OPC WAR ON AKWA IBOM PEOPLE

OPC WAR ON AKWA IBOM INDIGENES

Recently there have been media reports credited to the Odua Peoples Congress {OPC} and the Ijaw Monitoring Group on the issue of the revocation of a Certificate of Occupancy on the 10th Anniversary Hotel purportedly belonging to one Mr. Sunday Idowu. According to these reports, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah revoked this certificate issued to Idowu. One may not have respond to these reports but just to put the records straight and let the world know the real situations. I am not holding brief for Attah because I am not and was never his media man but as a son of Akwa Ibom I write this.

As the name implies the 10th Anniversary Hotel came to be in 1997 to mark a decade of the creation of Akwa Abasi Ibom State. This hotel was conceived when a Yoruba son, from Ifon, then Navy Captain Joseph Adewusi [now retired] was the Military Administrator of Akwa Ibom state. Though the state government served as a coordinator of the project, it was not as such a government project as Akwa Ibom indigenes and their friends made contributions towards the project. For whatever reason the hotel did not go beyond the foundation level and various administrations in the state since 1997 had failed to complete it. When Attah came into power rather than complete that project, he went ahead to build the Le’ Meridien Hotel at Nwaniba. It might have been during this period that he decided to give the hotel to his erstwhile friend and protégé, Idowu. OPC should get in touch with Adewusi and Oba Emmanuel Adebayo of Ekiti state, who was an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Uyo about the time the hotel project started. They are in positions to enlighten OPC members.

That Attah gave out the hotel to a single individual, whether indigene or non indigene was a great disservice to Akwa Ibom people as the hotel project, so to speak, was not wholly a government project but the people’s hotel. For revoking the certificate of occupancy given to Idowu, Attah deserved to be praised rather than Akwa Ibom people being insulted by ethnic champions. Giving out the hotel is an equivalent of giving out Ibom Hall to an individual. Would our Oduduwa brothers accept the Cocoa House Ibadan to be sold to a private individual? The hotel is a property of the commonwealth of Akwa Ibom peopleOn the decision of Idowu to resort to wiping ethnic sentiments over this issue is unfortunate. Yoruba people are known to be very appreciative of any favour done to them but Idowu is different. If Akwa Ibom and its people were that hostile to non indigenes, Idowu should tell the world why he decided to stay behind in such an environment when he left NITEL in the early nineties.

One can say this that 99 per cent of Idowu’s wealth today is Akwa Ibom money courtesy of Attah. Idowu left Nitel as a technician but he was executing road contracts in Uyo and other parts of the state during the eight years of Attah. Can he tell the world where he got the experience and money to do these jobs. Those projects and contracts that Attah gave Idowu can he sincerely said that they passed through due process and can stand the scrutiny of EFCC and ICPC? Were there no Akwa Ibom people capable of executing these contracts? Can OPC show evidence in any Yoruba state where an Akwa Ibom indigene was given such multi billion contracts? Did Akwa Ibom people complain, protest or threaten hell when Idowu was taking what was theirs? On the few occasion that I met Idowu during Attah’s tenure, he was wont to flaunt his relationship with Attah and the governor’s children. Idowu once told me and some friends that he has no regret identifying with the Attah’s family. Remember Attah son-in-law, Dr Udoma Ekarika was commissioner for eight years and that of Works ministry for four years. You can understand why he has no regret then. Are they no longer family friends? When the going was good did he tell his Oduduwa brothers what “Ete Calabar” was doing to him? How much did he bring into Akwa Ibom to start answering the title of investor.Idowu treatment of Attah serves the former governor well? Akwa Ibom elites always patronize non indigenes at the expense of their brothers and only to turn around and complain when they are shortchanged.

OPC calling on the Lagos State Government or any government for that matter to seize of property of Akwa Ibom people in Lago and any part of Yorubaland is uncalled for. Attah used the instrument of his office to enrich Idowu and now that their relationship has broken down why should you punish another person who was not in the know of what they were doing. Some of these Akwa Ibom people may not be seeing eye to eye with Attah. Or Attah might have given Idowu preference over them in the award of some of the contracts that now made Idowu a millionaire, in any currency, as well as an investor. Idowu enjoyed many privileges in Akwa Ibom state that many indigenes can only dream of. OPC should rather ask their Yoruba governors to extend similar privileges to Akwa Ibom people. The Ibibios has a saying “mfon atak ke idiok ufok” this means favour or good deeds are only wasteful on people from ungrateful families. It is only Idowu and Attah that know the truth of their quarrel, why Attah decided to take back what he gave to his godson. . Attah giveth Attah taketh.



Governor Akpabio should not restore the hotel to Idowu. Rather a team of quantity surveyors should evaluate the building and whatever Idowu has spent should be refunded to him. As Akpabio is building a new government House when there is one in place, he should also go ahead and complete the hotel which can then be lease out for private investor to manage, Idowu inclusive. The concept of the hotel was supposed to be for a memorial and it should remain so. No one should use his public office to dash out our common property.