The renewed call for peace, restraint and mutual coexistence by Senator Ekong Sampson, representing Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District, deserves serious attention from all stakeholders in the state.
His separate engagements with leaders of the Ibibio and Oro ethnic nationalities come at a time when exchanges capable of deepening ethnic suspicion and division require responsible leadership, maturity and deliberate intervention.
Akwa Ibom South is not merely a geographical expression. It is a community of diverse peoples whose histories, cultures, economic interests and social relationships have been intertwined for generations.
Whatever differences may exist among its constituent ethnic groups, those differences must never be allowed to become a justification for hostility, exclusion or the destruction of the bonds that have held the people together.
We therefore welcome Senator Sampson’s emphasis on dialogue and responsible communication. In matters touching on ethnic identity, political representation, land, resources, leadership or perceived marginalisation, words matter. Statements made by political leaders, traditional rulers, opinion moulders and particularly influential voices can either calm a situation or turn disagreement into confrontation.
This is why responsible communication must become a collective obligation. Nobody gains when ethnic rhetoric dominates public discourse.
The greatest victims of ethnic confrontation are usually ordinary citizens, the youths whose future is placed at risk, traders whose businesses suffer, families whose relationships are strained and communities whose development is slowed by needless suspicion.
The Ibibio and Oro peoples, like every other ethnic nationality in Akwa Ibom, deserve dignity, recognition and a sense of belonging. But recognising one group’s legitimate identity must not require diminishing another.
There is room in Akwa Ibom for every constituent nationality to preserve its history and culture while simultaneously pursuing the larger project of building a peaceful and prosperous state.
Senator Sampson’s declaration, “I belong to all,” is particularly instructive. Public office should not be used to deepen ethnic boundaries; rather, it should provide a bridge across them. A representative elected from a particular senatorial district has a responsibility to serve every constituent, irrespective of ethnic origin, political affiliation, religious persuasion or personal differences.
However, the responsibility for peace cannot rest on the Senator alone. Traditional rulers must use their influence to promote reconciliation.
Political leaders must resist the temptation to exploit ethnic sentiments for political advantage. Elders must counsel restraint, while youths must reject provocative narratives capable of dragging communities into needless confrontation.
The media, too, must report sensitive issues with accuracy, context and fairness, remembering that sensationalism can inflame tensions that responsible journalism could help resolve.
We also urge those involved in the current exchanges to embrace the wisdom of dialogue. No ethnic group can develop in isolation from its neighbours, and no political victory achieved through ethnic division can produce lasting prosperity.
The real contest should be over ideas, development, infrastructure, jobs, education, healthcare, investment and opportunities for the people not over which ethnic groups should dominate the public space.
Akwa Ibom South has enormous human, agricultural, maritime, industrial and economic potential. That potential can only be fully realised in an atmosphere of peace and cooperation. Investors do not invest in communities defined by perpetual conflict.
Development does not flourish where suspicion replaces dialogue. And the future cannot be built by people constantly fighting over the past.
This newspaper therefore calls on all stakeholders to lower the temperature, discontinue provocative exchanges and return to the table of dialogue.
Where there are genuine grievances, let them be properly articulated and addressed through legitimate institutions and peaceful engagement. Where there are misunderstandings, let them be clarified before they become crises.
Peace is not weakness. Restraint is not surrender. Dialogue is not an admission of defeat. Rather, they are signs of leadership and civilisation.
The people of Akwa Ibom South must refuse to allow temporary disagreements to destroy permanent relationships. The Ibibio, Oro and other ethnic nationalities in the district have far more in common than what divides them.
The time has come to make the common good bigger than ethnic sentiment, development bigger than political rivalry and peace bigger than every disagreement.
Akwa Ibom South must remain united not because its people are the same, but because their shared future demands it.
