“The most serious failure of leadership is the failure to foresee”
—Robert K. Greenleaf
By Cosmas Omegoh
Nigeria’s President of the Senate, Godswill Obot Akpabio, always gets the full marks for popularising the word “uncommon,” and by giving it a pride of place in Nigeria’s political lexicon. No one can contest that with the big man with the gavel.
For the uniformed, “uncommon” now strongly attached to Akpabio’s name was used to beatify his stewardship as governor of Akwa Ibom State.
Akpabio is a man whose eight-year reign witnessed infrastructural transformation and quantum leap in overall developmental index of Akwa Ibom State.
Everybody saluted his stellar feat in providing legacy projects such as roads, schools, and hospitals, among others in the state.
Depending on the side of the divide one falls, the people of Akwa Ibom acclaimed that they never had it so good until Akpabio appeared on their firmament.
Based on his observed performance, someone in bed with the nuance christened him “Uncommon Governor, ” an appellation handed down to him as a fitting accolade. And for long, Akpabio has lived to love uncommon feelings, craving for it the way butterflies seek nectar.
In overall, one can point at Akpabio’s other uncommon accomplishments.
For instance, here is a man who left Akwa Ibom State much better than he met it. He later bulldozed his way to the Senate on the platform of his former party, PDP, and became a minority leader. Not long after, he made a shock switch to the APC. In his new party, his “sins” were forgiven him; he was made a brand new man. Then in a short while, he was appointed Minister of Niger Delta. He later turned around, again contested for the Senate seat and won. Today, he sits atop the Senate. Any doubt then why his rise and rise is uncommon?
For long, Akpabio’s friends and foes have learnt to massage his burgeoning ego with this “uncommon” tool. Any doubt then why an acclamation of Akpabio without the uncommon appellation does not fit. Call it his unique selling point any day.
But not long after Akpabio mounted the saddle as the Senate President of the 10th Assembly, and as the 15th Nigeria’ Senate President, something appeared to have changed. His uncommon disposition has taken a direct hit. And now, it is no longer what it used to be. It has taken a whole new life in the life of the nation’s Number 3 man – truth many of his horde of admirers may not muster the courage to tell him.
Nowadays, in and out of the “hallowed” chambers of the Senate, many followers of Senator Akpabio will tell you there is no let up in the uncommon things he says and does.
It is against this backdrop that those who want the best for Akpabio keep expressing worry over the conduct of the Senate’s helmsman, emphasising that the content of the man’s offerings is not running in tandem with the exalted office he currently occupies. Such, they say, fall miles off the acceptable norm.
And worse still, the man appears not to notice it. Or he ignores critics who have continued to flay his gaffes.
Now, here are just a few of such his recent missteps.
Akpabio got off blocks with his: “In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the Senate President has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.”
Not many at that time were amused one bit with that uncommon comment he made on the floor of the Senate. If you consider that fair, what would you say on realising that it was only a modification of his message to his colleagues that the Senate was sending them tons of cash to help them enjoy their holidays? Remember that came at a time Nigerians were beginning to feel the pangs of the current downturn in the economy and can hardly breathe.
Days after Nigerians stopped frowning at the comment, Akpabio was at it again with the “let the poor breathe,” a joke at plenary while the Senate bickered over electricity subsidy removal.
It was a slip that many who listened to him interpreted as a mockery of the poor, which he has continued to extricate himself from.
Then at the recent funeral of the late Dr Herbert Wigwe, his wife and son in Isiokpo, Rivers State, Akpabio again cast himself on the spotlight.
His response to Rivers State governor, Siminalayo Fubura’s statement on the occasion many say was in bad taste. It has continued to illicit outrage from everyone who listened to him.
On the occasion, Fubura in his speech questioned the essence of power and struggle, saying: “What is this struggle all about? You want to kill, you want to bury, what is it all about? Is it not enough today to ask ourselves why are we struggling?”
Senator Akpabio, a lawyer, sensing innuendo in the statement, spang on his feet, and fired back: “I will answer you. We are not talking politics.
“In 2006, I wanted to become the deputy governor and the then deputy governor invited me and said, ‘this office has no money’; there is nothing in it. I don’t know why you still insist on removing me from here and taking over.
“Then you will ask yourself, just like Governor Fubara said, what is the struggle all about?
“Your Excellency, Governor Fubara, if there is nothing in the struggle, don’t struggle!”
Those who followed the exchange felt it was uncalled for. They reasoned that the setting at Isiokpo was only sober and sombre rather than an active ground for dirty politics and politicking. What was there for Akpabio to die for, they asked.
Then last Tuesday’s reaction by Akpabio to the killing of 16 soldiers at Okuama community in Delta State, is considered as his recent gaffe. Some people believed it was not the best to have come from a man whose words ought to carry a lot of weight benefiting of his exalted office.
Listen to him: “I don’t want to conclude that these people are from Niger Delta, because we respect men and women in uniform. That is why I am saying that your additional prayer should be to carry out a thorough investigation to know whether they were mercenaries outside Nigeria, who came in to commit this crime because I don’t think these people are from Niger Delta.”
Already, Akpabio’s mortal critics are making a meal of his submission, concluding that it was rash and hurried.
They point out that based on his exalted position, he ought to have waited for the results of investigations to come out before going on what they think was a wild goose chase.
Based on the foregoing and more, many are not happy with the mental preparedness of the Senate President to manage the highest legislative office in the land. Some say he doesn’t know when to joke, while some others aver that he doesn’t understand the serious nature of his office.
Out there, there is this belief that Akpabio was a bye-product of executive meddlesomeness in legislative affairs with some believing that if the executive had allowed the legislature to freely elect its officers, the Senators would have known who among them were fit for certain positions.
In many’s conclusion, Akpabio is taking the Senate to a new low. Those holding this view recall with regret those days when Nigeria had a Senate full of verve and vitality with the likes of the late Chuba Okadigbo, David Mark, and Bukola Saraki, among others, holding sway.
Therefore, they are urging Akpabio to raise the stakes to be taken seriously while his loyalists believe that he is on top of his game.