Prof Dominic Akpan And Flipside Of The Truth

By UbongAbasi Ise 

Nigeria is, indeed, a troubled nation. Bizarre media headlines on killings, terrorism, fraud and mindless plundering of common resources are no longer received with shocks. They have become ungodly norms, losing all the steam and newsworthiness. Gone are the days when a single report on a criminality would send the populace talking for months on end. It is not like that anymore. Nigerians could now overcome shock instantly and brace up for another round of the unexpected. Crimes and malpractices are normal items expected in the media’s daily menu list. There is absolute slide to nihilism, and the leaders appear not to have felt any shame for having their faces emblazoned as representatives of ugly, dingy kind of governance.

What is even worse is the silent pretension of most of the enlightened elites who fail to call to order strayed political officials; they are unable to represent the voice of the voiceless majority. Although there are some outspoken elites, what is unfortunate is that a number of them have either sacrificed themselves or got sacrificed on the altar of partisan politics. More pathetic is the fact that few individual voices that used to be heard crying for justice have now become either hoary or deadened. This makes our world desperately in need of fresh, fierce non-partisan opposition voice that could speak in defense of the truth and justice, especially, in times like this when perception of governance is subjected to individual’s self-serving interest and ethnic arrogance. When this writer recently had conversation with Prof. Dominic Akpan of the Department of History and International Studies, University of Uyo, it was clear that there are still individuals that could speak fire and stand for the truth no matter whose ox is gored. Observing the manner Prof.Akpan was speaking his mind, there was a decoded message that he could become one of the emerging intellectual voices that would rise up and speak against the pretensions and overall maladies weakening the social fabrics today. He may choose not to toe such line, depending on priorities.

                Dominic Akpan is  a professor of economic history and security studies and his interest is also found in environmental, gender and conflicts studies. He has over 125 publications within and outside the country.  Being a young professor, he still has verve and vivacity to write more. He is forceful when it comes to teaching. I remember when he taught me Armament and Disarmament back then in University of Uyo,  the whole of  international security system and strategies were seen through his eyes. This is one lecturer that would make his lessons very vivid, just like the way he wouldn't be economical with the truth; he speaks it the way it is.

Prof. Dominic Akpan's outburst did not spare both the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Akwa Ibom State Government during our interaction. Looking at the squalls of terrosim in the country today as perpetrated by Shekau-led Boko Haram  as well as  Boko Haram-ISWAP led by Al-Barnawi, including Ansaru insurgents, Northwest bandits, and  the killers herdsmen in the North Central, it becomes apparent that if  Prof. Akpan sees President Muhammadu Buhari face-to-face, he would ask him to resign. But since it is unlikely that the two would cross path anytime soon, the university don asked the media to tell President Buhari to resign forthwith. According to him, "About seven years ago, Buhari was criticizing Jonathan that the country was not stable asking him to resign. I am asking Buhari now to resign because the centripetal forces of this nation could no longer hold. Let him resign and go. Since he took over power in Nigeria, we have seen more deaths than even in the civil war period."

Akpan believes the internal problem of Nigeria is all about space which anchors on human security. He sees human security as driving other aspect of securities.  As a scholar whose political philosophy is a blend of humanism and egalitarianism, Akpan believes many problems of Nigeria could be solved if government adopts  humanistic approach. In his words,  "life is all about putting in your energy as much as possible to sustain humanity in whichever way you find yourself." If the federal government put humans first, it means there is no way its effort wouldn't be at best in ridding the country of all forms of insecurity. Prof. Dominic Akpan, who also favours egalitarian way of politics but admitted that no society has ever attained that prime of egalitarianism where everyone is equal and  share everything in common, maintained that each group in Nigeria has rights for self-determinism  as enshrined in the United Nations’ charter. Stemmed from this backdrop, Akpan suggested loose federalism as best for Nigeria based on stark reality. He said: "All these small states we find today in Nigeria were independent states that were brought together by the marriage of inconvenience by colonial masters. So each was an independent state, though they shared things in common. Therefore that independent nature should be maintained so that we come under one umbrella called federalism, and that federalism should be a loose one as was enunciated in the defunct Soviet Union."

My discussion with Prof. Dominic Akpan was later shifted to prevailing situations in Akwa Ibom State. Trust him, he wouldn't mince words in expressing his dissatisfactions. He said Akwa Ibom doesn't look like an oil producing state because oil bearing areas are always seen with marked difference. Speaking further, he said, "We shouldn’t have people begging for jobs in this state. The money that comes into this state is enormous. If a state like Nasarawa could put things in place; put up a good university and the rest of the things, what should Akwa Ibom not have?

The truth is always one. But like a coin, truth has a flipside. It is true that Udom Emmanuel-led administration establishes industries, and it is also true that those industries employ Akwa Ibomites. Prof. Dominic Akpan acknowledged these particulars of truth about the situation of industrialization in the state but he decided to look beyond its obverse.  The no-nonsense university don spoke with concern: “There’s so much talk about investment and industries in Akwa Ibom state. No new industry built by Udom takes up to 100 persons.” Of course if less than 20 industries the state government boasts of could not employ up to 100 people each, it therefore means that Akwa Ibom industries altogether have failed to absorb at least 2,000 unemployed graduates from the pool of unemployed hundreds of thousands. That is why Prof. Akpan lamented about the vast number of youths that have no option than to throng commercial transport sector to create themselves jobs. “Today, according to The Prof, “We have more taxi and keke in our streets than the people who want to board them. This is because most Akwa Ibom young men that are coming out from tertiary institutions who don’t have something else to do, and wouldn’t want to join arm robbery, kidnapping, or become PA to PA, now join keke and taxi driving. We have so many of them now on the roads."

                Government programmes and projects are traditionally known to be set up or proposed based on utilitarian considerations. This simply means that if not all, the majority of the people would be the beneficiaries of a programme or project. If less than 2,000 people are employed through much-touted agenda of industrialization, then it probably was not meant in the first place to create job for the hundreds of thousands of the unemployed graduates. If Udom’s industrialization agenda was a strategy for job creation but fail to achieve such purpose, and also fail to  flood our markets with the products from  these industries, then the state should prepare to count losses when Mr. Udom Emmanuel leaves office in 2023.

There is a major sense in Prof. Akpan's humanist-egalitarian doctrine. Ideas should be borrowed from this thought in an attempt to tackle the problems of insecurity, unemployment and space struggles. Humans should be dignified and place far above all interests. When humans are secured and have job responsibility, the society experience relative peace. The wellness of humans is the wellness of the entire nation. No two ways about it. 

Yes! I am UbongAbasi Ise. For comment, send SMS to 08189914609 | email: ubongabasiise@gmail.com

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