By Emmanuel Uffot
Just when Akwa Ibom people are trying to put behind the rancour that’s greeted the remapping law which adjusted some boundaries of coastal communities in the state, another law recently passed and assented by the governor has reverberated another controversy.
This time, the fuse is about an amended version of the Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers Council Law.
The new amended Law CAP 155 laws of Akwa Ibom which was passed into law by the State House of Assembly on September 22, 2023 elevated the status of Oku Ibom Ibibio who is the President General and Chairman of Council of Chiefs to a permanent one term lifetime seat as against the hitherto existing policy where the stool rotates among the Paramount Rulers of the 31 local government areas of the state.
By the amendment the new law elevates the status of the President General of Council of Chiefs/ Oku Ibom Ibibio to be at par with first class Chiefs of other places like the Emirs in the Northern region, the Oni of Ife and Obas in South- West, the Obis in the South-East, Oba of Benin and Obong of Calabar.
According to the promoters of the amendment, it was targeted at making traditional rulers in Akwa Ibom State attain the credibility and integrity bestowed on other reverred traditional rulers earlier mentioned.
Surprisingly, instead this development exciting the traditional stool it has instead of ignited controversies and misgivings among some ethnic groups championed by the Paramount Rulers from those areas against this law.
At the front line of opposition to the amended laws are traditional rulers and elders from the Annang, Oro nation and Eastern Their bone of contention is why the rotational policy should be jettison to give dominion to Ibibio traditional rulers to lord over other major ethnic groups.
They said their opposition stem from the fact that the law, seeks to grant perpetual leadership of the Traditional Rulers Council to the Oku Ibom Ibibio, with disregard to the longstanding rotational provision among all Paramount Rulers.
Their position which was canvassed by a cross section of Annang youths argued thus ” The traditional system of governance in our state has thrived for generations due to emphasis on fairness, inclusiveness and Unity. The rotational provision which has been a cornerstone of our traditional rulership, ensures that all Communities and ethnic groups have equal opportunity to lead and contribute to the development and progress. The law threatens to undermine the delicate balance among different ethnic groups within our state. By bestowing perpetual leadership on the Oku Ibom Ibibio, it not only disregards the principles of inclusiveness but also perpetuates a form of hierarchical dominance that goes against the spirit of our diverse society”.
But the Ibibio elders reading the ethnic dimension those opposing the bill are going, have also risen in stout support of the law stressing it’s importance which those against it have turned blind eye to.
The elders and leaders of apex Ibibio Socio-Political Organisation Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio have expressed their support to the amended TRC law. They cautioned the ethnic groups opposing the law to refrain from Fanning ethnic sentiments over the issue which they believe is unnecessary.
Equally rising in support of the law is another Socio-Political group in Akwa Ibom State, ‘ Arise Ambassadors’. In a communigue signed by its National Chairman Rev. Richard Peters stressed that there was no need to smuggle ethnic undertones into the good intentioned of the law and those who prompted the amendment.
He reiterated the idea behind the law which is aimed at enabling the traditional rulers in the state to stand and be counted among the big leagues of traditional institutions in Nigeria.
The group noted that the common denominator among traditional institutions in Nigeria is that the king reigns for life, which they assert the TRC law has taken care of and urged the opposing groups sheath their drawn sword and see the idea of having a President – General of the Supreme Traditional Council as a bold attempt to compete favourably with other ethnic groups in Nigeria in the traditional institutions.
Rev Peters wondered why some persons were now rejecting the law after agreeing with all the provisions of the law during a meeting with the immediate past Governor Mr Udom Emmanuel last May before he left office.
In their signed statement they cautioned ” There appears to be a deliberate misrepresentation of the amended Traditional Rulers Council law by the 8th Assembly. The dangerous development, if not condemned, is susceptible to degenerating into distrust and stoking ethnic fire among the peaceful brothers and sisters in Akwa Ibom State.
Given the protest by youths and women from Annang, Oro nation and Eastern Obolo in particular who are majorly those aggrieved by the law which in their thinking has enthroned Ibibio dominance over them, Governor Umo Eno whom they allegedly fingered as the master minder of the law, has come out to defend himself as having nothing to do with the law and also far from being an ethnic champion who will support one ethnic group over another.
He used occasion of the thanksgiving service to commemorate the 36 anniversary of the state creation to state to absolving himself from blame. Noting without mincing words that all the Paramount Rulers were present at the meeting to arrive at the amendment and they did not utter any word of dissent. He wondered why they would now turn around to oppose the law when they had ample opportunity to do so when the amended law which is the product of his predecessor was presented to them.
Governor Eno ” The law that has just been passed by the House of Assembly is not my law. The Paramount Rulers of this State sat together, I was there at that meeting and I did not say anything. They agreed on what that law is. They themselves agreed. If any Paramount Ruler that was there, let the Paramount Ruler prove that he uttered a voice. The only Paramount Ruler that raised a voice and said something was the Paramount Ruler of Itu. No Paramount Ruler, whether from Ibibio, Annang or Oron, none of them said anything.
All I did was to implement their decision. You could not implement the law without going to the House of Assembly.
” If they feel that is no more their position, it is a simple thing. They are our fathers. It is to call the Governor and say, please what we did we did not understand. This is what we now think we should do. It has nothing to do with ethnicity. It has nothing to do with favouring one tribe over the other. I will never have sided one tribe over another. Any one who knows me knows that I am a Barracks boy. I grew up in the Barracks and in the Barracks there is no room for ethnicity”.
Present at that thanksgiving service were the Senate President and former Governor Godswill Akpabio and the traditional rulers.
Although the initial tension and perceived acrimony generated over the law has considerably relaxed, perhaps due to the explanation by the Governor, political watchers attribute it to the innert question of the fear of other tribes of an alleged Ibibio dominance which many also believe has not really come to play, the more reason for the existing unity among the tribes.
The contentious amended TRC law we gathered, was passed into law by the current 8th Assembly on September 22, 2023 after it scaled the second reading and was read the third time when it was presented at the plenary by Hon Mfon Idung, Chairman House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
While presenting the Bill, Idung whose Committee had worked on the Bill reportedly told the House that the provisions of the amended law would dignify and sustain the integrity of the traditional institutions in the state, while also placing heads of the traditional Institutions in equal rank with other reputable Chiefs in the country.
This we gathered was after due diligence was done to the bill, as it was fully deliberated and referred to the related House Committee for scrutiny.
Again findings revealed that before the bill was passed, a public hearing was held with all stakeholders from across 31 local government areas which included representatives of the Paramount Rulers, Socio-Political groups, trade unions and civil society groups among others.
Going by the the new amended TRC law, the current Oku Ibom Ibibio and President General of Akwa Ibom State Traditional Rulers Council His Eminence, Ntenyin (Dr) Solomon Etuk (CFR) has assumed the position of a first class Chief in Akwa Ibom for life as it is applicable among others in the country.
Before the new law, the position of President General and Chairman Council of Chiefs had a one year tenure, which was rotated among the 31 Paramount Rulers in the state.
Ntenyin (Dr) Etuk is also currently the Paramount Ruler of Nsit Ubium Local Government Area.
