The Pen, The Voice, The Bridge: Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli for INC’s National Publicity Secretary

MUNENE WILSON 

In every generation of a people’s journey, destiny quietly searches for a voice. Not just a loud voice, not merely an eloquent one, but a voice tempered by knowledge, refined by service, and guided by humanity. As the Ijaw National Congress prepares to shape its next chapter, the choice of a National Publicity Secretary must rise above routine politics. It must be a deliberate decision about who carries the soul of the Ijaw Nation into the public square.

In Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli, we find not just a candidate, but a convergence — of intellect and empathy, of activism and discipline, of pen and principle.

Civilizations have always understood the power of the written and spoken word. When the Roman Republic trembled, Marcus Tullius Cicero steadied it with oratory. When revolutions simmered, Thomas Paine ignited them with pamphlets. When Africa’s dignity required restoration, Chinua Achebe wrote stories that rehumanized a continent. The lesson of history is simple: the pen and the voice are not accessories to leadership; they are instruments of destiny.

Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli belongs to that tradition of thinker-communicators — men who do not merely react to events but interpret them, frame them, and give them moral direction. His educational grounding is not decorative; it is foundational. Scholarship disciplines thought. It trains the mind to listen deeply before speaking boldly.

In an age where public discourse is often reduced to impulsive statements and digital outrage, Ikuli represents a return to reflective communication. He understands governance, political dynamics, media architecture, and the delicate equilibrium required in representing a diverse nationality within a complex federation.

A National Publicity Secretary must do more than draft press releases; he must articulate positions that can withstand scrutiny in Abuja, resonate in Yenagoa, and echo across the diaspora. That requires intellect — and Wisdom brings it.

Yet he is not confined to academic abstraction. He is a writer whose ideas live beyond fleeting interviews. His books and essays demonstrate a commitment to interrogating power, defending justice, and clarifying Ijaw aspirations. Writing is an act of courage; it is a willingness to stand by one’s thoughts long after applause fades.

A man who writes seriously thinks seriously. A man who thinks seriously leads responsibly. The INC deserves a narrative architect, not a megaphone. It deserves someone who can craft communiqués that are historically conscious, legally grounded, and emotionally intelligent.

Before the national stage, there was formative service. Within the Ijaw Youth Council, Wisdom Ikuli learned the grammar of struggle and the discipline of organization. The IYC has long been the furnace in which Ijaw consciousness is shaped — where youthful fervor is refined into strategic advocacy.

There, he encountered the urgency of youth and the weight of responsibility. He learned with abandon, but also with discipline. He emerged not as a rabble-rouser, but as a mobilizer who understands both passion and prudence.

Beyond intellect and activism lies perhaps his most compelling quality: his humanity. The Ijaw Nation is rich in clans, dialects, histories, and political leanings. Unity within such diversity cannot be imposed; it must be cultivated.

Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli’s embrace of Ijaws irrespective of stock speaks to a heart expansive enough to carry all tributaries into one river. He does not see Nembe against Gbaramatu, Okrika against Arogbo, Epie-Atissa against diaspora sons and daughters. He sees one people bound by history and hope.

In a time when micro-identities threaten macro-solidarity, that disposition is not optional; it is essential. The National Publicity Secretary must be a bridge — between elders and youth, between tradition and modernity, between activism and diplomacy.

He must be firm without being inflammatory, persuasive without being antagonistic, accessible without being trivial. He must know when to roar and when to reason. Wisdom Ikuli’s public engagements over the years reveal a communicator capable of defending positions without descending into personal rancor.

We stand at a moment when narrative control determines political relevance. The Ijaw story must not be told carelessly. It must be told with historical memory, strategic foresight, and emotional balance. It must speak to oil-bearing communities and riverine fishermen, to students in Port Harcourt and professionals in London.

It must carry the cadence of the creeks and the clarity of constitutional language. That is the burden of the National Publicity Secretary — to ensure that when the Ijaw Nation speaks, it does so with coherence and authority.

History is not shaped only by those who hold executive power; it is shaped by those who shape perception. If the pen is mightier than the sword, then the INC must entrust its pen to one who understands its weight.

If the voice of a people must command respect, it must come from a throat disciplined by study and a heart enlarged by compassion. If unity is to be more than a slogan, it must be carried by one who genuinely embraces all.

Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli stands at that intersection — the pen, the voice, the bridge. In choosing him, the INC would not merely be electing an officer; it would be affirming a philosophy of thoughtful communication, inclusive leadership, and strategic articulation.

The moment calls for maturity. The future demands clarity. The Ijaw Nation deserves nothing less.

By Munene Wilson, Ace Broadcaster and Writer