It was the most awaited speech since the creation of Akwa Ibom
State. Everyone held his breath and panted for the moment that
bombshell will drop. The D-Day was here and very nigh. As hours
begat minutes and minutes dissolved into seconds, the tension
mounted and eager anticipation exasperated the multitudes. What will
His Excellency, former Governor Victor Attah say about the raging war
of Zoning or No Zoning of the Office of Governor to Eket Seantorial
District come 2015?
The clamour for, and against the zoning ideal, has remained fiercely
unabating, with proponents and opponents digging in.
The aspirants who have already indicated their interest in the top job
thronged the Asan Ibibio venue, for the Honour and Reception of
Obong Attah on September 5. 2014.
The political corollary to the event was not lost on them. Even those
of them that shunned the event, I can swear, were glued to their
Television sets, whereon, the event was beamed life by the Nigeria
Television Authourity, NTA.
Millions of partisan Akwa Ibom people at home/diaspora, and other
keen watchers and pundits of the unfurling political power game were
afflicted with itching ears. It was no doubt the most important
declaration at the Asan in nearly 4 years. The first was the
endorsement by Ibibio Nation of Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio,
CON, for a second term as Governor of Akwa Ibom on October 10,
2009.
That, this endorsement was pronounced and stood, made the
significance of this new gathering and its robust political implications
dorn the weighty application of an awaited 'judicial pronouncement or
verdict' which will finally lay to rest the dispute between a plaintiff
and the defendant. But what happened? When finally the revered
statesman spoke. He said everything, but said nothing as far as
Zoning was concerned. On that subject matter which held all and
sundry spellbound, and the ambition of many hanging on the balance,
Obong Attah spoke like a Statesman.
On Zoning, which no doubt, was the designated climax of his keynote
address, what we ended up with was akin to a stillbirth. An anticlimax
which left both sides fairly stranded. Attah did not abort Zoning,
neither did he midwife its delivery. To put it unequivocally, Obong
Attah sat on THE FENCE. It was obvious, he was under intense
pressure from his inner being and the expectations of both sides. He
did what was best for business and held his nerve so as not to
collapse under pressure and err on any side. Cleverly, like an
experienced wise sage, he threw it back to the people to decide their
fate.
Let's hear his exact words: " As i look round,i see a number of faces
here known to be aspiring to the high office of governor of this state.
A large number of those aspirants are from Eket senatorial district.
This is as should be expected because of the sequential logic that
after Uyo and Ikot Ekpene it should be Eket. But there must be a level
playing field for all aspirants". As far as I can be honest with my
conscience, this is not a variant from what Governor Godswill Akpabio
said and still argues on zoning.
Ask me to interprete Obong Attah's thesis and here is my take. Obong
Attah's heart says, Zoning is the way to go. His head says, we cannot
sacrifice every thing else because of Zoning and vice versa. Both
notions alternate between his heart and his head and the way out is to
sit on THE FENCE. It was Former Military President, General Ibrahim
Babangida rtd that hatched the positional ideology of a Middle Ground
as possible in politics. IBB propounded it as, A LITTLE TO THE LEFT, A
LITTLE TO THE RIGHT. That's a search for compromise.
Methink, it zeroes down to Sitting on THE FENCE. Allowed in politics,
it is abhorred in religion, especially the Christian Faith. In Revelation
3:15-16, scripture says, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold
nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are
lukewarm- neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my
mouth." Hmmmm! I return to my beat.
The result of the Asan Ibibio declaration by Obong Attah spurred more
controversy. Each party went away with a version that soothes their
course. Even the local tabloids were not left out. When some
screamed, ATTAH ABROGATES ZONING, on their cover pages, others
reported, GROUPS LAUD ATTAH FOR ENDORSING ZONING. The same
claim and counter-claim is still raging online and we have no firm
direction at the end of it all.
It reminds me of the poem by Gambian Poet, Lenrie Peters
(1936-2009) titled, THE FENCE. Permit me to avail you the poem in
full and subsequently, a review of the poem.
The poem reads, "There where the dim past and future mingle, their
nebulous hopes and aspirations,there I lie.
There where truth and untruth struggle
in endless and bloody combat,there I lie.
There where time moves forwards and backwards, with not one
moment’s pause for sighing, there I lie.
There where the body ages relentlessly and only the feeble mind can
wander back there I lie in open-souled amazement.
There where all the opposites arrive to plague the inner senses, but do
not fuse, I hold my head; and then contrive to stop the constant
motion. My head goes round and round, but I have not been drinking;
I feel the buoyant waves; I stagger. It seems the world has changed
her garment.
but it is I who have not crossed the fence, So there I lie.
There where the need for good and “the doing good” conflict, there I
lie."
Let us attempt a review, applying this poem to our circumstance with
Obong Attah. Through, "the whole length of the poem, Peters
describes conflicting scenes or instances and his indecision on them
all. In fact, the title of the poem alludes to the English expression
‘Sitting on the fence’ which most surely supplied the inspiration.
Obong Attah was trapped in history. What Peter connotes as ‘the dim
past and future’, mingling their ‘ nebulous hopes and aspirations’, he
lies there, in general sense of uncertainty. Attah is helplessly plunged
in the middle of the confusion over zoning.
Obong Attah, as it were, was ambushed at the place where ‘truth and
untruth struggle.’ That is where he lies. The pun, TRUTH, UNTRUTH,
and LIE, is created without intention. The antagonism between truth
and untruth here is referred to as an ‘ ‘bloody’ and ‘endless combat.’
That's what we have with the Zoning debacle all over the Nation.
Attah may have made the right choice to abstain from making a point
blank position. When he was on the saddle, he did. For now, the
incumbent has raised the flag, so...isn't it better he weighed in on the
side of wisdom of speech ?
Attah, as Peters observed, is baited by a parallel of time moving
forward and backwards with no stop. The passage of time took its toll
on Obong Attah. That much is revealed in the second leg of his take
on the contentious subject of zoning to which all ears and hearts were
wired. Again hear him, "This is particularly true at this TIME when
there is such a crying need to give hope back to our people; to restore
their confidence in their government and to rebuild the state. ZONING
WILL CERTAINLY BE A MAJOR CONSIDERATION BUT. AT A TIME LIKE
THIS, CERTAIN OTHER COMPELLING DETERMINANTS CANNOT BE
SACRIFICED ON THE ALTAR OF ZONING ALONE."
Of a truth, Time moves back, time moves forward. Attah's reflection,
oi believe waltzed through a gamut of experiences and events since
May 1999 on the return of democracy. Adding them up with the current
political tide, what could he do than stay aloof?
Attah biggest trapdoor is his age. As a septuagenarian, he is Father of
all. Where his wards are fighting, should he take sides. Peters likens
the conflict to the body aging ‘relentlessly’ and only the ‘feeble mind’
can bring back memories of youth. Attah isn't feeble minded either,
so there he lies.
In the fifth stanza, Attah like the poet, at Asan Ibibio, stood at a point
where all the opposites meet. In that meeting, they confuse him and
plague his inner senses. He cannot make a decision
and his irresolution eats him up.
For Peters in the maze of such clash, he tries to control his spinning
head, to find some sort of reason in the midst of all the confusion. He
tells us ‘I have not been drinking’ but he goes on right afterwards to
use words that churn up the thought of a drunk man – ‘I feel the
buoyant waves; I stagger’. His supposed drunkenness should be
coming from his many worries! He is drunk on his troubles. In all
truth, that portrait, mirrors the state of Attah's mind, in my
imagination as he strode to that podium to give his sentence.
The stanza that unlocks the meaning behind this poem is the sixth.
Peters reveals that everything around him has changed. Attah did
allude to the fact that so much has changed and transpired over time
as Akwa Ibom evolved politically. The world
as he knew it is no more. ‘The world has changed her garment’ Peters
admitted. But he tells us that, it is he, who has not crossed the fence.
The indecision comes from a conflict between his past and his
present. The world as he knew it and the world as it is now. That
same conflict affects, not only Attah, but a lot of people, not only in
Akwa Ibom, but the world over. Much as we try to step away from the
past, we are sucked-in by it and there we lie.
How do we resolve this conflict – where lies the denouement? We
have noble intention for all things ‘good’, but are disabled in the
actual ‘doing good’. That's the confusion we all remained enmeshed
in, when in the end, the exodus from Asan Ibibio grounds resumed.
Our people and leaders know what is right, talk about what is right and
advocate for what is right, but never actually do what is right
themselves. Wherever and whenever the need for good and the actual
doing good conflict, there we lie. Folks', Peter's confusion is Attah's
recent dilemma, and subsists as our headache. It brings us back to
ground zero, from whence we embarked on what has turned out to be
a futile journey. Zoning: To be or not to be- where do we go from
here? Should I talk? Ok! Take me to Asan Ibibio and get my position.
I assure you, I won't sit on THE FENCE.
State. Everyone held his breath and panted for the moment that
bombshell will drop. The D-Day was here and very nigh. As hours
begat minutes and minutes dissolved into seconds, the tension
mounted and eager anticipation exasperated the multitudes. What will
His Excellency, former Governor Victor Attah say about the raging war
of Zoning or No Zoning of the Office of Governor to Eket Seantorial
District come 2015?
The clamour for, and against the zoning ideal, has remained fiercely
unabating, with proponents and opponents digging in.
The aspirants who have already indicated their interest in the top job
thronged the Asan Ibibio venue, for the Honour and Reception of
Obong Attah on September 5. 2014.
The political corollary to the event was not lost on them. Even those
of them that shunned the event, I can swear, were glued to their
Television sets, whereon, the event was beamed life by the Nigeria
Television Authourity, NTA.
Millions of partisan Akwa Ibom people at home/diaspora, and other
keen watchers and pundits of the unfurling political power game were
afflicted with itching ears. It was no doubt the most important
declaration at the Asan in nearly 4 years. The first was the
endorsement by Ibibio Nation of Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio,
CON, for a second term as Governor of Akwa Ibom on October 10,
2009.
That, this endorsement was pronounced and stood, made the
significance of this new gathering and its robust political implications
dorn the weighty application of an awaited 'judicial pronouncement or
verdict' which will finally lay to rest the dispute between a plaintiff
and the defendant. But what happened? When finally the revered
statesman spoke. He said everything, but said nothing as far as
Zoning was concerned. On that subject matter which held all and
sundry spellbound, and the ambition of many hanging on the balance,
Obong Attah spoke like a Statesman.
On Zoning, which no doubt, was the designated climax of his keynote
address, what we ended up with was akin to a stillbirth. An anticlimax
which left both sides fairly stranded. Attah did not abort Zoning,
neither did he midwife its delivery. To put it unequivocally, Obong
Attah sat on THE FENCE. It was obvious, he was under intense
pressure from his inner being and the expectations of both sides. He
did what was best for business and held his nerve so as not to
collapse under pressure and err on any side. Cleverly, like an
experienced wise sage, he threw it back to the people to decide their
fate.
Let's hear his exact words: " As i look round,i see a number of faces
here known to be aspiring to the high office of governor of this state.
A large number of those aspirants are from Eket senatorial district.
This is as should be expected because of the sequential logic that
after Uyo and Ikot Ekpene it should be Eket. But there must be a level
playing field for all aspirants". As far as I can be honest with my
conscience, this is not a variant from what Governor Godswill Akpabio
said and still argues on zoning.
Ask me to interprete Obong Attah's thesis and here is my take. Obong
Attah's heart says, Zoning is the way to go. His head says, we cannot
sacrifice every thing else because of Zoning and vice versa. Both
notions alternate between his heart and his head and the way out is to
sit on THE FENCE. It was Former Military President, General Ibrahim
Babangida rtd that hatched the positional ideology of a Middle Ground
as possible in politics. IBB propounded it as, A LITTLE TO THE LEFT, A
LITTLE TO THE RIGHT. That's a search for compromise.
Methink, it zeroes down to Sitting on THE FENCE. Allowed in politics,
it is abhorred in religion, especially the Christian Faith. In Revelation
3:15-16, scripture says, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold
nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are
lukewarm- neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my
mouth." Hmmmm! I return to my beat.
The result of the Asan Ibibio declaration by Obong Attah spurred more
controversy. Each party went away with a version that soothes their
course. Even the local tabloids were not left out. When some
screamed, ATTAH ABROGATES ZONING, on their cover pages, others
reported, GROUPS LAUD ATTAH FOR ENDORSING ZONING. The same
claim and counter-claim is still raging online and we have no firm
direction at the end of it all.
It reminds me of the poem by Gambian Poet, Lenrie Peters
(1936-2009) titled, THE FENCE. Permit me to avail you the poem in
full and subsequently, a review of the poem.
The poem reads, "There where the dim past and future mingle, their
nebulous hopes and aspirations,there I lie.
There where truth and untruth struggle
in endless and bloody combat,there I lie.
There where time moves forwards and backwards, with not one
moment’s pause for sighing, there I lie.
There where the body ages relentlessly and only the feeble mind can
wander back there I lie in open-souled amazement.
There where all the opposites arrive to plague the inner senses, but do
not fuse, I hold my head; and then contrive to stop the constant
motion. My head goes round and round, but I have not been drinking;
I feel the buoyant waves; I stagger. It seems the world has changed
her garment.
but it is I who have not crossed the fence, So there I lie.
There where the need for good and “the doing good” conflict, there I
lie."
Let us attempt a review, applying this poem to our circumstance with
Obong Attah. Through, "the whole length of the poem, Peters
describes conflicting scenes or instances and his indecision on them
all. In fact, the title of the poem alludes to the English expression
‘Sitting on the fence’ which most surely supplied the inspiration.
Obong Attah was trapped in history. What Peter connotes as ‘the dim
past and future’, mingling their ‘ nebulous hopes and aspirations’, he
lies there, in general sense of uncertainty. Attah is helplessly plunged
in the middle of the confusion over zoning.
Obong Attah, as it were, was ambushed at the place where ‘truth and
untruth struggle.’ That is where he lies. The pun, TRUTH, UNTRUTH,
and LIE, is created without intention. The antagonism between truth
and untruth here is referred to as an ‘ ‘bloody’ and ‘endless combat.’
That's what we have with the Zoning debacle all over the Nation.
Attah may have made the right choice to abstain from making a point
blank position. When he was on the saddle, he did. For now, the
incumbent has raised the flag, so...isn't it better he weighed in on the
side of wisdom of speech ?
Attah, as Peters observed, is baited by a parallel of time moving
forward and backwards with no stop. The passage of time took its toll
on Obong Attah. That much is revealed in the second leg of his take
on the contentious subject of zoning to which all ears and hearts were
wired. Again hear him, "This is particularly true at this TIME when
there is such a crying need to give hope back to our people; to restore
their confidence in their government and to rebuild the state. ZONING
WILL CERTAINLY BE A MAJOR CONSIDERATION BUT. AT A TIME LIKE
THIS, CERTAIN OTHER COMPELLING DETERMINANTS CANNOT BE
SACRIFICED ON THE ALTAR OF ZONING ALONE."
Of a truth, Time moves back, time moves forward. Attah's reflection,
oi believe waltzed through a gamut of experiences and events since
May 1999 on the return of democracy. Adding them up with the current
political tide, what could he do than stay aloof?
Attah biggest trapdoor is his age. As a septuagenarian, he is Father of
all. Where his wards are fighting, should he take sides. Peters likens
the conflict to the body aging ‘relentlessly’ and only the ‘feeble mind’
can bring back memories of youth. Attah isn't feeble minded either,
so there he lies.
In the fifth stanza, Attah like the poet, at Asan Ibibio, stood at a point
where all the opposites meet. In that meeting, they confuse him and
plague his inner senses. He cannot make a decision
and his irresolution eats him up.
For Peters in the maze of such clash, he tries to control his spinning
head, to find some sort of reason in the midst of all the confusion. He
tells us ‘I have not been drinking’ but he goes on right afterwards to
use words that churn up the thought of a drunk man – ‘I feel the
buoyant waves; I stagger’. His supposed drunkenness should be
coming from his many worries! He is drunk on his troubles. In all
truth, that portrait, mirrors the state of Attah's mind, in my
imagination as he strode to that podium to give his sentence.
The stanza that unlocks the meaning behind this poem is the sixth.
Peters reveals that everything around him has changed. Attah did
allude to the fact that so much has changed and transpired over time
as Akwa Ibom evolved politically. The world
as he knew it is no more. ‘The world has changed her garment’ Peters
admitted. But he tells us that, it is he, who has not crossed the fence.
The indecision comes from a conflict between his past and his
present. The world as he knew it and the world as it is now. That
same conflict affects, not only Attah, but a lot of people, not only in
Akwa Ibom, but the world over. Much as we try to step away from the
past, we are sucked-in by it and there we lie.
How do we resolve this conflict – where lies the denouement? We
have noble intention for all things ‘good’, but are disabled in the
actual ‘doing good’. That's the confusion we all remained enmeshed
in, when in the end, the exodus from Asan Ibibio grounds resumed.
Our people and leaders know what is right, talk about what is right and
advocate for what is right, but never actually do what is right
themselves. Wherever and whenever the need for good and the actual
doing good conflict, there we lie. Folks', Peter's confusion is Attah's
recent dilemma, and subsists as our headache. It brings us back to
ground zero, from whence we embarked on what has turned out to be
a futile journey. Zoning: To be or not to be- where do we go from
here? Should I talk? Ok! Take me to Asan Ibibio and get my position.
I assure you, I won't sit on THE FENCE.
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