Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke, has called on activists in the country not to remain quiet at a time the country is in dire need of courageous people to speak on governance and against poor leadership.

He said it is worrisome that a few years ago there were myriads of activists who spoke against bad government, adding that there seems to be a conspiracy of silence in the face of even worse leadership crisis in the country.

The Akwa Ibom Speaker, who spoke while addressing members of the Young Lawyers’ Forum of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, in Uyo, asked: “Where are the activists in the country now?”

He said: “We have a great challenge facing us today as the leaders of this country for tomorrow. In the last eight years when things were wrong, we had senior lawyers who would hit the streets shouting and making demands in the name of human rights activists.

“Yet the same things which happened in the last couple of years are happening today, and even taking worrisome dimensions, but there seems to be a conspiracy of silence.

“What we find today is that people become activists when political situations don’t favour them. But when they are on the side which favours them, they feign ignorance of harsh realities.

“I want to thank our seniors, learned lawyers, who still stand to condemn things which are wrong, not minding political affiliations. This is why, till tomorrow, we respect the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi.”

Luke urged the young lawyers to take the challenge of building the nation through standing for what is right no matter what interests are at stake. (THISDAY)

•Photo shows Akwa Ibom Speaker, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke.