SEARCHING FOR THE NEXT FIRST LADY

By Osondu Ahirika

While the debate of who will succeed His Excellency, Chief (Dr.) Godswill Obot Akpabio as the next governor of Akwa Ibom State rages, an equally salient and pertinent flipside of this quest has been largely ignored. I reckon, it is, who can fit the jigsaw as the next First Lady of Akwa Ibom State? Thankfully, the discourse was inadvertently opened on facebook, a potent social media, by my friend, promising upcoming lawyer and ace broadcaster, Aniekeme Finbarr, who loves to be addressed as the Prime Minister of the Air waves.
Raising the curtain on this engagement, Finbar simply rooted; “The Next First Lady should come from Akwa Ibom State, those in support say Aye…” As expected, the floodgate of comments was opened with those for, against or indifferent to the motion having their toll. Critical as this hypothesis is, I shall not be drawn into deciding who carried the day. At least I am not Finbar who played the role of Speaker of Parliament in this context. From my glimpse of legislative nuances, the ayes or the nays can be as thunderous or mellowed as can be, it is the discretionary right of the Speakers judgement to rule on the side his ears heard the loudest. Reason why, many times, even when the nays have the floor, the ayes will have their way. So let Aniekeme Finbar rule what he heard at the loudest decibel of voice vote.

But seriously, this matter is very timely. Grazing from where Finbarr conjured his proposition, hindsight offers that of the eight leaders that have enjoyed the privileged fortune of governing Akwa Ibom; whether as Military governors, Sole Administrators or Civilian Governors and an equal number of first Ladies, only two hailed from the State; namely, H.E. Uduak Nkanga and H.E. Obonganwan Imoh Isemin,. This follows that, since the return to democratic rule in 1999, no woman of Akwa Ibom indigenous priming has occupied that august podium.

The visionary Arc. Obong Victor Attah who emerged as governor in May 1999 had the matronly Excellency, Nnenyin Alison Attah as wife and First Lady; she is of the Bahamas and the motherly Obonganwan Ekaette Unoma Akpabio is from Enugu State. Both women, God permitting would share a whooping sixteen years between them. It must be emphasized, Akwa Ibom has not lost anything, by not having a true born daughter of the soil as first lady over this period (since 1999). Fact is, perhaps the people gained more by this match making of fate. These women, knowing this shortcoming, that although they are transfigured by marriage into bonafide citizens of this state, a butterfly in reality can never be deemed a bird, nor the lizard become the alligator simply because it is reptilian with a tail.

Effectively, they made up of this minus, by, driving their hubbies, Attah in the first instance, and now Chief (Dr.) Godswill Obot Akpabio, to churn out, monumental, revolutionary and legacy making stellar strides that has redefined leadership, governance, service delivery, statecraft and statesmanship in the state. Behind the unrivalled success of these men, are the imprints of the pillars at the homefront; their better halves. It is for the positive maneuvers of these women of substance that their hubbies have excelled in pleasing society and earning Public approval. So why should people raise sentiments about the next first lady or her origins?
It is not a hidden fact, that since the advent of late one time First Lady of Nigeria, H. E. Dr. (Mrs) Maryan Babangida, the position of wife of the President, governor or even Local Government Chairman has become a vital life giving artery that pumps the blood of political goodwill into the heartbeat of government. An unbiased exegeses, will reveal that, First Ladies, aid their hubbies to succeed or fail, depending largely on, how much they leverage on their innate feminine qualities of contagious passion, stirring insight, devout spirituality, endurance, genuine courage and nobility of spirit to influence their husband’s every act in office. Women are called of God’s plan to be battle ready helpers and a much needed voice for a stable society. Woe betides a society that forces her women to be swallowed up in the miasma of a male domineering culture.

Where does this leave us now? Beaming the searchlight on the women who are in pole position to complete the sentence on the pair for 2015. We should therefore look no further than the women behind the men, who so far, have caught the public fancy of the ideal next governor. On this card, we have H. E. Ese Nsima Ekere, wife of the incumbent Deputy Governor, Mr. Nsima Ekere and Mrs Florence Umana, spouse of the current Secretary of the State Government, Mr. Umana Okon Umana. Ese Ekere, I understand is Akwa Ibom by marriage. This does not disqualify her, but I shall spare her the inquiry this time around, if only to sate the thirst of those who gun for a First Lady of OKOP USEM gene, and scorn another possible long wait, to see one of their own, try her style in office. This leaves me for now to dissect, Mrs Florence Umana. Born as the first daughter of Chief Imeh Ubiam of Anua in Uyo Local Government Area, and from Ndiya in Nsit Ubium by Marriage, Mrs Umana is well schooled and holds a Masters Degree of Theatre Arts from the University of Ibadan earned in 1991. Earlier, she bagged a first Degree in the same discipline from the University of Calabar and is an Alumni of School of Basic Studies where she made her A Level and St. Theresa’s Secondary School, Edem Ekpat in Etinan. A career civil servant, business executive, family woman and born again christian, Mrs Umana who wedded Mr Umana Umana in 1992 is blessed with four kids. From a distance, one can clearly see, this woman enjoys a more than rosy relationship with current First Lady. Will she prove to be the Florence Nightingale of Akwa Ibom. The answer is in the womb of time.

The open forum on a potential First Lady come 2015 is pertinent, because, women are the issue. In the race for the White House in the U. S.A November elections, Ann Romney wife of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is proving to be one of her husbands most popular asset to woo and waow the electorate, just as First Lady Michelle Obama has. Next time let's do it with Ese and others in the eye of the 2015 storm.