Obubra/Etung Fed Constituency: How Long Will You Mourn Over Saul?

In the past few weeks, I’ve been inundated with calls from Political Leaders in Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency, across Political divides, following my assessment of Mike Etaba’s abysmal and grasping 10 years in office.

In the course of these conversations, there is always a convergence in the fact that the people are tired of the kind of representation they are getting. Also, during this conversation, I had had cause to rhetorically ask these Leaders how long they intend to mourn over Saul?–Apparently making a figurative allusion to the Bible, 1 Samuel 16:1, “And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long will thou mourn over Saul, seeing he has been rejected from reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with Oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided a leader (King) among his sons”

While there are many issues bedeviling and beleaguering us in Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency, I am particularly concerned that we are not making enough effort to change the narratives. Our silence in things that matter most has continued to place us in a disadvantaged position – thanks to a few leaders who are actually questioning the narratives.

How do one explain the fact that we have a National Assembly member who is ultimately the highest ranking member under APC in Cross River State, yet we do not have a direction on national issues? For instance, while others are making a case for/against the creation of Ogoja State, our own MP is stylistically sitting on the fence. Unlike his counterpart in Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency, Alex Egbona, who after consultation with the stakeholders of his constituency, emphatically declared that ABI/Yakurr Federal Constituency shall not be part of the proposed Ogoja State.

In Obubra, our MP is more concerned with sneaking in and out of Calabar to attend solemn assemblies, birthdays, picnics, house-warming parties, child naming ceremonies etc, organized by those within the corridors of power, with the hope of getting a fourth term ticket, while ignoring his primary constituency. Just maybe, one day, we will gladly talk about his antics and pretentious penchance for genuflecting before every serving First Lady of the State, from donating to Her Excellency, Obioma Imoke’s Foundation – that earned him his first term ticket, to partnering with Her Excellency, Linda Ayade’s CROWEI and now has decided to move over to Her Excellency, Eyoanwan Otu’s HUWIB foundation, where he partnered with her to donate exercise books in selected schools in Obubra. All of these, geared towards securing a fourth term ticket.

Due to this negligence, the people of Obubra are already facing marginalization in the proposed Ogoja State, as proper consultation was not carried out by the initiators while carving out proposed Local Government Areas for the proposed Ogoja State. Thanks to the Obubra delegation led by F. Oyom and Owa Owa, who made a persuasive case for the people of Obubra during the House of Reps Public Hearing in Calabar.

In Onyadama, while the people are faced with environmental pollution and degradation, Mike Etaba would rather, reportedly, surreptitiously empower his supporters to donate few bags of water and exercise books as remediation for the environmental pollution. Ironically, he sits as the Chairman House of Reps. Committee on Environment. Rather than visit home to carry out a thorough on-the-spot assessment of the challenges faced by the Onyadama People, both as their representative and Chairman Committee on Environment, he would prefer to sit in a cozy office in Abuja and wait for the perpetrators to appear before his Committee, as a way of saving face.

But then, let me reiterate that, it is not enough for our people to mourn over “Saul”, we must, as a people rise up, fill our horns and present better alternatives for the electorate to choose from in 2027, and that begins now.

We cannot continue to do the same thing every time and expect a different result. While it is politically correct to hobnob with those within the corridors of power in the state, it smacks of deceptive arrogance for a leader to continually neglect those that voted him into power, simply because he believes he can secure his fourth term ticket by throwing few millions around and attending every event organized by the men in power in Calabar.

It is time to fill our horns and stop mourning over Saul.

The views expressed are entirely the author’s.