Ifere Paul Vs Obasesam Okoi: CRS Central brothers wash dirty laundry in public

Efio-Ita Nyok|30 January 2017

The duo of Ifere Paul a Nigeria-based environmental activist and public policy analyst and Obasesam Okoi a Canada-based academic and social commentator, both of Yakurr local government area in Cross River State have been engaged in an embroiling battle of words recently NegroidHaven can authoritatively inform.

Yesterday 29 January at exactly 8:55PM Mr Okoi took to his social media account, Facebook and submitted a thread that was obviously critical of an unnamed section of the APC in Cross River State who have active presence on social media. According to him, these APC apologists with strong representation on social media are reputed for cyber bullying. Okoi frowned against this trend of alleged bullying of people who hold disparate opinions from these lots. His thread reads in part, ‘Nigeria will be a better place if my APC brothers who claim to be “leaders” lead by example. I’ve said repeatedly that whenever activism crosses the threshold of civility, it reduces the activist to a militant, tout, and irresponsible citizen. And such behavior is what some of my brothers display online, the very reason I chose to distance myself politically from some people, regardless of friendship or family ties. Besides, you cannot be fighting corruption on Facebook and bullying everyone expressing discontent against the suffering imposed on Nigerians while secretly accepting stolen money from people who looted Nigeria dry. That’s hypocrisy.

‘From my observation, the main APC stakeholders in Cross River who are controlling budgets in the billions don’t come online to abuse, attack, bully or malign anyone who expresses a legitimate discontent. It’s always those who cannot influence a polling unit that makes the loudest noise about APC.’

After over an hour of publishing his thread, Mr Paul reacted slamming Okoi of having no political leaning but going for what he referred to as the ‘highest bidder’. Paul in no uncertain terms labeled Okoi a political prostitute of a magical character. This is how he captured his response: ‘You have no political leaning. You’re for the highest bigger. Recently you were in PDP and campaigned for Liyel and Ewa. During the presidential campaign you were with GEJ. But suddenly you started APCing. Such political prostitution is magical.

‘You supported people who looted our wealth. Denied scholarships to their people. Denied us access to medical supplies. They gave people they should have empowered guns. Til date Ekori is still fighting themselves with the said guns. Ewa used the money according to you to build houses in Atlanta, USA. Some of us may not have influence on the polling units. But some of us are not as dented as you are. I can answer questions were I stood during the Ewa elections without thinking. But Can you?’,  he continued.

When queried by one Anthony Bissong Attah the State Leader of the Young Democratic Party in Cross River why he was taking Okoi’s thread personal, Paul said the post was about him —’Sit up to a political prostitute? God forbid. I won him an argument then he made this post. He is that personal and vengeful.’ was his reply to Attah.

Paul even took on one Ofem Ekapong Ofem who reacted below Okoi s thread in the following words: ‘Obasesam Okoi We owe the voiceless our voice in speaking truth to power. At the height of suffering during the xmas season i put out a post about the suffering of families comparing same to 1984 and before i knew it someone who didnt live my experiences started attacking me and trying to discredit my post… Never stop because history will judge us’. This was Paul’s response to Ofem: ‘No body attacked. I corrected a believe that made us looked like beggars in Yakurr. I can see you’re feeling bad about it. Thank you’.

Hmmm… Cross Riverians should unite to be able to fight the common enemy of corruption, graft, inefficiency etc. Fighting in public may not solve the problem. We may hold dissimilar opinions but the right to hold such opinions especially when it’s not libelous should be respected methink.

Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org