ORO PEOPLE, BEFORE YOU CONDEMN U.J. ESUENE, HAVE YOU REMEMBERED WHAT HE DID FOR YOU?

ORO PEOPLE, BEFORE YOU CONDEMN U.J. ESUENE, HAVE YOU REMEMBERED WHAT HE DID FOR YOU?

ORO PEOPLE, BEFORE YOU CONDEMN U.J. ESUENE, HAVE YOU REMEMBERED WHAT HE DID FOR YOU?

There is something deeply troubling about the way some Oro people speak about the late Brigadier-General Udoakaha Jacob Esuene.

It is easy to remember the controversies surrounding Esuene. It is much harder to acknowledge the things his administration actually did.

Let us remind ourselves of history.

In 1970, during Esuene’s administration, Oron Division was created. That was an important step in giving the Oro people greater administrative recognition and bringing government closer to the people.

His government also established Asbestonit Company Ltd. in Oron, alongside other industrial and economic institutions across the newly created South-Eastern State.

Esuene was not merely sitting in Calabar governing Eket. He was governing an entire state and presiding over a difficult period of post-war reconstruction. His administration invested in roads, schools, health, industry, transportation and other infrastructure across the state.

And then there is the famous QIT controversy.

Some Oro narratives accuse Esuene of deliberately taking Mobil’s facility away from Oro territory and favouring Eket. But that version of history remains contested. Recent historical work argues that Esuene actually fought to keep Mobil’s operational base within the South-Eastern State rather than allowing the project to go to Rivers State.

So before turning Esuene into the villain of every historical story, let us ask ourselves an honest question: what exactly did this man do for the people he governed?

You don’t have to worship Esuene.

You don’t have to agree with every decision he made.

But history should not be written from resentment.

If Oron Division was created during his administration, if industrial projects were established in Oron, and if his government participated in the wider development of the region, then those facts deserve acknowledgement.

Oro people, criticism is your right. But appreciation is also a virtue.

Don’t erase the contributions of a man simply because you disagree with some of his decisions.

History remembers everything. And eventually, history separates facts from inherited bitterness.