I Have No Regrets…I Have Learnt A Lot- Ononokpono

Chief Effiong Ononokpono was released last week from Uyo Prisons by the order of Justice of High Court 5. He was arrested following the 15 questions and 5 pieces of advice to the governor which he publicized through a paid advertorial in The Nation Newspaper recently. In this interview with the Global Concord, Ononokpono says he has learnt a lot during the incarceration and stated emphatically that he has no regrets whatsoever.
Chief your incarceration following the questions you asked the state governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio led to agitations calling for your release, with the subsequent release, Global Concord thought it (is) wise to meet you for a chat. How has it been while you were incarcerated?
It was okay, no regret whatever. The Prison Staffs were very friendly, very hospitable; in fact I still have some fruits which they gave me which the driver brought back.

Was there any embarrassment?
Embarrassment by who? No ! no-! no-!, they regarded me as a father. In fact they were calling me Daddy. Even the inmates, because all of us there are called inmates.

How did you feel while there?
(Cuts in) I felt good (laughter) I had a taste of another phase of life, being incarcerated, they lock the door 2 O'clock, I mean 2pm, they open again at 4 O'clock and finally close by 6pm, you don't go anywhere, you have your bath, for example in my own case, the bathroom, toilet are all inside at one end of it. Five of us and what they called “leader”. The leader there is also an inmate. There is a health person who sits down to help and in fact he was specially attached to me, to assist in whatever are my needs I could sent him to the controllers if there is or if anybody comes to look for me, the warder will come and then go with me.
Sir, while there, we learnt that you had some health challenges. How was it?
Well there was nothing new except that I had mosquito bites, some unfriendly insects. The doctors took my blood and discovered that I've got malaria typhoid while exposed there in the police headquarters. In fact I'm still on medication to wipe off the infections and return to normal my health condition.

We witnessed the proceeding for your bail at high court. We observed that you have a plethora of intelligent lawyers. How did you come in contact with them and how about the financing?
They all volunteered because they probably thought in their own opinion that the public was not happy and they felt they had to rise up to defend a just course. You know when a matter is like this, the action will be prompted by the reaction of the public and they were prompted to join to defend a just course. I don't even know some of them. They just volunteered. In fact, it was the first day at Magistrate Court that I was there, they volunteered, about five lawyers volunteered, but the lead man is Barr. Francis Ekanem. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), was organized by my friends in Lagos. They sent a signal to me, there was no point because the ones around were very capable to act. So a message came to me that they were insisting that they should come, I said no they should stay off, I know they wouldn't charge me anything, but what was the point bringing an axe to kill and ant?

How is your relationship with some Oro people in the present government, for instance the Attorney General?
(Cuts in) - Ntekim is my son, from my ward. He lived with me as a law student.

We are told you contested against his father in
(Cuts in) Oh that is a long time ago. It has no business doing with this. Long time after that election, which propelled me into politics, the community came and picked me to be in what they called the Reform Local Government System. He (Barr. Ntekim's father) was a teacher in my Primary School but people voted for me, I didn't even apply for it. He (Barr Ntekim) came to Calabar where I stayed, no bile at all, we are from the same ward. He's eaten my wife's food and I call him by his pet Nte, he calls me and answers me “Sir”. All my children (pointing to his children) look at them here, they all know him, he used to eat my late wife's food. He lived with me in Lagos when he was in Law School, himself, Archibong Etuk, late, and Nsima Akpabio, late too. …, when I grew to a higher pedestal in politics, the father was one of my greatest supporters. I can mention him, the late Chief E. B. Offiong in particular, so no problem at all. And he (Barr Ntekim) gives me maximum respect. He could just dash in to see me tomorrow. Last Christmas, he brought a very healthy basket; I don't think I have exhausted the content.

Till today?
Yes (laughter). No we can confirm this, he used to give me a lot of respect I'm very objectives in my argument, I don't want to be bias. He could have done what he did at the instance of his Excellency, Dr. Godswill Akpabio. Yes he could have done that at his instance. The Commissioner of Police told me that he has orders from above to detain me. But I did not see any detention order, but I complied and I knew God of justice will prevail finally. That could be why God directed all those lawyers to do what they did. In the final analysis about eight of them, I only know Francis Ekanem, others came to see me in the prison. I don't know all of them. I have not given any of them “ten kobo”. Some have even paid money to publish advertorials to free me. I don't reach out to any of them but I must tell you I'm grateful to them for defending a just course.

We observed that the Attorney General did not file any Counter Affidavit to what your counsels did. Could that be attributed to the relationship you've had with him?
I don't know. I was not even in the court. And I'm not God, I don't know his mind. May be he saw that it was fair to be fair and then could not oppose. You can oppose what is bad, then what is good, you tick right, isn't it? It could be my solicitors put up a good argument and in points of law, they were right. Barr. Ntekim is an experienced lawyer and so he knows there is no point to argue on a matter that you know is right.

Sir, people say you are an Awoist. How do the principles of Chief Awolowo come into play in your struggle?
Am I in any struggle? Well Chief Awolowo was em … I don't know how I would describe him. He was not a human being per say, he was an institution. He was a planner, he was an economist, he was a financial expert. He was a very prudent manager of public funds, and he was leaders of excellence. He educated his people and that is why in Nigeria today, I don't think, any ethnic group can beat the Yorubas because they had a purposeful leadership. Unfortunately, up till today, we are still in want of leadership. If you can imagine, young boys far below the age of Obong Attah's children standing up to abuse Obong Attah and , those who cannot enter this apartment that God has given to me. They collect money from people, they sign something which they cannot even defend, not written by them, they just publish their names and take small money. And if they publish such things, will you blame them? You blame the system because they are hungry. They hire some of them “come and do the kidnapping”, “come and do the killing with five thousand, ten thousand they do because they are hungry. The system must be reformed in such a way that the people have bread on their tables, otherwise the criminality will continue. I mean somebody is a local government chairman, he has not been sworn in he looks for where to buy a plot to put his private building. He looks for where to buy and build hotels or guest houses. What does that really lead to, he has to steal money. And they sent statutory allocation, the state governors sit at it so that you see what is published in the newspapers as statutory allocation, less than half gets to the grass root for development. While others run into the pockets of Commissioners, Special Advisers, the Governors and even their own sisters, some brothers, relations. You see that some of those who are governors, all members of their families are millionaires, it's happening. I've seen one young boy in this village, this my village, I was born here but I've only come to live here at this bodily advanced age. I don't think at the age of ten (10) I had actually lived here because when I loss a mother, I was very small so I found it so unpopular to stay around here. So coming to live here I discover quite a lot of things and I learn quite a lot. I learn one young man was initiated into cultism so I sent someone to go and interview him. He said “Ah, I have to join the group because you can have your member as a councilor, as a chairman, and you will never lack”. And go and tell somebody who is a cultist or may be his relation, “your brother is a cultist you better check”. You will become his greatest enemy … and there are people in high position who sponsor cultism commissioners, advisers and all of them, Chairmen. They sponsor cultism. They kill, they maim, that is the system we have and you dare challenge them …

Sir, we observed one thing when we came in here, we even thought may be we've missed direction. We saw this is a church premise. It appears you are highly involved in religious activities. How have you been able to manage…
(Cuts in) I am not involved in religious activities; I only realized that God is very great and I go closer to Him. Religious activities,… I just get to know that God is very great even though I knew him at later part of my life. That has helped me alot, it has helped me at different instances. Like I was at the prison yard, I was cheering up. These guys came, even my elder sister came and was crying, I was laughing and said “if you were younger than me, I would have given you a slap, but since you are my senior sister, I cannot do it”. They were crying. I said why are you crying? Crying for what? Do you know the lessons I've learnt here? And the lessons I've learnt there, I will communicate to appropriate quarters when the time comes. How people could be put in prison and forgotten. No trial, no nothing. A boy of fourteen now eighteen, he has not yet passed a school certificate examination, is there in the prison and there is no indication that they will even remove him by the time he is thirty except somebody volunteered. Some says, his a “lifer”, -life imprisonment. After staying there for ten years somebody is completely reformed and at that point in time, sent him out, train him, give him some money to start up a business. Else by the time he will go back, he won't know his children and those children may have grown wild. What will those children be? Vagabonds, they will be the cultists, assassins and hired killers because those to take care of them were dumped in cells, in prison yards, no trial, thirty years. Those are the things you people (referring to the press) should go to and interview people in prison and find out and educate people. Go there, seek audience with the Prison Controller; ask him what the problems are. At times he writes out the problems, the government will not do it. That was my experience. And Nigerian situation, at times somebody is not guilty of any thing, is dumped there, for you to see the person or to make a complain about it or to express some surprise that people are dumped there no trial, no release; you have to give a prison official money! Yes! He has got to take his own because the governor is taking, the minister is taking, the chairman of council, the councilors are taking, he has to take his own. The police on the road is taking, they say bail is free, at which police station?

We learnt the people of the state were protesting when you were in detention?
The people had to do what they consider right. I was not the one who sent them.

Finally, is there any regret in the present situation?
There is on regret. I don't have any regret. But it is not yet over, because he who fights and run away lives to fight another day. We are in a battle to liberate the state.