Fellow Ndito Abasi (Abasians); Brothers and Sisters; Ladies and Gentlemen:
I greet you with the greatest name ke eyong ye isong plus kpukpure si iyohode ke esit – Akwa Abasi Ibom andi mkpon nkan. By your popular demand, I am pleased to present this first State of Abasi People Nationality Movement Address.
The state of our movement is strong and will get even more strong with reenergize executive leadership at the global, regional and LGA/DRA levels.
Elected by the founding Steering Group of Abasi People Foundation and Nationality Movement as the founding Chairman/President/CEO and having given our best over the last several months;
I Victor Udo from Obot Akara Local Government Area (LGA) and USA Diaspora Regional Area (DRA) hereby recommit to continue our sacrificial voluntary leadership to the glory of God and service of Ndito Abasi in Nigeria and globally.
Within a very short period of time during the global Covid 19 crisis, we established this emergent strong online asynchronous organization. We have created platforms for our people to deliberate and demonstrated our ability to self govern with a democratic system and processes including this Congress.
We have articulated a clear purpose which is to emancipate our people and land from both internal and external marginalization and exploitation for equitable sustainable development. We have taken small but very important steps towards this purpose.
We have a vision to mobilize 2 million Abasians online in 2 years. This is critical given the contemporary global bent on technology and social media. Abasians OnLine (AOL) will be a global powerhouse for global e-commerce and patriotic public policy participation if we work together to make it a reality.
Let me pause to acknowledge and appreciate our founding executive leadership and Steering Group who have made the sacrifice for our successes thus far. They are:
1. Engr. Emmanuel Udo of Ibibio – VP Process Enforcement (Chief of Staff)
2. Barrister Orok Okon of Efik – Deputy Chairman Legal and Administration
3. Mr. Joe Idiong of Annang – VP, Treasury and Diaspora Affairs
4. Ms. Favour Uweh of Oro – Deputy Secretary, Media
5. Mr. Victor Akai of Ekid – Deputy Secretary, Recording and Documentation (Chief Whip)
6. Barrister Egwu Egwu of Ekoi – Deputy Secretary, Logistics (Organising and Protocol)
7. Barrister Sunday Afiko of Obolo – VP Youth Affairs
8. Dr. Idara Umoette of Ibibio – Secretary General
9. Engr. Etim Asuquo of Ibibio – Deputy Chairman, Liason
10. Dr. Grace Akpanika of Efik, VP Women Affairs.
Since improvement in the Covid situation and the political session in Nigeria, some of these brethren have priority changes. Hence the current process in the Steering Group to obtain recommitments and potential new commitments for voluntary leadership at all levels.
We have several other key individuals and leaders across our 38 LGAs and the Diaspora who have since joined the Steering Group. I will be in a big trouble if I don’t name everyone and even in a bigger trouble if I started naming and possibly missed anyone person.
You all know yourselves, the financial, time and energy resources you have contributed thus far. We appreciate all of you for all of your sacrificial voluntary leadership contributions. Isesongo eti eti.
A time will come when we shall recognize your service, contributions and commitment in a specifically way. Posterity and history will never forget you. More importantly, Abasi aya odiong uked ayid ke eyin Jesus Christ- Amen.
Together, we have made some progress in the last one year – a very short period of time including:
1. Incorporation of Abasi People Foundation (APF) in Nigeria – bank account opening in progress
2. Incorporation of APF-USA with a bank account
3. Set up the process for APF registration in UK/EU
4. Mobilized over 4,000 Telegram participants
5. Created over 60 WhatsApp Groups for our 7 Regions, 43 LGA/DRA; Youths, Women, Elders and Special Function Groups in addition to this Global Congress. We need volunteers to lead these Groups as we are doing here in the Congress
6. Laid the foundation for democratic deliberations and decision making with discipline under this Congress.
7. Most importantly, we began the practical work of the main purpose of our movement through patriotic public policy participation in three critical areas –
A. Emancipation from External Marginalization by joining the Referendum case in Abuja
B. Emancipation from Internal Exploitation by helping to stop a non transparent loan/debt in Akwa Ibom State and seeking more accountability from government officials by leveraging the legal system to hold politicians responsible for our resources and common wealth they supposed to hold in trust
C. Emancipation from Poverty through the Girl-Child Sanitary project as an example
We have accomplished much more! Please visit our Website to see more details.
Fellow Abasian, Ndito Abasi ke Nigeria and globally, we have come this far by God’s grace and mercy. Now is the time for everyone of us to recommit ourselves to the little we can offer sacrificially and voluntarily to produce more results for this Foundation and Movement.
If you are in this WhatsApp, we are asking you to recommit or volunteer what you can do to accelerate the actualization of our vision and accomplishment of our purpose. Given the asynchronous online nature of our movement, we ask for patience, discipline and more sacrificial voluntary leadership services and financial contributions especially from our brethren in the Diaspora.
Remember how the Jewish people have helped themselves globally. We the Abasians can and should be a model in Africa! We are one people one language and culture though with dialect differences as Annang, Efik, Ekid, Ekoi, Ibibio, Obolo and Oro. We are Ndito Abasi, Abasians. let us arise, work together and build the ruins of our homeland and spur our people towards equitable sustainable development devoid of internal and external marginalization by:
1. Recommitting and/or volunteering to provide leadership at the global executive, creating Regional and LGA/DRA executive down to the Village levels by using the existing WhatsApp Group structure or any other platform in the future.
2. Raising financial resources and committing our professional services to push for more relative autonomy and self governance in Nigeria
3. Holding our public officers in the governance jurisdictions covering the current 38 Abasi People LGAs land, air and water in the contemporary Nigeria accountable for effective use of our common wealth for the transparent benefit of our people
4. Intervening in simple but effective ways to emancipate our people from all forms of poverty such as the Girl-Child Sanitary project.
My Brother and Sisters; this is our time to make a difference. Who will volunteer to provide effective leadership in the various WhatsApp Groups we have created and mobilize our people for self emancipation?
In the last few weeks, we have seen activities in the Abasi People Youths WhatsApp Group with over 100% increase in participation. Who among us will provide such leadership in the Women, Elders, Patrons, Regional and Special Function Groups? Who will volunteer to lead thier Region and LGA/DRA Groups? This is our time, this is our movement. Let us arise and build. Let us work together.
Thank you very much for all of your good work. Yak Akwa Abasi Ibom odiong nyin ye utom Essie ke eyin Jesus Christ- Amen.
……………………………..
Victor Udo, FNSE, PhD
Chairman/CEO
Abasi People Foundation powering the Abasi People Nationality Movement.