RT. HON. ESEME EYIBOH, A DEUX EX MACHINA TO HUMANITARIAN SERVICES: AN ENCOMIUM ON THE MAN OF IDEAS

RT. HON. ESEME EYIBOH, A DEUX EX MACHINA TO HUMANITARIAN SERVICES: AN ENCOMIUM ON THE MAN OF IDEAS

By ~ Meti M. ukpeh, Esq.

INTRODUCTION

In a world plagued with greed, discontentment, grudge, and selfishness, deposited in every heart that is polluted by them, a philanthropist, generous, and humanitarian become unceremoniously scarce, a hard-to-find and evidently in want as men of this great magnitude tend not to live in our immediate society. Nonetheless, where one with a generous heart is found, well-cultured, mature-minded and appreciative people do not hesitate to pour unreserved encomiums on them. It is verily heart-warming, smile-instigating, to say the least, that Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, the former House of Representatives member, and current APC-ticket holder for Eket, Onna, Ibeno and Esit-Eket, is one of the very few beings that grace the soil of time.

MY  ENCOUNTER WITH RT. HON. ESEME EYIBOH:

The mind-eye:

Like Wiss Auguste, in the Illusion of Hope, Eseme’s eloquence equals his elegance.

A man nicknamed as “The Man of Ideas”

In soothe, there is no harm done punctuating the cause of time to tickle good memories that cannot fade; verily, Akwa Ibom is enriched with sons and daughters who are uncommon in influence, strategic in mind power and intellectual in contents. In 2018, a deux ex machine, a fate neophyte in Rt. Hon Eseme Eyiboh emerged from the dark strokes of uncertainties in my life—when a perceived hope, aspiration, ambition and destiny were near-perennially dashed to the walls.

On that fateful morning of Thursday, September, 2018, I received a call from a colleague of mine intimating me of an invite by the Dean of Faculty of Law, University of Uyo, Professor, Imoh J. Udofa, to his office. I inquired from the colleague of the nature or purpose of the invite which he, himself, did not know. With a conglomerate of thoughts running through my spine, I hesitatingly defeated my worries as I heaved and haggardly plunged to the school and met my Faculty Dean.  In his words, the learned and revered Professor of Law, said: 

“Mr. Ukpeh, I noticed that you have not registered for Nigerian Law School even as I noticed that you have no academic issues. Well, there is a friend of the faculty and a lover of intellectuality who came to the faculty to see how he could help some indigent students further their studies through a scholarship programme. His name is Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh. He is from Esit-Eket LGA, Aks. Over the years, he has been sponsoring so many students on scholarship. He is a philanthropist. He has sponsored so many less-privileged too to learn one vocational skill or the other. So, you see, I mentioned your case to him and he quickly took interest in you. I will fix an appointment with him so you could meet him in person.”

I was stocked, dumfounded and evidently became a molten rock as I could neither move nor shift—I was enmeshed in astonishment, happiness and spiritedly elated. I thanked my Faculty Dean, the learned Professor, a million times as I bolted out of his office so fulfilled, hence walking majestically as if I was on top of the world. I could comfortably figure out the fatherly happiness running through the cheeks of my Dean as he could not help but to smile in satisfaction. On that eventful day, I finally met with Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh for the very first time in my life. In his company of associates, I met him—my thoughts ran: 

“It must be this white gray haired man. I have only heard, read and seen him on media, particularly radio and print-media, but never met him. His white hair looks more of a pre-destined aesthetics to suit his handsomeness than a product of advancement in age. His white hair fits more with his light skin complexion and a perfect match for his choice of dressing. He is witted, well-lettered and apparently intelligent”. 

Indeed, he was down-to-earth as he chit-chatted with me and we broke words to the fullest. Just when the registration for Law School was about to close, indeed, it was the scholarship of the Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh that became a succor, a hope-at-last, as I eventually registered for law school and admitted to the Augustine Nnamani Campus of Nigerian Law School, Enugu in 2018. Eventually, I was enrolled on the scholarship Programme of the Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh with so many benefits not limited to the following: Monthly stipends, wardrobe allowances, finances, travelling allowances, accommodation allowances, London wig and gown, amongst other law materials. Indeed, I became a lawyer because of that scholarship. I am who I am today all because of the Man of Ideas. Verily, the only harvest without season is the harvest of goodness planted in the lives of the needy. In soothe, our society needs more of these planters.

HOW RT. HON. ESEME EYIBOH BECAME MY IDOL

The mind-eye:

Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh is a man, who like William Hazlit would say, talks for ever; and you wish he would talk for ever. 

It is indeed a truism when the legendary philosopher, Protagoras said, thus: 

“Of the things that they are, they are; and of the things that they aren’t, they aren’t , the measure is man”

Put differently, man is the measure of all things. Aristotle in one of his dialectics opined thus:

 “the summum bonum of man is happiness” 

–meaning, the greatest goal of man is happiness.

Consequently, my measure for the true worth of a man is a man that can put that smile on the faces of many; a people-oriented man that feels the pulse of the society, a gap to fill, a lacuna to replenish and a loophole to refill. That is my measure of a man and Hon. Eseme Eyiboh became that man for many.

Well, our people say that goodness runs through the DNA. May I chronicle a spectrum of humanitarian services of the revered Man of Ideas. Comfortably, I find solace and succor in the immutable words of George Santayana who said thus:

 “He who refuses to recall history is bound to break another history”. 

Apparently, I am not surprised since goodness and humanitarianism run through the veins of the Man of Ideas, Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh. I was never a fan of Hon Eseme Eyiboh’s fan as I knew a little about him but I loved history, and he remains my nexus between my yesterday and tomorrow. I first learnt of him In 2007, as a first timer, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh was elected the Chairman of the Committee on Media/Public Affairs and Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, three months after his inauguration, and this stride was a masterstroke which made me heaved a sigh of relief that, behold, there is emerging rebirth in Eket Federal Constituency. Again, in these strides, I saw awesome guts in the “handsome man”. I envisioned in the horizon the hills of opportunities and possibilities for Akwa Ibomites. In the Hon. Eseme Eyiboh’s unequal domination of political space in legislative affairs, his expertise in agenda setting, reputation management, his elocution and public communication eloquence, was evidencty stunning, no wonder he was elected DEAN of the INITIATIVE (a college of cerebral members to function as a formal parliamentary lobby group).

Back home, Eyiboh has always made known his belief that, for good governance to exist and thrive, in both theory and practice, citizens must be empowered economically, socially and politically to participate in meaningful ways in the decision-making processes with a view to improving their lives and achieving common goals. Thus, he ensured this ideal took root in his time by reaching out and impacting on grass roots development of his immediate constituency, Akwa Ibom State.

Indeed, history beckoned on the Rt. Hon with right hand as he, beyond the skill acquisition, sponsored seven cadet trainees in Maritime Engineering and Nautical Science in Maritime Academy. The sponsorship was 100% (inclusive of accommodation, tuition, feeding, books, uniform, out of- pocket allowances and training/examination fees. With life touching initiatives, 31  Akwa Ibom youths in pursuit of his Youths Skills Acquisition Support Initiative, via the Community Welfare and retooling Programme undertook a 12 month training on Welding/Fabrication and Instrumentation in the Maritime Academy Oron-- A programme that runs into millions of Naira to accomplish. All of which are without bond.

The Man of Ideas also engaged volunteers from Canada, US, Botswana and South Africa through teachers without borders in a Training the Trainers Scheme on mind power development and character education, and 10 teachers and 4 others from tertiary institutions participated in the training at NYSC Permanent Camp, Keffi-Nassarawa State. This was funded completely by the law maker.

In furtherance of his human capacity building as the elementary catalyst for sustainable development, 21 youths were trained in Integrated Agricultural Programmes (Piggery,Fisheries and Poultry Farming) at Shonghai Farms-Amokpe in Sapele. Through the National Budget, The Man of Ideas attracted 9 Solar powered motorized borehole with reticulation at Ikot Obong Ishiet, Awa, Ikot Udo, Oniong West, Ikot Ntan Ide-(Onna), Uquo, Akpautong(Esit Eket), and Ikot Obio Anana, Okon, Odio, Ikot Afaha and Esit Urua, all in Eket Council area; a modern library at Ibeno. He intervened in Sports development by sponsoring the training of three coaches, Ernest Danison(Onna), Usen Ebuk(Eket and Effiong Ibok(Ibeno) to earn their professional badges at the Nigeria institute of Sports; Matthew Etim (Rangers FC); Godwin Mensa(Spain);Nsisong Udokop (Belgium) are plying their professional skill at Hon. Eyiboh’s instance.

I would lay my pen to rest. Indeed, the memorable works of a noble man had awoken me from my dogmatic slumber. We need more men like the Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh. No two ways about it. No shortcuts! No sycophancy! No sweet-coated words! But only an unreserved encomium poured on a deserved man, a perfect replica and epitome of ideas, a humanitarian colossus, a paragon of intellectuality and simplicity, and above all, a people-oriented leader.