General News
CNPP Advocates Enactment of Laws
By Mercy Atser
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), Akwa Ibom State Chapter has paid a courtesy visit to the Speaker and leaders of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
In an address presented by the Chairman, CNPP, Akwa Ibom Chapter Prince Linnus Udofia, thanked the Speaker for creating time out of his tight schedule to meet them.
Prince Udofia stated that, the reason for their visit to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly was principally to advocate for the enactment of certain laws that would make cohesive provisions for the smooth running of democracy in the state. Read the rest of this entry
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Over 5 Million Text Books for Public School Libraries
Following the declaration of free and compulsory Education in the state, under the leadership of Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio, the state has not relented in her effort to ensure the success of the policy.
In order to debunk some speculations published in some local tabloids (not Century Newsfront) that the text books that were commissioned few weeks ago during the visit of Mr. President were borrowed from book shops and at the return of Mr. President those books were returned to their owners, the state government under the able supervision of the Commissioner for Education Mr. Nseabasi Akpan had disbursed over 5million text books to principals and head teachers of all the public schools in the state. The books comprise those in Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology Integrated Science. Read the rest of this entry
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TRAGEDY— Fire Guts Four Shops in Uyo
By Linus Effiong
Barely five weeks to Christmas celebrations, residents of Oku street off Ikot Ekpene road, Uyo few steps away from MTN office has began to count their loses as fire razed and destroyed their properties.
It could be recalled that 31st December 2009 a tanker containing some quantities of fuel went aflame along Ikot Ekpene road and ten lives were lost and a day after, the University of Uyo female Hostel in the town campus was gutted by fire, still located along Ikot Ekpene road where credentials and properties of students were consumed by the inferno, few months later, a patrol station along Aka road took its turn.
Between 3.00am to 4.00am, residents of Oku Street were up from their beds calling on fire service looking for ways to put off the inferno which began between the hours of 4am and lasted for more than two hours. According to investigation conducted by Century Newsfront, the fire sparked off from the electrical socket located inside one of the four shops that were consumed by the fire.
Speaking with some victims at the scene of the incident, and average aged man who identified himself as Mr. Sunny Ikpe who owns a carpentry shop among the four shops, narrated his ordeal and said he had completed two sets of executive chairs and had also called on their owners to come and pick them worth over five hundred thousand naira was consumed by the wild fire, his working tools and other machines were also consumed by the inferno and appealed to the government to come to his aid.
In the same vein, Miss Ndifreke Akpabio Udoh from Ikono Local Government Area, a student in Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osura owned a sowing shop with sets of wrappers, peoples cloths, five sowing machines, 3 weaving machines, one bottom holes machine etc were swallowed up by fire. According to Miss Ndifreke, the shop had been her school fees, food, house and clothes and cried to the government for help.
Also speaking with our Reporter, Mrs. Comfort Monday Akpan who operates a restaurant lamented that her food stuff had been burnt and all her kitchen utensils wrecked by fire.
At as the time of the press, the owner of the saloon shop was not around for comment as those who were present at the scene of the indecent claimed not having the contact of the saloon owners.
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Matter of the Moment-Ibibio: Akwa Ibom Lingua Franca Waxes Strong 11
Matter of the Moment
With Monday Akpan
Ibibio: Akwa Ibom Lingua Franca Waxes Strong 11
(Continued from the last edition)
The Holy Bible lets us know in the Book of Genesis that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth as well as made man in His own image.
It also tells us that the world had one language and a common speech until when men on their own decided to build a city with a tower (Tower of Babel) that should reach the heavens whereby they could see and communicate with the Lord face to face. It is understood that the Omnipresent God on noticing this shattered their plans and caused them to speak in tongues whereby no one of them understood the other and scattered them from there over the whole earth and they stopped building the city.
That Divine power to rebrand man and give him his rightful place as a product of the Holy One posed a serious barrier in communication between one man and the other especially when the language differed. Be that as it may, can one blame God?
No. The Scripture says, God is blameless rather we blame ourselves for ever tempting to measure up with Him.
Ever since then, many tribes with different tongues had been trying to solve the problem of language but all to no avail.
One of the problems of developing the mother tongue especially in the political era where winner takes all syndrome is the order of the day and the attitudes of most Ibibio indigenes towards this goal beats the imagination of the matter that Ibibio Language for WAEC and NECO is not the be all and the end all of developing Ibibio language rather it needs a change in attitudes and the involvement of every Ibibio indigene.
Matter of the moment believes that poor attitude in this direction is the most destructive element almost same like the communication breakdown among the builders of the Tower of Babel and subsequent scattering of the men all over the world.
Many elites in higher institutions, themselves, Ibibios, do actually ridicule and look down on those who are involved in the learning and development of the mother tongue.
More so, some of the Ibibio parents even attempt a straight for English training because they themselves teach their children to speak English and English alone thus dissuading them from using their own mother tongue.
Categorically, Ibibio language is very important and possibly, the mother tongue of all races in the world.
Every child born of woman anywhere in the world speaks Ibibio language at birth like “Ma” for mother “Pa” for father and “Ta” for eat or chew.
Growing up some months after birth, they speak further in Ibibio thus “mi” meaning my or here which when added to the Pa or Ma means my father or my mother respectively (here).
Other Ibibio words commonly found in the languages of some races in Africa, Asia, Europe, America and so on abound which point to the fact that Ibibio language must have been the only common spoken language in the beginning of the world.
Nationally, an average Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo speaking races call their seniors specifically Ibibio person thus Ma, pa and sometimes Papa or Mama.
Some other words found in English Language are such that have common spellings but different meanings. They are “item” which in Ibibio means advice but in English it is an article or unit; “Use” in Ibibio. means sexual intercourse between a married somebody who is not a husband or wife but in English “Use” means to put to some purpose. These and more appear in such languages like French, Latin, Spanish, Swahili, etc.
So, if the rebranding process of Nigeria and Nigerians by the Federal Government is anything to go by, the Ibibios should get up, rid themselves of illusions and decide to rescue Ibibio language and let it go beyond the approved WAEC and NECO subject so that if God in His infinite Mercy decide that the world should go back to speak one language preferably Ibibio language, every Ibibio son or daughter might not be found wanting in speaking the language.
Materials wise, the development of Ibibio and Local press are aware of the books, film strips, picture scenes, well prepared indigenous personnel, and a good collection of the cultural relics of Ibibio-land so that when these are achieved we can proudly and satisfactorily say that Akwa Ibom, Ado Ok!
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Uruan Inaugurates Forum for Godswill Akpabio 2011
By Linus Effiong
A group which identifies itself as Uruan forum for Godswill Akpabio 2011 has been inaugurated with a vow to mobilize Uruan people to support the second term bid of Governor Akpabio.
This decision was made public at its first General Assembly held at Council Secretariat in Idu-Uruan, Uruan Local Government Area.
Speaking at the Assembly comprising sons and daughters of the Local Government, the International co-coordinator of Uruan Forum for Godswill Akpabio 2011, Mr. Frank Amba-wills Obong thanked the people for turning out in their numbers. He said “I believe that this project of Governor Akpabio second term will be a success and that is why I have vowed that what ever it will cost me I will mobilize the length and breadth of Uruan Local Government to support Government Akpabio’s second term”.
The coordinator lamented that today Uruan local Government is not relevant in this present administration because of her refusal to support Governor Akpabio in the last general election that produced the current administration in the state.
The coordinator said: “we need a change in Uruan especially in the area of massive infrastructure.” He declared publicly that Uruan has declared for Governor Akpabio.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Boniface Etim lamented that ignorance had made Uruan to suffer what they are passing through today. He commended the vision of the international coordinator for his Initiative and appealed to Ibibio Nation and Annang brothers to go for a second term of the Governor for the sake of equity, fairness and justice.
Highlight of the occasion was passing a vote of confidence on Governor Akpabio.
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