In the heart of Uyo, along the major roads that connect the people to their daily bread, a new kind of landmark has emerged. It is not a monument for new industries. Instead, it is a series of bold, towering billboards that carry a curious juxtaposition: the official Crest of the Akwa Ibom State Government standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the logo of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The message is unambiguous: “Akwa Ibom is APC. Where are you? Join the progressive movement.” I suspect we may have similar signposts in some other states. Let’s reflect on the erosion of neutrality and the witness of an era where a state government seems to have become an organ of a political party.
Do you know that the portrayal of government as an arm of a political party while seemingly politically expedient to members of the party being promoted may set a dangerous precedence to citizens on what government actually stand for? While respecting the right of anyone to belong to any political party and promote any political affiliation, what makes the sight of the billboards advertising APC in Uyo particularly jarring is the fine print of its sponsorship. These advertisements do not seem funded by a private donor or the party’s campaign office; they are promoted by the Bureau of Political and Social Re-orientation. This is a government agency funded by taxpayers, established to promote civic values, unity, and social ethics. This development raises a fundamental question that strikes at the very marrow of our democracy: has the instrument of governance been hijacked to serve the appetite of a political party?
In a healthy democracy, a clear line exists between the Government (a permanent institution serving all citizens) and the Political Party (a temporary vehicle for winning elections). When a Governor is sworn in, he or she takes an oath to serve the entire state – the APC members, the PDP loyalists, the supporters of the Labour and other political parties, and, most importantly, the millions of Akwa Ibomites who belong to no party at all. By using the Bureau of Political and Social Re-orientation, a government body, to advertise a partisan membership drive, is the state not effectively “normalizing an abnormality?” Since the mission of the Bureau includes promoting unity, discipline, positive civic engagement, does this not suggest that unity, discipline and positive civic value are now synonymous with “party loyalty?” The ethical implications are profound. If a government agency’s mandate is to re-orient the minds of the citizenry towards productivity and integrity, how does it justify spending state resources – meant for the collective good – to alienate those who do not share the Governor’s political leanings? Is the claim “Akwa Ibom is APC” via an official government channel not a form of soft coercion? Does it not send a chilling message to civil servants, contractors, and ordinary citizens that to be “with” the state, you must be “with” the political party being promoted? What then is the plight of the apolitical? What, for example, of the market women in Itam or the students in Ikot Ekpene who cares nothing for party politics but relies on government neutrality for fair treatment? Is using their tax money to tell them “Where are you?”—implying they are lost or excluded for not joining a movement – not a moral breach of the social contract?
How legally correct is the current practice? While the law grants those in power – and every other citizen – freedom of association, does the Constitution permit the use of state resources to fund a party’s recruitment drive? Is this not an appropriation of public wealth for private political gain? Is conflict of interest recognized in managing state affairs? Is the Bureau actually embarking on re-orientation or indoctrination? Is the Bureau’s involvement not a troubling trend? If an agency designed to promote “unity” is instead promoting “partisanship,” has it not failed in its primary mission? Instead of fostering a state where diverse ideas can flourish, is the Bureau not attempting to manufacture a monolith? Is joining the APC the new civic value? If so, are we witnessing the birth of a “State-Party” system, a hallmark of autocracy, not the vibrant democracy Nigeria aspires to be? While I hold the governor in very high esteem, we must ask: Is his political orientation now a mandatory compass for all citizens?
As you step out each day, there is a need for a call for distinction between the government and the political party or parties of those in government. We must return to the basics of political hygiene. Government resources and agencies of government belong to the people, not any political party. To use the machinery of the state to “re-orient” citizens into party members, in my opinion, is a dangerous precedent. If we allow the lines to remain this blurred, we risk a future where government services may only be accessible via a party card, and where the state logo is nothing more than a background for a partisan banner. It is time to reclaim the neutrality of our institutions. The government must serve the people, all the people, regardless of where they choose to stand on the political map.
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Esang Esitikot is a professor of occupational health and safety, a COREN-registed chemical engineer, public affairs analyst, UN Ambassador for Peace, certified management consultant, World Safety Organization Ambassador, recognized Environmental Ambassador, marriage counsellor, youth mentor, reviewer for international research journals and volunteer lecturer at the Institute of Health, Safety, Security and Environment, University of Uyo. He is a manager in the oil and gas industry and was recognized by Highstone Global University, USA as the occupational health and safety personality of 2024. He can be contacted via 08035103559 (Whatsapp only) or email (esitikot@gmail.com).
