DIABOLIC OATH TAKING IN GRASSROOTS POLITICS: THE UDUNG-UKO EXPERIENCE

Diabolic Oath Taking or Olughu which has eaten deep into the fabrics of our grassroots politics is for the avoidance of public disapproval christened "Understanding", and can therefore be used synonymously.

This practice which make cold the vibrancy of grassroots politicking is seen too as an height of skulduggery against the people. To make clearer the point, it is imperative therefore that we acquaint ourselves with the meaning of certain terminologies used and except otherwise stated, the meaning of these words shall be drawn from the International Student's Edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. These terms inter alia include:

1. Diabolic: Morally bad and evil; like the devil.

2. Oath: A formal promise to do something or a formal statement that something is true.

3. Olughu: A deity or a god of the traditional Oro Society. Olughu or Mbiam as it is called by our Ibibios and Annangs neighbours serves the traditional Oro Society as an essential agent in the maintenance of law, order and social control.

4. Understanding: A sang used by politicians to mean Diabolic Oath Taking or Olughu and which is gradually coming to stay in our grassroots politics, (this and 3 above, my working definition).

From the foregoing, Diabolic Oath Taking can be reasoned to mean an agreement between two parties (a godfather, godmother, Kleptocrats or a Cabal and the Godson), usually before a deity. During such agreement which is usually superintended by the High Priest (Oku- Olughu), the deity is usually consulted through incantation and libation.

Put differently, it is "...a distortion of value in politics to the extent that it transfers allegiance from the system to an individual who for raw ambition or depravity, decides to take the place of God in the life of the oath takers. It is a sign of degeneracy that oaths are taken, whether for loyalty and/ or pecuniary gain in our politics. It presupposes the harboring of an act that is not for public good, as no politician with altruistic purpose and/ or service driven will subject fellow citizens to oath taking rituals; the ultimate aim is to short-change the public by privatizing public affairs through a fetish cage"---Odumakin.
The above being the case, the implementations of sound policies enunciated to better the lots of the people are often subjected to the whims and caprices of the godfather, godmother, Kleptocrats and a certain Cabal who from outside, controls the wheels of government.

With this kind of an unwholesome arrangement, development is usually suffocated and relegated to the background.

In Udung-Uko Local Government Area where the above stated is an aged-long practice, there is no gainsaying the fact that "Understanding" undermines development and results in the failure of government to impact positively on the lives of the governed. And about 21 years after creation, Udung-Uko is is still backward and retrogressive developmentally. Little wonder that "... from the data base, Udung-Uko Local Government Area was created 21 years ago, her developmental engineering cannot be compared with her sister local governments created the same year.

It may interest you to know that for the past two hundred and fifty two months of creation, Udung-Uko Local Government Area has received the sum of FIVE BILLION, NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLION, THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND NAIRA and yet Udung-Uko is still underdeveloped...", being an extract of the address presented by Hon. Okon Edet Iyahakwa (JP), President- Association of Former Elected Councillors (AFECO), Oron-Nation, on the occasion of the opinion poll organized by AFECO, Udung-Uko Chapter at the Villa Sacramento Hotel, Eyokponung on 21st August, 2017.

Pointedly, the fact that we received so much and develop less is in itself a barefaced corruption without any qualms of conscience by our past Leaders, godfathers, godmothers, the Kleptocrats and the Cabal against the people. Also, such leadership characterized with a brazen siphoning off the public fund/resources to the advantage of the past Leaders, godmother, the Kleptocrats and the Cabal is to say the least a cog in the wheel of progress.

And as we have seen, development is far from Udung-Uko L.G.A., poverty is ravaging and the people short-changed, while, the bank account of our past Leaders, godfathers, godmothers, the Kleptocrats and the Cabals are witnessing an uncommon development. They take undue advantage of the people who are politically naive to amass wealth for themselves, own choiced properties within and outside Oro-Nation and move around with fleets of cars, while, the real owners of these resources, the very people of Udung-Uko are languishing in penury.
In view of the above, what is the way forward towards entrenching decency and probity in our grassroots politics?
I hereby submit as follows. That:

1. We must say "No" to the politics of Neo-patrimonialism and Kleptocracy if Udung-Uko must witness good governance and development.

2. We must carry our collective destinies in our own hands. As a people, we must in unison rise to the occasion and say "No" to the politics of Olughu aka Understanding, godfatherism, godmotherism, and the Cabal.

3. The State Leadership of the two notable political parties in the area (APC and PDP), should as a matter of urgent importance rise to the occasion and rescue Udung-Uko people from this political quagmire and much more from the grips of godfatherism, godmotherism and the Cabals who are bent on perennially sucking dry the funds/resources of the area to the detriment of development.

4. Ahead of the rescheduled local government polls, any Chairmanship Aspirant who is strongly suspected to be the anointed of a godfather, godmother and the Cabal should not be allowed to fly the parties flag. My reason is simply because should such a person eventually emerged, his loyalty and allegiance to his godfathers and godmothers will reduce the vibrancy of governance.

By implication, funds accrued to the Local Government for public projects and programmes will be used to build their empires.

5. We must say "No" to the old brigades of self seeking politicians who are bereft of ideas on how to grow the economy.

6. As a people, we must say "No" to expired politicians, those with no policy thrust who aims at nothing more than to share allocations.

My good people of Udung-Uko L.G.A., now is the time to grow our economy, create jobs through Government/Private Sector Partnership and to improve the internally generated revenue (IGR) of government.

I for the umpteenth time, enjoin us all to rise against the "POLITICS OF OLUGHU" in our local domain.

God bless you all!
Bassey-Babros Eduno
Writes from Udung-Uko.