OPINION
January 24, 2001

Segun Fatuase
Lagos

Governor Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State reaches out to the North in a bid to promote ethnic relations among Nigerians.

A time there was when rigid lines, reminiscent of the now fallen Berlin Wall, dominated the polity, and psychologically separated the tripod groupings of the Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa. This lines were also effective in setting the precedence among these major groups on the one hand and between them and thousands of minority areas on the other basically for political, religious and ethnic reasons.

That was the situation before and after the struggle for Independence when prominent Nigerians particularly the Late Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello from the North, Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo from the West and Late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe from the East were presiding. Today, decades after the demise of these founding fathers, the perceived political rivalry and mutual distrust among the different ethnic groups continue to dominate the polity and serve certain selfish interests in such a way that Nigeria cannot be said to be truly united. A sampler of this deceitful stance is a wag's story concerning the adventures of two Nigerian leaders, Late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo during one of those numerous visits to London to make a 'united' case for Nigeria's independence in the late 50s.

The story had it that the great Zik of Africa and the sage were so enamoured with the gold-plated cutlery on the dining table that they decided to 'liberate' a set each and bring such to Nigeria, just on a whim, to teach the colonialists a lesson. They decided to carry out this act when the grace was being said. However something went wrong in the course of the pre-meal prayers.

It was said that while Awo was able to hide his own set in the voluminous folds of his traditional robe, the Zik could not effectively hide his in the formal English suit he wore, so he reportedly returned the set with the deep feeling of a loser. Since he did not want to lose out and give Awo an edge over him (and invariably, his tribe), the great Zik, in a creative flash, reportedly turned to the Englishmen and told them that they had no choice but to give Nigeria its independence otherwise Nigerians would resort to magical powers to get it.

To prove the point, Zik reportedly put his set of cutlery in his pocket, in the full glare of the colonialists, and told them that he would produce the same set from the pockets of Awolowo. With a mischievious smile, he was said to have turned to Awolowo and told him to 'produce' the cutlery and the unamused sage had no choice but to empty his pockets! The moral of the wag's story is that the average Nigerian is not ready to sacrifice or suffer any loss of face before any other tribe.

This has been the stigmatised story of Nigeria through the three Republics and several military regimes. This was also the story that the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Obong Victor Attah recounted to his Kano State counterpart, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and the people of Kano State at the tail end of his visit to some states in the North. Attah, in the pose of the avuncular Uncle, had in the process of reaching out to fellow party members and colleagues in the Northern parts visited Adamawa before moving to Kaduna, Kano and Katsina states to touch base and exchange developmental ideas with the respective state governors.

Indications however showed that the string of visits were more than the normal courtesy calls between state governors. There were signs that the visits were another phase in building bridges from the South to the North and using such to facilitate unity between disparate ethnic groups especially in the wake of last year's ethnic and religious crisis that rocked many parts of the country and recorded thousands of casualties across the different ethnic groups.

While Attah's tour of the North reminds one of the linkages between Edo Governor Lucky Igbinedion and Alhaji Abubakar Audu of Kogi as well as that of Abia's Orji Kalu and Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, the Akwa Ibom governor who stayed over 20 years in the North with 16 of those spent in Kaduna, maintains that his visit was more than a home coming. At various fora in the course of the visit, Attah, an architect, was quick to point out that "my visit is not only to build bridges but to reinforce and concretise the bridges I have built. We need this kind of visit to ensure development. The interaction will also sharpen our foresight and lead to the establishment of peace among our people".

To this end, he seized every available opportunity to preach the gospel of peace and brotherliness as the first step to ensure unity in the country. "According to him, "You cannot know the country enough and unless we share our joys and problems together, we may never understand Nigeria. Your rights must respect other peoples' rights. We need a common solution to our problems. This is the only way to make democracy work," he said.

Attah's visit to Kaduna and Kano also had political undertones. While seeking peace between Akwa Ibom indigenes and their host communities in the Northern states, the governor also used the opportunity to compare notes with his counterparts especially those that touch on the programmes and objectives of his administration as enunciated in his plans for Year 2001.

This move apparently accounted for the presence of Senator Udo Udoma, the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Barrister Bassey Essien and some top government functionaries in the entourage. They include the Secretary to the State Gove- rnment (SSG) Obonganwan Grace Ekong, Information Commissioner, Prince Chris Abasi Eyo, Attorney General Effiong Bob and the Special Representative to the Akwa Ibom State Government in Abuja, Akparawa Joe Udobia.

Undoubtedly, the governor was desirous to expose his top officials and the House to developments in other states in a move that will ensure the right pace and efficiency to carry out objectives particularly the strenghtening of the state's industrial base, the implementation of Life Enhancement Schemes, rehabilitation of roads and expansion of educational facilities, the improvement of Health Care Delivery at primary and secondary levels, crime enforcement as well as Women and Youth Empowerment through capacity building, employment generation and child protection.

Although Attah, known as the architect of the dawn of a new era in Akwa Ibom State has a lot to say for himself in terms of achievements, he nevertheless felt that Kano State under Kwankwaso has some things to offer his team at the rural level through rural electrification projects, road rehabilitation, bridges and provision of pipe -borne water in most of the 44 local government areas of the state.

Thus the hectic schedule of the visiting governor, right from the time he was formally received at Chiromawa Toll Gate till the end of his visit, served the dual purpose of finding answers to common developmental problems and positioning the host governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as a man versed in grassroot politicking, an asset he needs for a reelection bid to counter allegations that he is alienating non-indigenes and politicising the Sharia issue. Kwankwaso also utilised the visit to debunk the claim of some of his critics who insist that he is miserly by not spreading the spoils of governance round. This view has apparently filtered to the rural folks, some of whom made remarks in the course of the tour. "Yana aiki, amma yabude hannusa manna," (He's working, but he needs to open his hands).

Attah was given the privilege to commission many projects including some township roads within Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, some 20 kilometres from Kano City and in Gandun Albasa where he inspected some road projects. He was also at the Sani Abacha Youth Centre where he presented certificates, cheques and working materials to participants who took part in the second phase of the vocational training towards self employment. The participants were taught various skills in carpentry, sewing and printing. The Youth Centre situated in Kumbotso Local Government Area is being used by the Kwankwaso administration to train youths in a bid to tackle prevalent social and religious problems including destitution, street begging and juvenile delinquency in a state faced with the menace of social miscreants such as the Almajiris and Yandabas.

Attah visited the Danladi Nasidi Housing Estate in Mariri, an abandoned federal government project which the state bought and expanded to take in 3000 housing units . In the spirit of oneness, one of the streets was named after the Akwa Ibom State governor. A multi- purpose hall was also named after Victor Attah at the former NRC Council Secretariat which the state government converted to the Waziri Shehu Gidado Memorial Hospital set up principally as a Women and Children Hospital.

Attah's presence was felt in far away Zaura where he laid the foundation of the Zaura bridge and donated the sum of N10 million towards the construction of the bridge which will link Kano to Niger Republic through Jigawa State.

Other places visited by Attah were the Kano State University of Technology, Wudil, the imposing 3-storey Murtala Muhammed Library Complex and several renovated secondary schools in Kano city.

Earlier, Obong Attah was in Kaduna State where he commended the State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi for establishing many chiefdoms in the state, a situation which he said would engender a sense of belonging in the people.

The visiting governor also thanked his host for maitaining peace in the state. Makarfi, in his response, assured his visitor of the safety of Akwa Ibom indigenes and gave the assurance that everything was being done to avert incidences of violence such as the ethnic and religious clashes which ravaged the state last year and resulted in the death of indigenes and non-indigenes, including Akwa Ibom indigenes.

The Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Mr. Stephen Shekari, while commenting on the mayhem, regretted that Kaduna State was used as a testing ground to achieve certain ends. Much to the amusement of the guests at a dinner held in honour of the visiting governor and his entourage, he stressed that Kaduna remains peaceful with the potential of making non-indigenes feel at home more than the indigenes. "Now, Kaduna is very peaceful. I want to assure everybody that we will do what we can to ensure enduring peace,"he emphasised.

In all, the symbolism of Obong Attah's visit to the North goes beyond the everyday exchange of courtesy calls. It is the hope that this handshake across ethnic and religious borders will cement the personal friendship between friends and colleagues and extend such to a lasting and enduring relationship bereft of suspicion and hatred. The parley between the South and the North deserve to be encouraged the same way Nigerians in foreign lands embrace and cohabit irrespective of ethnic and religious beliefs.

While conversing with reporters, the governor admitted that the visit also afforded him the opportunity to articulate the position of the Niger Delta particularly on resource control to his colleagues. He added that the visit also provided the opportunity to understand the need for the introduction and implementation of Sharia, the Islamic legal code.

On the importance of the trip, Obong Attah said, "Why not?I'm finding some useful answers. The visit also goes to strengthen North-South relations, which is good. There is a lot of friendship, harmony as well as ways to solve problems and that's also useful," he concluded.