Uwem Akpan’s Book: University Don Calls For Ceasefire
By UbongAbasi Ise
Regarding the controversies surrounding Dr. Uwem Akpan’s rebuttal to the claim of Ikono as the cradle of Ibibio nation, Dr. Philip Afaha, an Associate Professor of Intergroup Relations and Head of Department of History and Diplomatic Studies, University of Abuja, has called for cessation of media attacks and insults, urging other researchers to equally review Akpan’s work.
While delivering keynote address on Monday during the launching of the book entitled, Ikono The Cradle of Ibibio Nation: A Refutation, written by Dr. Uwem Akpan, a lecturer in the Department of History and International Studies in the University of Uyo, Dr. Afaha confessed he was troubled at the offer by the author to be a guest speaker, owing to possibility of being caught up in a controversy that dominated the social media.
He said academics must accept criticism as an important aspect of scholarship, while urging them to take the conversation beyond Dr. Uwem Akpan and the authors whose book he was refuting as continuous intellectual conversations will bring Ibibio history closer to the people.
“We must accept criticism as a cardinal ingredient of scholarship. While criticizing we must do so with studied decorum as scholars. I do not want the conversation on Ibibio to stop with Uwem Akpan or the authors he is refuting. No historical research can claim finality. Perfection is an elixir as knowledge processing is a constantly expanding exercise. Instead of hurling insults and sarcasms in the social media, I encourage other researchers to equally review Uwem Akpan’s work and dig even deeper into the recesses of Ibibio history. It is my belief that continuous intellectual conversations as this will bring Ibibio history closer to the people,” he said.
While lauding the authors on both sides for contributing materials to Ibibio history, Dr. Philip Afaha bemoaned the risks of having to be an intellectual in a country like Nigeria.
“I want to express my respect to every writer who has taken pains to contribute to Ibibio historiography. In this regard, I salute Uwem Akpan and the authors of the book he is refuting for adding to the Ibibio historiography. It is not easy to process history in an anti-intellectual country like Nigeria. In this clime one risks being hated and could even be penalized for knowing too much. Nowadays, intellectuals must feign ignorance in order to fit in,” he stressed.
The university don said to argue that there was a cradle or place and an exact time for the “emanation” of the entire Ibibio, be it Usakedet, Arochukwu, Ikono or Ikono Uyo, amounts to missing point as these locations were some of the possible stopovers by different Ibibio groups who roamed the entire area of the lower Cross river region at different times.
Also speaking, Engr. Bassey Nsentip, Controller of Works in the Federal Ministry of Works, Calabar, who chaired the occasion of book presentation, supported the position of Uwem Akpan as he said writers from the colonial days to date have proven that Ikono Ibom clan in Uyo local government area is the parent community of all Ikono people and by extension the Ibibio nation.
He further warned that intellectual dishonesty diminishes the dignity of the people advising that unfounded claims should never be written down as history.
“Intellectual dishonesty and rascality diminishes the dignity of a people. We should never encourage such in Ibibio land. Half-truths and lies should never be written down as history,” he said.
As it would be recalled, Dr. David Ukpong, Dr. Martin Akpan and Nnamso Akang came under the banner of Ikono-Ini Research and Documentation Committee, IRDC, which was sponsored by Mboho Ndito Ikono NdoIni to reconstruct Ikono/Ini history. In 2001, they finished their assignment and came out with the book titled, Ikono, The Cradle Of Ibibio Nation (Historical Origin and Cultural Heritage). Their work positioned Ikono Ibom Atai as 'ntippe' or 'cradle' of Ibibio nation, a claim that provoked heavy criticisms from Dr. UwemA kpan.
In the build up to the book presentation, _The Sensor_ had reported that the author of the refutation received a threatening SMS from Dr. David Ukpong, one of the IRDC authors. The text warned Akpan to halt the circulation ofhis book, Ikono The Cradle Of Ibibio Nation: A Refutation, a situation that sparked media upheaval.
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