ONOFIOK LUKE EXEMPLIFIES HUMILITY

Rt. Hon.(Barr) Onofiok Luke, Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly

By Admin

The name Onofiok Luke is trending on social media in the past four to five hours. One question one may be tempted to ask is: Why is this young man that popular that even people outside the state are interested in him? The young man who has assumed the position of the Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly today is an embodiment of humility. He is humble to a fault, a virtue very rare in people who assume political office. I have followed him since 2008 when he was inaugurated the pioneer Speaker of Nigeria Youth Parliament. One thing that captured my interest about him was when he submitted that he will never issue any award to any one as far as he remain the Speaker of the Parliament. He followed his words with action.
Though I don’t go closer to him but only to greet him and passed.

On several occasions, his humility always showed up. At the breaking of fast during Udom Emmanuel few days in office, while approaching the State Banquet Hall, it was crowdy and the SSS were restricting those who should enter the Hall. After waiting for some minutes, he was not allowed to enter while the SSS were allowing others, he left the place and come and sat with women outside till the end of the programme. While still outside, he was greeting everyone that he can reach out. That is a sign of a man that God has prepared to promote. At the burial of Barr Essien Esema’s mother, you can see the number of people that he went round to greet - the elderly, women, youth, and the handicapped. He doesn’t discriminate and hence his popularity exceeds ethnic and political affiliation. 

Another occasion was at the Federal High Court on October 21 when the Tribunal ruled on Akwa Ibom Governorship Election. When he approached the entrance, women surrounded him and in the process of getting himself out of them, his phone fell down. Thank God it didn’t roll down the stair case. He was angry with them for such a mob arrangement but later went back to them and exchange pleasantries. I have seen him at the floor of the State House of Assembly, his rhetoric are excellent. The man Onofiok Luke exemplifies humility. He wore it as clothes. He almost attended every event (marriage, send-off, graduation, burial, etc) by young people in the state. He is a man that humble himself and not being carried away by his position. I respect him a great deal.

We have so many people who are occupying political offices in the state and the country that are very humble. One particular case was with the Transition Chairman of Esit Eket. I have another occasion with the Transition Chairman of Eket and Ibeno. They are down to earth base on my personal encounter with them. One thing about peope who humble themselves not minding the office they occupy is that God always lifted them beyond their wildest imagination. On Wednesday last week, after a meeting with Commonwealth Youth Council Chairperson, Dr. Ahmed Adamu, I told him that Hon. Onofiok Luke will assume the Speakership position after the Court of Appeal nullified the election of Rt. Hon. Aniekan Uko. He was excited because I recalled during the emergence of the Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Dr. Ahmed Adamu was one of the people who inbox me on the outcome because they were all interested on how one of their own should emerge. Today, that dream has become a reality but it didn’t come on a platter of gold but his humble disposition paid off.

Today, I want to ask you: How do you see the office you are occupying? Are you obsessed by the position that you are occupying? I won’t forget what the Transition Chairman of Esit Eket told me inside his vehicle. He says, he wondered why people are always carried away by the title of their offices and they see others as nobody. He went ahead to say that it is an orientation issue. That before you assumed that office, someone else has been there and you will also leave the same office someday. What does that mean to you? My mother always say, learn from the fig tree. God is in the business of lifting people. First, you must humble yourself to be lifted up. Ntanga nkan oro (I won’t say more than that).