Dakkada: Pathway to a new Akwa Ibom -By Mojisola Saka

The new buzzword in Akwa Ibom State today is Dakkada (Arise). It is the word that is expected to galvanise the people of the state into shaking off their lethargy and rising up to be counted among their peers in the Nigerian federation. You hear it everywhere in the state – on the streets, in taxis, in Keke Napep, at pubs and recreational centres, in schools, in the markets, in motor parks, and at the Ibom Airport.

The elderly and the youth exchange pleasantries with Mme Dakkada Nda (I have arisen), making the word sound like a joke, but it carries a deep meaning. School pupils yearn to recite the Dakkada creed that talks about faith in God, the state, its human and material resources as well as its potential with so much excitement and passion you wonder if there is something spiritual about it.

It is the word that encapsulates Governor Udom Emmanuel’s philosophy of challenging Akwa Ibomites to dare to dream; to stoop to conquer. The word that calls Akwa Ibomites to action and challenges them  in Diaspora, to rise to their true potential; to believe in themselves and work to achieve greatness as individuals and as a people.

Dakkada is not about physically standing up, but a call for mental re-awakening; a campaign for spiritual re-birth, moral transformation and attitudinal re-orientation that will enable the people to purge their minds of the feeling of incapability and defeatism that has kept their growth, development and progress stymied for too long.

There couldn’t have been a more auspicious occasion for the governor to unveil this philosophy than the 28th anniversary of the state creation held at the magnificent stadium,  Nest of Champions, but which he rechristened Godswill Akpabio International Stadium

As Governor Udom Emmanuel delivered what will undoubtedly go down as a famous and inspiring speech, one could only think of the timeless I Have a Dream speech of Martin Luther King Jr on the lawns of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, United States, more than four decades ago – a speech that inspired hope in a people whose physical, mental and material development had been stunted by more than two centuries of racial discrimination.

The governor challenged his people to look within themselves to see the same innate qualities of strength, ability and determination that God has implanted in every human being to achieve their dreams. He challenged them to awaken the can-do spirit that they have unwittingly allowed to remain dormant for too long, and to hold the faith that with God, all things are possible.

The Dakkada philosophy is certainly going to be the game changer for the people of the state who need to progress beyond the physical (infrastructural) transformation that has taken place in the last eight years to another level of transformation imperative for their development – mental transformation.

It is the philosophy that the people of the state need to refuse to accept second fiddle as what is best for them in life. It is a movement that will spur the people to rise above primordial biases, hatred, bigotry, ethnicity and other tendencies that kept them divided even when faced with a common enemy.
As a call for moral rectitude, Dakkada intends to redirect the attention and mind of the youth of the state, especially in an era when the high rate of unemployment has engendered idleness and a feeling of despondency that makes crime appear to be the only option for survival. The philosophy seeks to encourage the youth to re-channel their spirit of creativity into positive endeavours that will chart a new course for the present and future generations.

The passion with which the people of have embraced the Dakkada philosophy inspires hope for a new Akwa Ibom – a state where  the average youth will see the virtues of honesty and hard work as constituting the only guarantee of success. With paid employment getting scarcer by the day, Dakkada is what the youth require to discover and harness their potential for self- development and, ultimately, the collective effort that will make Akwa Ibom an attractive investment and tourism destination for a state that is endowed with so much, but which has been able to realize so little.

For instance, the culinary skills of Akwa Ibom people are legendary. Their flagship cuisine – Edikang Ikong – is arguably the only Nigerian food that will be found on the menu of any major hotel and restaurant anywhere in the country, and even outside the country where Nigerians reside. Add the popular Afang soup, white soup and Ekpang Nkukwo to the food mix, the sandy beaches of Ibeno and the Ikot Abasi beach that are ideal sites for hotels, and you will understand why the state is a potential hospitality destination.

The raffia industry in Ikot Ekpene is the only one of its kind in the country. The industry has not gone beyond the rudimentary stage despite the fact that it predates Nigeria’s independence, perhaps because of a lack of feeling of self-worth and recognition by successive generations of practitioners. This is one industry whose fortunes Dakkada is capable of changing.

With an art and craft industry that has remained undeveloped, Akwa Ibom State has a potentially attractive fashion industry that could draw the best around the world, with Ituen Bassey, creator of the ItuenBasi fashion brand that is known in the world’s fashion capitals, with numerous awards under her belt, leading the charge.The ultimate goal of Dakkada is the socio-economic transformation of Akwa Ibom State through individual transformation.

-Saka writes from Lagos