focus from big projects and refocus on the people. So, this is the people’s budget, a budget that for the first time we are shifting from infrastructure, from major projects, from all the big dreams and projects that can actually create opportunity to focus on the very essence of existence, hunger and poverty.” Few months after this turn around, he also reversed his earlier decision to “decouple” Cross River State from the federal government by socketing the state back to the centre. Suddenly Ayade realized that Cross River State “which has been emasculated economically following the ceding of its oil wells, needed to be in sync with the party at the centre.” Many other people who joined the governor in the search for cables and sockets to the centre were optimistic that the Federal Government will graciously commit itself to the completion of projects that were suffering abandonment as a result of the demise of intellectual money. In an interview he granted the News Agency of Nigeria and published by Premium Times on June 1, 2021, the Speaker of Cross River House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eteng Jonah-Williams echoed this position when he said: “The Superhighway and the Deep Seaport will now be given utmost attention by the federal government and other things will also fall in place as well.” Because the recoupling (which he chose to call socketing) to the centre did not produce the desired results, the wailing continues unabated in Cross River State. With his very low intellectual capital, the ex-military man at the centre behaves as if he doesn’t know the motivation behind Cross River State’s socketing.

    One of the most shameful transitions by a chief executive in the recent history of Cross River State is the one that saw the shifting of emphasis from intellectual money to paper money. Today, the governor has not only descended from the height where he had claimed that monthly allocation was inconsequential but he now complains that Cross River State receives the least amount of money from the federation account. In a recent reaction to the much talked about transformations going on in neighbouring Ebonyi State, which envied Cross River State a few years ago, Governor Ayade claimed incorrectly that: “Cross River has the least allocation in the country and Ebonyi gets much higher allocation.” The falsity of this claim does not require our attention. What is certain is that this kind of lamentable statement would not have come from Ayade if he didn’t lose intellectual money at her prime. The vacuum created by the exit of intellectual money is widening the pace of development between Cross River and states that were not even her equals yesterday.

    Just one question for contemplation before we end this tribute to intellectual money, the brain child of Governor Ayade. Why will a state that claimed to receive the least amount from federation account have the highest budget figures in the country? Who is the all-knowing professor trying to please by giving unrealistic and ridiculous budget figures? Could it be that he does not know what a budget is? Or is it that he just gets excited with high sounding budget names and figures irrespective of the state’s financial strength? Many questions are begging for answers.

    We will not forget you, Intellectual Money. How can we forget you when you have immortalized yourself in a litany of failed and abandoned projects that will remain a source of pain and regret to us for a long time to come? How can we forget you when you made us dispense with paper money only to discover that the claim that you were going to make ours the best state in the country was a huge joke? How can we forget you when we truly know that we achieved nothing tangible in 6 years and counting? How can we forget you when the inability to pay labourers their wages has brought about unending protests and strikes? Though we can never forget you, we beg you not to reincarnate in Cross River State. Also, do not allow anyone to use you again to exploit the masses wherever you would reincarnate outside Cross River State. Just rest in peace, Intellectual money, the scam of all time!

    Dave Imbua writes from the hills of Bendi.

  • The Sense And Nonsense In The “Think Obanliku” Movement BY DAVE IMBUA

    The Sense And Nonsense In The “Think Obanliku” Movement BY DAVE IMBUA

     

    Perhaps, they are few people, most likely those who are not close to the social media that may not be aware of the emergent “Think Obanliku” movement, which is either exhilarating or infuriating constituents of Bekwarra/Obanliku/Obudu Federal Constituency depending on where they stand on the pendulum of justice as well as their understanding of democratic principles. A brief statement on power sharing in the said Federal Constituency may help some readers to put the yearnings and aspirations of the movement in perspective.

    For purposes of allocating seats in the Federal House of Representatives (the lower chamber of Nigeria’s bicameral National Assembly), Nigeria is divided into 360 Federal Constituencies, each of which is represented by one member in the House in a four-year term. As the name implies, the Bekwarra/Obanliku/Obudu Federal Constituency is composed of Bekwarra, Obanliku and Obudu Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Northern Cross River State. The constituency elected Hon Mike Ogar of Bekwarra LGA as its representative in the 4th Parliament (beginning from 1999 when democracy returned to the country and ended in May 2003). His successor, Hon. Paul Adah, of blessed memory, represented the constituency in the 5th and 6th Parliament from 2003 to 2011. Hon. Adah was an indigene of Obudu LGA. Hon. Frank Adah of Obanliku LGA who succeeded Paul Adah was the constituency’s MP in the 7th Parliament (2011 – 2015). The incumbent, Rt Hon Legor Idagbo of Bekwarra LGA was first elected in 2015 and re-elected for a second term in 2019. This implies that he would have served for eight years when his second tenure will end in May, 2023.

    By virtue of the fact that the seat will become vacant in 2023, discussions are ongoing in several quarters on which of the three LGAs should produce the next MP. As part of their contribution to the debate, a group of progressive young people drawn from the three LGAs met in the nation’s capital sometime in January 2021 and brainstormed on the matter. Based on the fact that Bekwarra, Obudu and Obanliku have occupied the seat for 12, 8 and 4 years respectively, one of the attendees, Mr. Jeremiah Usheshe argued that for the sake of fairness, justice and equity, all constituents should “think Obanliku” (a phrase which could be interpreted as “consider Obanliku”) in the choice of the next MP for the constituency. His position which was unanimously adopted by other attendees became the basis of “Think Obanliku”, a slogan that is gaining popularity by the day. Irrespective of how anyone chooses to interpret the slogan or what the movement as a whole will become in the days ahead, it should not be forgotten that its original aim was to promote fairness, justice and equity among the LGAs in the Bekwarra/Obanliku/Obudu Federal Constituency.

    As is usually the case, the “For Justice, Fairness and Equity: Think Obanliku” (shortened simply as “Think Obanliku”) movement has both supporters and opponents in the three LGAs that make up the federal constituency in focus. Its supporters argue that as a “Government of the people, by the people, for the people” democracy should be inclusive by providing equal opportunities for both the majority and the minority. On the other hand, opponents of “Think Obanliku” see the movement as romantic nonsense and argue that democracy is purely a game of numbers and that those who have the numerical advantage should always have their way. Being promoters of the erstwhile undemocratic philosophy of “Might is Right”, they leave no one in doubt of their belief that those who are numerically powerful can do whatever they wish, even if their action promotes marginalisation and oppression. They have steadfastly dismissed the “Think Obanliku” movement with a flick of the hand and make jest of its proponents and supporters. Some of them have gone ahead to criticise Rt Hon. Idagbo for unwittingly giving credence to the movement by publicly saying that “Obanliku is the most marginalised Local Government” in the constituency.

    Ironically, the opponents of “Think Obanliku” are the same people that supported and applauded a similar movement, which culminated in the emergence of Sen. Professor Ben Ayade as governor of Cross River State in 2015. Cross Riverians still remember how Senator Liyel Imoke, whose leadership style transcends ethnicity and parochialism, ensured that power was transferred to the Northern Senatorial District, a district which before then had not produced a governor in the long history of Cross River State. This remarkable feat, as it were, gave the generality of the people of the state, especially the minority a sense of belonging, as they came to know that irrespective of their population and origin, they can aspire to the highest political office in the state on a rotational basis. Beneficiaries of that gesture, who are today insisting that democracy is purely about numerical strength should remember that it was not under military rule that Imoke took that brave decision, which has immortalised him in Cross River State’s political landscape. A product of justice, equity and fairness should not become the arrowhead of marginalisation in a lower political structure, where the circumstances to alienate, oppress and marginalise others favour him. He ought to be humbled and challenged by the goodwill that made him become a “strong man” in a state rich in tested and trusted political gladiators.

    Let me end by inviting the opponents of “Think Obanliku” to introspection and contemplation. You need to take some minutes to imagine what would have happened if the Bekwarra/Obanliku/Obudu Federal Constituency was a state of its own. Put differently, think about what would have happened if Cross River State was not blessed with Senator Imoke and his like, who defended justice, equity and fairness. By any ideal or religious standard, it is unethical to complain of injustice and marginalisation only when we are victims. Afterall, injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere! All lovers of justice, fairness and equity have a moral responsibility to “Think Obanliku” in their discussion of who takes over from Rt Hon Legor Idagbor in 2023. Rotation of power among the component units of any polity, however defined, is one of the surest ways of addressing alienation and marginalisation in a democracy.

    Dave Imbua writes from the beautiful hills of Bendi.

  • Obanliku In The Politics And Leadership Of Governor Ben Ayade BY DAVE IMBUA

    Obanliku In The Politics And Leadership Of Governor Ben Ayade BY DAVE IMBUA

     

    Perhaps, I should begin by stating the obvious, which is that until the emergence of Prof. Ben Ayade as the Executive Governor of Cross River State, many people in Obanliku did not really know what it means to be despised, alienated and neglected by a leader who has been entrusted with public funds to engineer human and capital development. The dividends of democracy delivered to the good people of Obanliku by astute leaders like Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke created the impression that a leader would always be committed to the wellbeing and welfare of the led.

    As governor, Donald Duke constructed the Sankwala Ring Road within his first 100days in office. In the course of his eventful tenure, he completed and commissioned other projects including the Obanliku General Hospital, the Bebi Airstrip, Utanga Safari Lodge. Duke also upgraded the Ranch Resort to international standard, making it the flagship of Nigeria’s tourism. He also electrified Bendi, Bisu, and Bebi among other communities. It is to his credit that he initiated and sustained the defunct annual Obudu Mountain Race which brought a great company of men and women from across ethnic, national, religious, linguistic and gender divides for the purpose of winning laurels and leisure. The Obudu International Mountain Race was endorsed by both the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) and the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) in 2005 shortly before Duke left office

    As a co-visionary with Duke, Governor Liyel Imoke consolidated and expanded Duke’s legacies in the tourism sector. Painstaking efforts were dedicatedly deployed to ensure that the dream that informed the huge investment in the Ranch Resort was not allowed to wither and die. The Imoke – led administration opened new vistas in a bid to sustain the influx of both local and international tourists to the Resort. Under the Imoke’s administration, the road to the resort was fortified and driving through the 22 breath-taking U bends became pleasurable. In the same committed manner, Senator Liyel Imoke opened up our rural communities with asphalted roads like the Basang East Road, Busi Road, and Utuhu-Kakwe-Lishiche-Shikpeche Road. This was in addition to the rehabilitation and upgrading of numerous health centres and schools in the LGA. Unless influenced by other considerations, it is hard for Obanliku people to talk of Duke and Imoke without enormous debt of gratitude to their commitment to the provision of basic amenities in the LGA.

    And, then, the era of Ben Ayade came! Expectedly, Obanliku people were ecstatic and excited that the swearing-in of a brother and kinsman as Governor of Cross River State was going to bring about massive improvement in their social, political and economic fortunes. Indeed, even those of us who had advised caution in the euphoria based on our knowledge of the complexities of man, had cause to be optimistic. Six years down the road, the Obanliku situation has deteriorated to a level that could not have been imagined. The euphoria and fanfare that greeted the emergence of the Ayade administration have given way to regret and frustration in Obanliku, leaving sycophants and booth lickers with the onerous responsibility of convincing the masses that we are not going through our worst experience under greedy, selfish and heartless misleaders who want to be richer than the state.

    The fact that Governor Ayade has consistently treated Obanliku as an after-thought and a dispensable neighbour is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf. Under Ayade, our Ranch has become a mere footnote in the world tourism map. The Bebi Airstrip is an abandoned project. One can’t even recall the last time a plane landed or took off from it. The Mountain Race has become history. Even the Cottage Hospital in Kabun, Basang, that was singlehandedly built by our illustrious brother, Dr Emmanuel Akashie, and donated to the State Government, was abandoned immediately after commissioning more than five years ago. Even the staff of the hospital that were promised immediate employment when the government took possession of the hospital, are still languishing in Ayade’s University of Unemployment. Unless you don’t know what is injustice, you will surely wonder what the Obanliku people have done wrong to warrant the level of neglect and marginalisation that has been visited on Obanliku. Ayade era is a debacle for the Obanliku nation. Apart from dispossessing people of their land, there is absolutely no project that Ayade has executed and commissioned in the entire Obanliku LGA in the last six years.

    Unless something is fundamentally wrong with us, Obnliku people should not quarrel and abuse themselves with regard to the antics of their common oppressor, whether he chooses to stand with the PDP or the APC. I am convinced that his neglect of Obanliku has nothing to do with political parties. We should all stand together irrespective of political affiliation against anyone that takes delight in the underdevelopment of Obanliku.

    I should end this piece by reminding Obanliku elites and other people that are polluting the streets and bad roads in Obanliku with the suffocating stories of our oppressor whose actions are simply dictated by the fear of the EFCC of W.E.B. Du Bois’ immutable assertion that it is a tragedy for an enlightened individual to pursue personal gains while ignoring the plight of his/her oppressed kin. We should always remember that from the time of Esau till now, people who sold their birth rights for a pot of porridge have lived in regrets. As the very Distinguished Senator Professor Sandy Ojang Onor admonished yesterday, “Any man who does not understand that your destiny is bigger than mere food, that is, poisoned food that does not avail you the liberty to think and the capacity to invest and grow is clearly intended to make you a slave.” Enough of the noises about “Food on the Table” and the nauseating calls for the maintenance of Table Manners in a food basket like Obanliku.

    We must take our destiny into our hands by thinking Obanliku!

    Dave Imbua writes from the hills of Bendi.

     

     

    Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article is strictly that of Dave Imbua and does not represent the views of TheLumineNews or the organization the author works for.

  • Beebo/Bumaji To Have One Of The Best Road Networks In CRS By 2022 – Sandy Onor.

    Beebo/Bumaji To Have One Of The Best Road Networks In CRS By 2022 – Sandy Onor.

    By Elijah Ugani

    The senator representing Cross River Central senatorial district, Sen. Prof. Sandy Ojang Onor has stated that the Beebo/Bumaji road is going to be one of the best road networks in Cross River State by 2022.

    The lawmaker made this known on the 3rd of April, 2021 at Kakwe – Beebo during a launching for the construction of Beebo/Bumaji Road organized by the community.

    The senator who was represented at the event by his Senior Legislative Aide, Associate Prof. Dave Imbua maintained that the development of any community depends on its road network, and where there are no roads, it is difficult for anything else to be done.

    In his words “This is a project that I take to heart and I will do everything possible to make sure that by the end of 2022, Beebo/Bumaji community will have one of the best road networks in Cross River State.

    “I appreciate this project because I also come from a community that has difficulties with access road, so the same burden I have for my community, Nsofan in Etung Local Government Area, is the same burden I have for other communities in the Central Senatorial District that are yet to be provided with good road network.

    “Initially, when the organizers of this programme came to me, I told them not to worry, because I have a special programme for this road by 2022, but on a second thought, I said it is good for people to start a project so that they can take ownership and responsibility for it. I will be making other interventions after now.

    “Whatever contribution that is being made today will be the beginning of a long process of funding until this road is completed. On this note, I want to make a donation of half a million naira”

    In his capacity, the Senior Legislative Aide to senator Sandy Onor, Associate Prof. Dave Imbua used the opportunity to call on well meaning cross Riverians to rise to the challenge of stopping the indiscriminate and crazy deforestation going on in Eastern Boki.

    Imbua averred that “On a personal note, for those who are my friends on social media, you will realize that an issue that has occupied me in the past months is the rate at which deforestation is taking place in Eastern Boki.

    “I made a claim which I thought I was right, but from the way the chairman of this occasion, Ambassador Soni Abang, has spoken this evening, I now know that my claim was not right because I said it is one thing that is making me cry more than the bereaved, but I now know that there are other people who are seriously concerned.

    “Let me say to the Chairman of this occasion that on a matter of this nature, you don’t need to look at people’s faces, by the nature of human beings, people must be angry, if they are angry for a good course, I don’t think there is any problem with it. There are things we do for the sake of the future. Future generation of this community needs this environment to live in, if there are destroyed, what do we think will happened.
    It is a fight we must come together to resist and make sure that it does not continue”