...It's pay back time for Akwa Ibom politicians in Abuja
–Tommy Etim Okon, President, A'Ibom Community in Abuja
 |
| President Goodluck Jonathan |
Tommy
Etim Okon is president-elect of Akwa Ibom Community in Abuja. In this
interview, Okon speaks on issues affecting the community, Akwa Ibom State, 2015
elections, and national problems like poverty and lack of infrastructure.
Exerpts.
Akwa Ibom Community is now 25 years. In fact,
last September, we marked our 25th anniversary and that was the occasion we
celebrated on our plot which was supposed to be a ground breaking event by His
Excellency, Chief Dr. Godswill Obot Akpabio.
But incidentally when he sent a representation in
the capacity of the distinguished Senator Federal Republic of Nigeria; Senator
Ita Enang, he failed to give the mandate for him to commission or to do the
ground breaking ceremony. He said he wants to do it himself. So, Akwa Ibom
Community Abuja is as old as that, and for anyone who has gotten to the age of
25, I’m sure is ripe enough to take decision and by virtue of that simple
arrangement we have also establish chapters in satellite towns. So at 25 years
I think we have been able to achieve these.
Which
part of the town will you build the hall?
In fact that was where we did our election, it is
at Jayi district which we have about 5000 square meters of in Sector Centre A,
where the minimum building is eight storey building. It’s a mini central area,
a district that is very unique and our land is strategically located, a very
fantastic location.
Like how
many members do you have?
We have over 2,000 whom we can call real members
but we have well over 5,000 members
How has
it been managing that number in a place like the FCT?
I want to say that it is not an easy thing and it
has not been, especially considering the poverty level in the land and the
needs to meet up. You see, every Akwa Ibom person in the FCT is an ambassador
even to the home front. So the pressure would be coming from the home and the
welfare of the people. That is why in my government, I have suggested
very strongly that there should be a subvention from the home government for us
to be able to meet up the challenges.
Yes, they have the liaison office; yes they have
the office of the governor’s representative, but then they are not accessible
to the people as we are accessible to the people. It therefore means that
before the people can even have access to them, they have to pass through
certain clearance to get across to them and most of them hardly pick your phone
calls. So how would the people access them?
But as the president of the community, you are
there night and day. People would have problem in the hospitals, police
stations even in the markets, you still have to go and intervene. We have made
it a point of duty that no Akwa Ibom person would soil the reputation of Akwa
Ibom for whatever reason. It is not easy it has never been easy. At least I
have been the vice president of the community, I know what my predecessor, the
outgoing president, Chief Benedict Ukpong faced. It has not been easy.
There’s
this belief that all these is build up to 2015; and from the statement I saw
you issue, you walk through that even though very lightly been that the
political landscape should be open for everybody to participate.
That is our position; we are community not
answerable to political party, and we are not answerable to anybody. We are
responsible people; we are responsible to work with the government in power to
see that things are done, and you cannot talk about democracy when you
sectionalize it. Democracy has never been sectionalized, democracy is
government of participation.
If you go deep into democracy and you don’t allow
freedom of expression, you don’t allow freedom of association it therefore
means something is wrong, and we don’t want anything to be wrong because if we
did not give Akpabio freedom of expression perhaps we wouldn’t have had the
uncommon transformation in the state. So these are issues and these are things
we need and we’re correcting it. We are not hidden about; we are not ghost.
Akwa Ibom community is registered with Corporate Affairs Commission; it’s an
entity.
Akwa Ibom
has 13 federal legislators in Abuja; constantly that’s the number. How
have they been relating with the community?
Let me be honest with you, some are good but I
will not mention name; some are just fairy friends. And we feel we are
their constituency. As I’m talking Abuja has 10 federal constituency presidents
and these 10 federal constituencies are walking in pari passu with the community.
So, if we have 10 federal constituency members when you add the 10 federal
constituencies and the three senatorial, as I would rightly say, they are
thirteen.
We should not crying because most of their
constituency project should have spilled over effect on us, and we believe very
strongly that, that is the only way for them to be accountable to appeal and we
are coming with a proposal which we use to do, let them come and give account
of stewardship in every of our meeting.
Come and tell us what you’re doing; let us know
your programme; let us know your projects, your challenges, let us know what
you are set again to do because some of them will be clamoring for second term.
Some would be clamoring for third term as the case may be even some would be
thinking of fourth term.
Is there
any other thing you would want to say about association or the politics of Akwa
Ibom State?
The politics of Akwa Ibom State to me as the
president, I want to be very natural and I want my people to also exhibit the
sense of responsibility by ensuring that the right person is supported comes
2015. We are in strong support of Godswill Obot Akpabio’s government and we are
also telling the people that president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan should come
back, whether we like it or not. Most of the problems in the land were
inherited by him; he never initiated it. If others have taken eight years to
struggle, if we can give him the opportunity we will see what is going to be
done.
But let people know that we are from different
units, let them also know that we are from different wards, let them also know
that we are from different clans and villages. If there are projects, let it be
evenly distributed so that when we go back to our villages, our units, we can
talk authoritatively; we can command them to support the government that has
eyes, that has vision and focus, that is what we believe in. They should not
intimidate us. I was a student, a congress chairman in the University of Lagos
and by virtue of my calling I cannot be intimidated. I have served the
community. I was the public relations officer. I served as the vice president
and by virtue of these offices I have under studied and I know the nitty-gritty
and the administration dynamics.
So, I want to believe that if we work well and if
the state government recognises us, we can achieve a lot.
From JOE EFFIONG, Uyo
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