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For quite some few weeks now,
the people of Akwa Ibom State have fought too many wars, all
in a bid to end an endless war. It is not that people,
including Akwa Ibomites, do not know how to end wars, but
that there are those wars that are tagged “wars without
end”. One of such wars is writing of petition(s). I have
been, for the few weeks running, glued to the emerging
dramatic scenario in Akwa Ibom, nay, Nigeria. Nay Africa,
even the entire globe, and have come to a conclusion that
we, nay Nigeria, Africa, the whole wide world, is in
trouble. In trouble because the war without end has started
in earnest in and from Akwa Ibom. Twenty years ago in Akwa
Ibom, there stood a sturdy and very attractive and imposing
edifice called “Hilltop Mansion”. The military leadership at
the creation and inception of Akwa Ibom state mooted this
home, to officially 'house' the Governor of the state
military, paramilitary or common civilian.
The design of the edifice must have been carefully selected
from a compendium or cluster of others, and its completion
saw it as one of the wonders of the universe, east of the
Niger. To us lay men, this structure, which took the shape
of a praying mantis, was a final embodiment of architectural
excellence as complimented with the vision and mission of
the early managers of the state's economy. That structure
was what we always wanted, as we saw in it the future of
Akwa Ibom and as a bright and morning star. We had all along
had this since the inception of the state at the back of our
mind, believing that the mansion was a new social and
political order, and a miraculous advancement in science and
technology. But not a costly experiment. We had all believed
that mooting the idea, and transferring same to reality was
an attempt and an effort to make Akwa Ibom a better place, a
land of promise marching towards fulfillment. But alas,
within the space of twenty years from the commencement to
completion of Hilltop Mansion, it developed serious
structural defects, and has to be demolished. Some sixty or
so days ago, the almighty praying mantis has become another
Odi, leveled beyond recognition.
My heart is broken. But I am not alone. Millions of Akwa
Ibomites are with me, and including an eight-year-term
Honourable Commissioner in the erstwhile state
administration of Obong Victor Attah, Dr. Udoma Bob Ekarika.
But that is never the issue. The issue is that these same
serious structural defects that snowballed into the
demolishing of our “white House” or our “Aso Rock” have
developed in various other houses and sky scrappers across
the length and breath of this nation, nay the globe. This to
a large extent may be seriously linked to architectural
incompetence and the usages of flawed building materials by
men and women of the building industry nationally and even
globally. I may be wrong. But I am looking at Akwa Ibom, nay
Nigeria, Africa and the globe, as Hilltop Mansion. Like that
mansion, we are seriously trouble. We have developed serious
structural defects, political defects, social defect,
scientific and technological defects, defects of the mind
and soul, and therefore the very fabric of our society seems
to be coming apart. Petition(s). Plato, the Greek thinker
and philosopher, and Karl Mark, the German socialist, have
both proposed and proffered numerous political and social
ideologies all in an effort to make the globe a better place
for all of us to live in, most importantly towards
abolishing poverty and constructing local and global peace.
Rather, we have drastically achieved the contrary, the
direct opposite. But it is not as though we have not tried.
We have. Some of us have tried communism, some pure market,
some nuclear warfarism, League of Nations, etc. but it seems
we have decided to go capitalist and would want to remain
and settle there. But let us remind ourselves, that just as
the Hilltop Mansion developed serious structural defects via
imperfections, which weakened and led to the demolition of
the building, our structural defects and imperfections of
our mind, of our soul and body, is manifesting into
weakening the fabric of our society in the tendencies of
corruption, dishonesty, of greed, abuse of power, of
avarice, ethnicity, oppression, nepotism et al.
Now back to the Hilltop Mansion who made the architectural
designs? Who approved it? Who was the contractor? Who
supervised and monitored the jobs? Who issued the job
completion certificate? I do not need to ask who paid for
it; when a job completion certificate is issued and
authenticated, payment has to be made. But the payment so
made, was from the lean resources accruing to the purse of
Akwa Ibom monthly, which is for the upliftment of the living
standard and welfare of the entire citizens of this state,
including the development of social infrastructures across
the state. I am looking at the demolishing of the Hilltop
Mansion due to structural defects, as our inherited
imperfection.
Imperfections of our leaders in government. Imperfections
which tend to weaken and crumble our society. Imperfections
which tend to show that our leaders in government whom we
placed in positions of authority to manage our lean
resources to our social and political advantage have gone
ecclesiastical that “Man has dominated man to his hurt”.
Since there is sense in demolishing the Hilltop Mansion,
because the house developed serous structural defect, the
area, which you and I should try to consider, now is the
aspect of due process and accountability. Due process in the
sense that the mansion of such magnitude should have
attracted inputs from the best brains from architectural,
structural quantities, contractual, supervisory, monitoring
to completion and commissioning. Accountability in the sense
that the state government has discharged all financial
obligation due to architect, the structural engineer, the
supervisors and monitors, the main and sub contractors, and
all manner of persons who were involved in erecting the
mansion. Now that the mansion has been demolished, because
of our imperfection, the cost, including the time, is lost
and you and I, bear the burden. You and I have been
dominated to our hurt. I here therefore submit, that the
imperfection, the demolition, the cost and the time is that
which has manifested itself in ways that can weaken our
society. Corruption, greed, dishonesty, abuse of power, all
transferred themselves into indiscipline. Hilltop Mansion …
paradise Lost. The question now is, why people tend to write
petition(s) against other persons or group of persons? The
answer is quite simple: We were all made to look up to a
higher authority than looking at ourselves for guidance, for
protection, for due process, for accountability, for
corporate and for co-existence. The higher authority is the
government, those in power, leaders in the families, in
clans, who are empowered to show love to fellow human
beings, men and women alike. Even though we have lost the
Hilltop Mansion, it is not yet paradise Lost. We have not
lost all. The digital and indefatigable Governor Godswill
Obot Akpabio, has come to the rescue. He has ordered the
demolition of the temple, and he intends “to build it in
three days. “Obong Godswill Akpabio has completed all
arrangements to commence work on the new generational
concept. In this era of rule of law and due process, I
envisage that everything about the new structure has been
put in place competent architect(s), competent structural
design(s) and competent engineers, competent contractor(s),
competent monitors and supervisors, and the introduction of
the best rate building materials that will be flawless. I
will want a solid job that will not only be a landmark, but
that which will surely stand the test of time, and be a
lasting legacy for years on end; that is, banner without
stain. We should attempt to avoid at least for once, our
imperfection, as we do not want to lose our hard earned
resources recklessly. The government should try to put our
tomorrow in a totally new light. This will certainly enable
the people of Akwa Ibom to have abundance of peace and
harmony which will eventually put the endless war”,
petition(s), to a definite end. As we are all expectantly
awaiting the completion of a new Governor's Lodge in the
state, we are sure believing that with the spate of jobs
carried out so far by the present administration, Akwa Ibom
is bound to be a paradise in every respect. Hilltop Mansion,
paradise Lost, paradise Regained.  |
