Effiong Nyong’s Bakassi Dirge: A Failed Prophet Preaching to the Choir

By ABC Group

Effiong Nyong has once again taken up the pulpit of lamentation, crafting verses of grief over Bakassi while branding government as heartless, the people as voiceless, and himself as a prophet of change. His article “Bakassi… Where Territory is more important than humans,” published in Mainland Metro News (MMN), drips with righteous indignation. Yet, beneath the rhetoric lies a deep irony: the man who calls for redemption has himself become a monument to failed ventures, contradictions, and selective memory.

The Poet of Broken Ventures

How seriously should one take a man who preaches prosperity for Bakassi, yet has been unable to sustain prosperity in his own life? Effiong Nyong’s personal history reads like a catalogue of collapse. His canteen, Canaan Foods in Akpeno, Surulere, folded like a stall under storm. His attempt at sports journalism ended not with trophies but with forfeits. As General Manager of Sparkling FM, his tenure dimmed instead of sparkling, leaving the station struggling. Subsequent ventures followed the same tragic script — failure wrapped in excuses. Even so, benefactors extended lifelines. Remedies were offered. But can such a man be the savior of Bakassi? A cracked pot cannot hold water; why should it carry a people’s destiny?

History in Selective Memory

Equally troubling is Nyong’s selective recall of history. He rails against Cross River and Nigeria as though the ruling APC, President Bola Tinubu, or Governor Bassey Otu authored the International Court of Justice ruling at The Hague. But facts are stubborn. The real architects of Bakassi’s loss — those who negotiated the Green Tree Agreement and supervised the handover — were not APC leaders. They were the very figures Nyong now praises in the ADC coalition: former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Donald Duke, Liyel Imoke, Efiok Cobham, Essien Ayi, Gershom Bassey, and Senator Bassey Henshaw. These were the custodians who signed, sealed, and delivered Bakassi to Cameroon, and by extension, France.

If Bakassi was truly “betrayed through negotiated transactions,” the fingerprints belong to Nyong’s allies, not his adversaries. Why then does he pour venom on those who inherited scars, while sparing those who wielded the knife?

The Preacher’s Household Contradiction

Another irony stands out. Nyong urges Cross Riverians to reject complacency, yet his own son enjoys a lucrative appointment under the very government he condemns. A preacher whose son dines at Caesar’s table has little moral ground to condemn Caesar. Before lecturing others on sacrifice, he should first put his household in order. Resignation speaks louder than rhetoric. Until then, his words remain the echoes of a man battling his own reflection.

Diplomacy Over Discord

Beyond Nyong’s contradictions lies the real issue. Bakassi cannot be healed with rage. Its wounds will not close through blame games. As the Obol Lopon of Ugep teaches through custom, dignity is expressed in restraint — symbolized by the branch held between the royal father’s lips. In that same spirit, Governor Otu has refrained from accusations, and President Tinubu has resisted reopening old scars. They have chosen diplomacy over discord, stitching a future instead of tearing open wounds.

Yes, important questions remain: What became of the Green Tree Agreement? Where is the Bakassi Stabilization Fund? How are local allocations managed? But answers to these are not found in Nyong’s dirges. They demand steady negotiation, quiet statesmanship, and the discipline to seek justice without destroying bridges.

The Poetry of Patience

Nyong’s article may be poetry of lament, but poetry is not policy. Anger may rattle the drums, but diplomacy steadies the ship. Bakassi’s redemption will not come from microphones or bitter verses, but through sustained diplomacy, accountability, and collective resolve.

Nyong asks: “How did we lose our soul?” Perhaps the answer lies closer to home. The soul was not lost yesterday; it was traded years ago by the very men Nyong still courts politically. His anger may be genuine, but his memory is selective. His failures are personal, yet his prescriptions are national.

Conclusion

ABC Group maintains that while Effiong Nyong’s lament may sound poetic, it rings hollow. His contradictions weaken his sermon, and his selective memory distorts the truth. The path forward for Bakassi will not be paved with bitterness or blame, but with diplomacy, patience, and credible leadership. What the people need are leaders with clean hands and steady records — not prophets whose own altars lie in ruins.

Bakassi deserves more than dirges. It deserves direction. And history will not be rewritten by failed men masquerading as saviors.