“Over advising somebody is an expression that I am not familiar with
and honestly do not know what it means but I can say quite
categorically that Barr. Godswill Akpabio was not one of the
intellectuals in my cabinet. He was, therefore, never, at any time
made a member of any of my advisory committees. These perceived
inadequacies saw him moving from one ministry to another. Barrister
Godswill Akpabio has been reputed to be digitally brutal or is it
brutally digital in his ability to mislead, to misinform and to
misrepresent issues. Still I would have thought that there would be
some respect for decency. What it seems like to me is that, the
governor is troubled and he should ask himself why. The governor says
he is angry, but there is a world of difference between anger and
blind fury. Even so anger remains one of the seven deadly sins and can
never be superior to intellect as a driving force for good governance.
Unfortunately, I must say that by your utterances and indeed your
actions too, you have portrayed yourself as a confused young man with
a large burden of inferiority complex.” Arc. (Obong) Victor Attah,
former Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
With above words written by Obong Victor Attah and posted on the media
a few days ago, it is obvious that Akpabio’s ego has been brutalized
beyond repair. Judging from the manner with which Clement Ikpatt and
other of Akpabio’s crumbs from the table eaters have reacted is clear
evidence that Obong Attah has driven Akpabio into emotional nightmare.
And it appears as if the “inferiority complex,” which Obong Attah
described Akpabio as suffering from, is really beginning to emerge
with a loud bang, so loud that it has turned into an obsession.
Since the publication of Obong Attah’s response to what appeared to
have been a non-stop attack on him by Akpabio, the errand boys of
Akpabio have taken upon themselves to expose the other side of Akpabio
to the world by hiding behind dubious organizations to demonstrate how
insecure Akpabio is. I have always known that Akpabio is a weak and an
insecure man, but I did not know the extent and the depth of his
insecurity, until now.
In what they described as a press statement, the “Ibom People’s
Alliance” issued a publication which was titled “Obong Attah and the
Journey of Self Contradiction.” But before the press release, another
faceless group published false information under the following title:
“Money Laundering Charges London Court.” The list goes on and on. The
question is, other than exposing the inferiority complex of Godswill
Akpabio, what else is there to accomplish through all these supposedly
attack on Obong Victor Attah?
It is universally acknowledged that Obong Attah is no longer seeking a
political position anywhere in the country. It is also well known that
Attah is not begging Akpabio for any hand-outs. Among his Ibibio
kinsmen, he has established himself as their leader, as evidenced by
the large turnout at the recent funeral of his dear wife. And
throughout the entire Nigeria, Obong Attah is well known as an
established architect and the first Akwa Ibom person to have contested
for the presidency of Nigeria. So what is Akpabio trying to prove by
continuously and insidiously attacking Attah? Is Obong Attah the
reason he cannot govern a tiny state the size of Lagos? Is Obong Attah
the one looting the people’s treasury? Is Obong Attah the reason
Akpabio continues to tell lies to the people?
It is my opinion that the attack on Attah is a diversionary tactics,
which Akpabio is using under the false pretense that it would engage
the masses enough to make them forget the terrible economic mess in
which Akpabio has put them through since coming to office in 2007.
Attah is no longer the Governor of Akwa Ibom State. When he occupied
that position in 1999 to 2007, I was one of his ardent critics. It is
interesting that those who used to call me all sorts of names at the
time are the same ones who are now seeking Attah’s head in a fry-pan.
Attah is not the cause of unemployment in Akwa Ibom State; Godswill
Akpabio is. Attah is not the cause of kidnappings in Akwa Ibom State;
Godswill Akpabio is. Attah is not the one who is looting the treasury
of the people to buy a $45 million aircraft to fly to nowhere; Akpabio
is the one who is doing it. It was not Obong Attah who ordered Mrs.
Comfort Ewang to be kidnapped; Akpabio did. It is not Obong Attah who
ordered the assassinations of Chief Paul Inyang and Edidem James
Robert Obot; Akpabio did.
Obong Victor Attah just lost his wife of many years. I think a simple
sense of decency should have instructed Akpabio to leave the man alone
to mourn his dear wife. And I will end this writing with the words of
Obong Attah himself: “Still I would have thought that there would be
some respect for decency.”
–
Ikpafak Thompson Essien is an Oregon based social critic and political analyst
