Obasesam Okoi|16 January 2016|18:34
When we talk about change across Nigeria we expect Buhari to imprison criminals. Well, that's okay. What Buhari is doing is called system transformation. It will certainly create a rebirth. But real change begins with an internal revolution. It starts by rejecting bribe and exposing corrupt leaders. I may not leave behind a mansion when I die. But I want to die smiling, knowing that I rejected the attempt by one man seeking to purchase the future of my people so that young men and women will be perpetually enslaved and subservient to his authority. That's the beginning of change.
Many people will not understand where am coming from. They will never understand because of the blind-folding force called politics that create a gulf between their myopic imaginations and the reality glaring at them.
While in Athens, Greece, I visited the cradle of Western civilization, saw the most treasured places in human history, and asked powerful questions about the connection between the past and present. Why is it that great empires are today's poorest societies? Their philosophers saw society changing. They wrote about the future. They wrote about the ideal society and how things ought to be rather than how they were. And they wrote about the purpose of government and the power of the people. But they were murdered because they were communicating deep philosophical realities that society didn't understand. How sad!
Today some of the wretched of Yakurr nation are paid agents of Bassey Ewa. They survive on the crumbs he throws to them. I wish they knew better. Out of ignorance they come online to write nonsense or attack Ewa's critics. Good luck to them!
But how many appointments has Bassey influenced to Ugep or Ekori, his own community? How many people died in Ekori over his election? Only one person got a Community Liaison Officer post. I presume it must be his influence because that's somebody who's been working for him and it would be sad if he couldn't influence a little appointment for him, at least to put food on the table. If he wasn't the person that influenced that appointment then how sad!
But this is the danger. My friend is his ardent follower. We were born the same year. And he's one of the smartest young men in my generation that I continue to respect regardless of our disagreements. We all know ourselves from from our teenage years. We know our potential. We know our friends who are dull brains and those who can prove their mettle anywhere. But Bassey is a specialist in oppressing people and relegating them to the lowest rung of the social ladder where they can't aspire to be greater than him. My friend qualifies to be commissioner if Bassey really mean well for his followers. The rest appointments that came to Ugep were based on personal commitments. Goddy Ettah got commissioner on merit even when he's better than a commissioner. Johnson Ugbor got his appointment on merit. I worked with Johnson Ugbor when we were fighting for Usani Usani in 2003. Then I was naive about macro politics. The rest are Urban Development appointments which were not influenced by Bassey Ewa. Many are still hoping that the acclaimed god of Yakurr politics will throw a bone to them. Keep hoping. If only you knew that Ayade doesn't give a damn about Bassey.
The lesson I want us to learn is about the life of Queen Elizabeth. I hope you know how powerful the Queen is? Certain decisions can't be made in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other commonwealth countries without her approval. I hope we also know that the Royal Family owns almost half of Great Britain? And that Buckingham Palace is built with gold while Britain doesn't produce gold? That means the queen sleeps in gold, walks in gold, and lives in gold. But one day she was asked the source of her power. She pointed to the Bible.
Now, here is the lesson. The very hour that Queen Elizabeth was to die, she wept bitterly. Her final word was “she wished she could live one more day.” I wonder how much of the world could have changed if God had given her an extra 24 hours. But she knew that the hour has come. At that point gold was irrelevant. The wealth of the Buckingham Palace was irrelevant. The Empire she built by waging wars and conquering territories was irrelevant. The most important concern for her was to live one more day. Time heals. We are products of time.
The final lesson is that no matter how much wealth a politician loots he will never enter the grave with money. But a man of integrity will live throughout generations.
Few hours before his death, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the most powerful speech in the history of mankind. He said “he has been to the mountain top. He may not live to see it but he has seen the glory of the Lord.” At that moment he conquered fear with hope. Have we not seen that future?
I was privileged to have met and worked with two men who worked directly with Nelson Mandela. One is Dr. Jay Naidoo, who was Mandela's communication minister. The other is Dr. Eliakim Sibanda, who was nominated as member of my committee. Meeting these men is like meeting Mandela himself. They carry His spirit. That's leadership.
But can any young man in Yakurr look into my eyes and tell me he has been inspired by Bassey Ewa's philosophy and as a result would like to aim for greatness in life? Of course he's a great inspiration to many. At least he has inspired them to embrace the devil and tie magic wands on their hands as a mark of protection. And he has inspired them to believe in the power of violence rather than the power of their brains.
But I learned one secret from Mandela's followers. Mandela had been offered many opportunities to leave the prison. He declined these offers because his freedom was disconnected from the freedom of his people. He decided to leave the prison when it was certain that Apartheid will come to an end. Mandela left us with something to remember: integrity, love and hope.
I will leave us with some powerful and thought-provoking words from my friend who is fighting for the liberation of his people in the Amazon rain forests in Brazil. He said: Never allow a bad man to write the history of your people. It is our responsibility as enlightened men to shape our history the way we want it to be told including who must be part of that history.
My question is….Does Bassey Ewa qualify to enter the history book of Yakurr nation? Let the people judge.
Obasesam Okoi
Is a Cross River-born Canada-based Academic