By Meshack Idehen, Washington DC.
It will be needless to re-echo most of the allegations against Nigeria’s Senate President, Mr. Godswill Akpabio that I have seen and read in the past weeks and months, but as one that has practiced journalism at its highest levels in Africa’s largest democracy, Nigeria, and now doing same in the world largest and most deepened democracy in the United States of America, it comes mostly as absurd, all the narratives and negative media reports that always seem to hover around and about the senate president, a political heavyweight from Nigeria’s southern oil rich producing state of Akwa- Ibom.
Here in the U.S, the ways of Congress are remarkably different from how the national assembly as Congress is called in Nigeria does legislative business, but that is not the focus of this piece which seeks to clarify and put in context the allegations and media venom against Mr. Akpabio, and interrogate whether the negative press attention the Nigerian senate president keeps getting is justified or not.
As a former two term governor of one of the richest and most influential states in Nigeria, it is understandable that local and international attention will always be on the personal and political activities of Mr. Akpabio who himself has through the years developed a political skin tough enough to beat off these attacks. However, it is important for the sake of posterity and records particularly in these day and age when the information highway is at its busiest, to question these attacks and their veracities so it does not turn out to be that Mr. Akpabio is only a victim of organized media mafia and racketeers aiming to derail democracy in Nigeria.
Human Rights Activist and President General of United Kingdom based Global Peace Movement International, Dr Mike Uyi, told Now Africa Media when asked about the leadership style of Nigeria’s senate president that it is the dynamism and widespread acceptance of the popular leadership style and pro-democratic policies of Senator Godswill Akpabio that has sent those he described as the “enemies of Democracy” scampering from pillar to post.
“These enemies of Nigeria and of democracy are busy forming media groups to distort and discredit the various speeches the senate president has made at various forums using artificial intelligence as a way of replicating words he never said and leaving or editing out the positive things he said and is doing for the national interest of Nigeria. A clear example is the return of the International Parliamentary Union to Nigeria after 56 years of Nigeria not being a member of that global legislative body which not a single media organization or political group mentioned or celebrated”.”
The human rights activist went on to defend the Nigeria senate president against one of the most controversial statements said to have been made at the same time Nigerians were protesting against some of the policies of the federal government during the end bad governance protest in Nigeria last month.
Condemning the endless attempts to malign the Nigerian senate president in the media and political space, Dr. Uyi asserted that such actions detracted from the legitimate concerns of the genuine pro-democracy and improved governance agitators, pointing out that it was crucial for Nigerians to focus on substantive issues rather than engaging in political mudslinging and misinformation.
In the course of doing this report, I was able to discover that it was under the leadership Mr. Akpabio as governor that Akwa Ibom witnessed remarkable infrastructural development, improved healthcare services and educational growth, poverty alleviation and human capital development as he transformed the lives of many vulnerable persons
Turns out that while most Nigerian leaders are like chameleon that takes colour from their environment or shrugs their shoulders instead of lending a helping hand, Senator Akpabio has always displayed the attitude of a thermostat that determines the environment instead of allowing the environment to control him. He is known for his transformative governance, grassroots connection, and resilience in the face of challenges and stands as a political prodigy whose journey has left an indelible mark on the Nigerian political landscape.
While the allegations against the senate president as it turns out are not exactly correct, and many of the words attributed to him or his office taken of and out of context, Senator Akpabio has continued to serve Nigeria diligently in the Senate, and as the senate president, displayed exemplary leadership, fostered unity and promoted the interest of many Nigerians, he is committed to the principle of democracy, accountability and good governance,” she explained.
Meshack IDEHEN, Chief Executive Officer of Media Links and Development Ventures, Publisher of meshacksdaily.com, www.Nowafricamedia.com, www.tmi.ng, www, and www. HollyNollyTech.com. IDEHEN is the National Coordinator of Media Against Impunity Nigeria (MAIN NGR), an online platform committed to the greater good of Nigeria.
