By Dele Sobowale

“I know I shall pass this world
But once
Every good thing I can do to any man
Let me do it now
Let me not defer or neglect it
For I shall not pass this way again.
Anonymous.

The presido of Area boys is going home – victim of arthritis which has rendered the right arm almost useless. After serious consideration regarding what needs to be done before I can no longer write anything, it suddenly occurred to me that I have been neglecting my duty to my closest politician brother, mentor, adviser and friend – Obong Victor Attah. Let me discharge it now because another chance might not present itself unless the doctors can find a breakthrough. As it is, this column, which ordinarily should be finished in three hours or less will now consume eight hours of declining time. But it will be eight hours well-spent as my late father taught me in 1957.

Everyone old enough to remember will recollect that the great Zik of Africa, an Igbo man, had one constant friend, late Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya, who was on Zik’s side through every tribulation and triumph that life brought the Owelle of Onitsha. Ogunsanya was from Ikorodu from Lagos State; yet no one in politics was more loyal to Zik than the Ijebu man – till death.

Ogunsanya was not alone. One man, who was not a politician, worshipped God first and Zik next. That was our daddy. Abraham or Ibrahim, in the Bible and Quran had an easy test from God; he was asked to sacrifice only Isaac. My father, from Agbowa-Ikosi, near Ikorodu, would probably have gladly sacrificed all his three sons, including me, if only Zik asked him. He would return from work everyday with a copy of the WEST ARICAN PILOT, published by Zik, tucked under his arm.

He would have read all Zik said and memorized them. I was an audience of one listening to the ‘isms’ and ‘tity’ with which the great nationalist melted many hearts. By 1957, I was getting older, more inquisitive and bolder. So one day, I asked the old man, who had only one year left to live, “Baba, why do you love Zik so much?” The answer, which had remained with me since that day, explains this article today. The ‘gospel’ according to late Pa Sobowale went like this.

“Anybody who has not found at least one person, outside his immediate family, to like passionately has not found God. Ojuoto (that was my pet name), find that person before you die – irrespective of where he comes from”. Later, I realized that what was handed to me was advice, and instruction and sermon rolled into one. That was a tall order; it was akin to being asked to find a needle in thousands of haystacks. Where does one begin the search and how do you know when you have found him/her? Little did I know that the Almighty leads you to your destination if you open your heart to Him.

I knew about Attah before setting eyes on him and many years before he became Governor of Akwa Ibom state. One failed student (name withheld) who was the Obong’s classmate in the School of Survey had told me about the rebel who fought for others at great risk to himself – even when he was not the victim of injustice. That to me is the stuff heroes are made of.

Later, after he became governor, one of my cousins, Architect Femi Agbe-Davies (alias The Boy is good) added more to the testimonials. My search was over. I love rebels – Pa Imodu, Adaka Boro, Emeka Ojukwu, J.S Tarka, Fela Anikulapo, Aka Alao-Bashorun, Ken Siro-Wiwa and Gani Fawehinmi were the sort of people I adore.

They shared one attribute in common; they were individuals who rejected personal comfort and in their struggle against injustice had their heads bruised, battered, bloodied but still unbowed. So I went in search of him and was amply rewarded – philosophically. He was already planning the outlines of his RESOURCE CONTROL assault which has benefited all mineral producing states but which gave Attah himself a lot of grief while in office. Unlike most top government officials, I was surprised when on our first encounter, I criticized something he was planning to do. Instead of throwing me out, he sat back, reflected and said “I will consider your suggestion”. What! A governor in Nigeria accepting correction? That was a revelation. Till today, it remains an attribute Attah alone among the BIG MEN, I have ever met, in Nigeria, possesses.

He is also a teacher, a mentor whose views on political matters are always unique and insightful. Every real rebel is a principled person. As Albert Camus, 1903-1960, has reminded us, “A rebel is a man who says NO and at the same time who says YES”. He says No to oppression of people and says yes by asserting the humaneness of those he defends. When Attah launched his book, I knew he was in for war with President Obasanjo and he got one. In fact, Attah’s trials and tribulations started with RESOURCE CONTROL published in 2004; his ultimate triumph in 2011. The wheels of justice grind very slowly.

Yet RESOURCE CONTROL is FISCAL FEDERALISM by another name. This had been the principle of the people of the Southwest. Surprisingly, late Chief Bola Ige, who was then the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, went to court to challenge Attah’s call for 50% derivation for all mineral producing states. Though the late Chief was only doing his duty as the government’s lawyer, it was still shocking to me that he could accept an assignment which contradicted everything the progressives had canvassed for as long as I can remember.

To be continued…
OPEN MEMO TO PRESIDENT, IGP AND NSA ON AKWA IBOM
“Presido, please kindly come to our rescue by doing a series on the kidnapping situation in Ikot Ekpene. We are in a total seize since the Governor banned Okada in Uyo. The situation is worse than what happened in Aba last year. I appreciate the role you played in checking the Aba menace. I can tell you we were free during the civil war days: this is total captivity”. Name and GSM number withheld at senders request.

The civil war ended forty one years ago. So anyone who could remember what life was like in Ikot Ekpene in 1966 to 1970 must be over fifty. Oddly enough, two calls came in a few days after this text message; one from Uyo and the other from Eket saying pretty much the same thing and asking me to draw the attention of the authorities to their predicament. One even invited me to come and see for myself. I would have loved to go because it is the abiding principle here that I never write on any matter without getting the facts. But, with arthritis sending me to the showers, it is impossible. So, I am passing the buck to those who should handle it with a reminder.

Readers of this page would recollect how last year, I wrote a series about the “Arch of evil” – Imo, Abia and Akwa Ibom – the three leading states with regard to kidnapping and murder. It was not until a school bus was hijacked in Aba that the government sent in the soldiers. Remarkably, all the crimes have come to a halt after the elections pointing to the political connections in every state between criminals and politicians.

The current wave of kidnapping in Akwa Ibom might be a reaction to the ban on Okada in Uyo as alleged; but then it might not. Nothing is ever as it seems in such situations. Irrespective of the cause(s), I hope the President, IGP and NSA will not wait until another bus load of kids disappears before taking action.