By DC Enamhe
There are places where the air grows thick, where time stands still and history breathes in hushed tones. Akim Ekpe or Mgbe Hall is one such place. Even in daylight, its presence unsettles, for before it stands the sacred Osama Mgbe tree, gnarled and towering, its roots sunk deep into earth and legend. They say it watches. They say it remembers.
It was under its shadow, on a day of mixed trepidation and pride, that I had just been initiated into the NACRISS Caucus. The then NACRISS UCB President, Emmanuel Aben, an unassuming but daring young man from Utugwang was there, speaking impeccable English with calm authority.
Emma Aben and I first met in Malabor, at Chike’s Canteen. After one of my usual public speaking performances, bold, articulate, and confident; Aben was deeply impressed. When I told him I was only a fresher, his surprise was evident. Yet he insisted I work with him, telling me, “You must be my adviser.” I was awed, to say the least.
Not long after, I was invited to a 5 a.m. meeting with the then NACRISS Staff Adviser, Mr. Ibiang Oden Ewa (later Prof. Ibiang Oden Ewa), who lived near the Akim Mgbe Shrine. We gathered at his gate, myself, Charles Nyiam, Sam Ekanem (now a professor), Sunny Mbah (then NACRISS UCB Secretary-General), Abraham Ajor (now a pastor), Ukorebi Ita (former president), and others.
A young boy opened the gate. That boy would later become the present Hon. Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Oden Ewa, in Prince Bassey Edet Otu’s government.
Inside, I noticed the warmth of the home. There were no aides, just family. His tall, light-skinned wife, his children, and a simple but dignified living room reflected middle-class comfort.
Prof. Ibiang Oden Ewa, a lecturer in History and Religious Studies, was a heavyweight politician from Ugep in Yakurr LGA, a close friend of then Governor Clement David Ebri. When he emerged, he greeted everyone by name and asked who I was. That moment marked the beginning of a relationship that would shape my life.
First Action Together
At the time, Governor Ebri had accused Senator Paul Ukpo of mishandling a Cross River Radio contract. NACRISS had to respond. We discussed the matter over tea and biscuits at Prof. Ewa’s home. He advised us to always hear both sides before making public statements.
I seized the opportunity to raise the issue of bursary and scholarship payments. Prof. Ewa immediately promised to speak with the Commissioner for Education, Walter Eneji, a thoroughbred administrator from Bekwarra in Ogoja, and with the Governor himself. From that day, he treated me like a son and a friend.
That same night, we travelled to Ogoja to meet Senator Paul Ukpo. It was a busy day, coinciding with the launch of the Cross River State Equity and Investment Company’s vehicles. Senator Ukpo told us that, contrary to what we had heard, it was actually the government withholding his payment, despite his having purchased and supplied the equipment.
We thanked him for seeing us at such short notice and for speaking so openly. We returned to Calabar by dawn. The roads were good then, the Peugeot 504 was sound, and our driver, Uwem, was careful. Apart from Emma Aben, we all slept through the journey. By the time we awoke, we were already on the Murtala Mohammed Highway, near the NUJ Secretariat (now the palatial home of Senator Florence Ita Giwa – don’t ask me how that came to be).
Our story made the 4 p.m. network news that day. Governor Ebri was displeased, but Prof. Ewa intervened, defending our intentions. Not long after, on 10 November, Governor Ebri invited us to Government House for a meeting. We left with the Governor’s assurance that bursaries and scholarships would be paid.
A Life-Saving Intervention
Years later, during the military era under Gen. Sani Abacha, Group Captain Ibrahim Kefas was Governor of Cross River State.
Tensions grew between us and the government. One night, while in a meeting at my 21 D Eta Agbor residence (which had become the unofficial NACRISS Headquarters), Prof. Ewa appeared unexpectedly. He warned us to leave immediately or risk being killed.
I fled to Ogoja. Soon after, he drove all the way from Calabar to my family compound at No. 18 Lagos Street to warn me again. That same night, a squad led by Eze, now my neighbour, came looking for me.
Prof. Ewa’s timely warning saved my life
Even then, Emmanuel Aben was more than a student leader he was a builder of men, a mentor whose leadership extended beyond titles. Many of us owe our political, professional, and personal polish to his tutelage. And to this day, despite never having held any government appointment he still moulds young minds with the same quiet determination. Do we still have student leaders like Emma Aben?
Prof. Ibiang Oden Ewa, our Staff Adviser, was cut from the same cloth. He was a man who understood influence and used it selflessly. His relationship with Governor Clement David Ebri was a channel for our collective good and advancement. He opened doors, created opportunities, and always stood in the gap for us. Do we still have friends of Governors like Prof. Ibiang Oden Ewa?
As Staff Adviser, he treated the role as if it were a high-paying appointment. He looked for us, called us to order, and invested heavily in our growth as future leaders, leaders found worthy in character and in learning. Do we still have Staff Advisers like Prof. Ibiang Oden Ewa?
We had Commissioners like Major Akpang Obi Odu (Rtd.), who set aside personal comfort and pleasure to make sacrifices for the development of the community and her people. Where are the Obi Odu’s today?
We had men like Patrick Ebri, the Governor’s own brother (he wasn’t a co-governor), he served as a Personal Assistant with diligence and professionalism, never abusing the privilege of blood ties. Do we still have Governors’ brothers like Patrick or we can only have them as co-governors?
And oh, the roads!, One could leave Ogoja for Calabar at 6 a.m., conduct business, and return before dark. Where are the well-paved roads we once had? Are we forever condemned to the treacherous Odukpani–Itu, Calabar–Ugep, and Ikom–Obudu roads?
Even our drivers, men like Uwem, were once a breed apart: disciplined, trained, and licensed, plying safe highways with pride. Where are such drivers today? Or has the “anyhowness” of our time so devalued lives that it no longer matters?
Prof. Ibiang Oden Ewa raised a son, Oden Ewa Jnr., who has distinguished himself under the strict discipline of worthy parents, achieving milestones by merit. Do we still have children of such calibre? Can the child of a non-descript father be picked purely on merit for a foreign scholarship or a sensitive political appointment in today’s Nigeria? And in our campuses, can we still have student leaders chosen by the students themselves, rather than the hand of the government of the day?
These were the times and the men who shaped us. Men who, like Prof. Ibiang Oden Ewa and Emmanuel Aben, stood tall, spoke truth, and built others without fear or favour.
Final Days and Legacy
In politics, our paths crossed again in the National Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN), where Prof. Ibiang Oden Ewa served as State Chairman and I was Governorship candidate, until General Abacha’s death abruptly ended that season.
Prof. Ibiang Oden Ewa was more than a teacher and politician; he was a shield in dangerous times, a compass when the path was unclear. His words saved me once, perhaps more than once. And in the quiet of certain nights, when the wind shifts and shadows lengthen, I still hear that voice, warning and guiding, as though he has never truly left.
May his gentle soul rest in peace. Go with the Lord, our Staff Adviser and former State Chairman of the NCPN until we all gather again, under that final and eternal tree.
Signed:
Papa DC Enamhe — Verified storyteller, writing from Atibulum, Gakem, Bekwarra LGA, the community where the first gunshot of the Biafra–Nigeria civil war was fired, and which Nigeria has abandoned.
First President, NACRISS Worldwide.
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