Why Akwa Ibom Should Rehabilitate the Legacy of Lady Udy, the First Indigenous First Lady

Why Akwa Ibom Should Rehabilitate the Legacy of Lady Udy, the First Indigenous First Lady

Mikky Attah urges the Akwa Ibom State Government to restore the commendable legacies of Lady Udy Umondak, the First Indigenous First Lady of the state

Lady Udy Umondak, currently of The Udy Factor TV fame; is the reason the late Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga became military Governor when he did; but sadly, her unparalleled contributions to the development of the state have been completely ignored, constituting a sad legacy to Nkanga’s memory.

The first indigenous military Governor of Akwa Ibom State was the late Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga who died of COVID-19 last December – so it stands to reason that his former spouse, if an indigene, would also be the First, of First Ladies, and indeed she is the First Indigenous Forst Lady of Akwa Ibom State.

The union of Idongesit Nkanga and Udy Umondak is one that even fate seems to have had a hand in – and the accomplishments of Lady Udy as First Lady must not be relegated to the background of history.

While many have watched the vivacious and engaging Udy presenting her programme The Udy Factor on AIT; a lot of people may not have known the love story of Udy and Idongesit, leading to their emergence as First Indigenous Military Governor and First Indigenous First Lady of Akwa Ibom State.

It happened that the very pretty, intelligent young girl, Udy Umondak was the first and favourite daughter of Chief Umondak. Late Chief Umondak, a wealthy and influential man was a two-time Commissioner in the old Cross River State. He was also the founder of the first private secondary school in his locale-Nsit PeoplesHigh School. Naturally, he had lofty plans for his sheltered daughter, Udy, and early marriage was not one of them. Worse, the Nkanga family was not a known one; to put it succinctly, theirs was a very modest family.

When the young officer, Idongesit approached Chief Umondak for his daughter’s hand in marriage, Umondak was filled with anger at the request. He called his daughter and thrashed her with a cane; wrongly thinking she had started seeing people of the opposite sex. But the young girl did not even know then, that the officer stranger was interested in her! Her father was further infuriated by the fact that a man with no background had come for his daughter. However, Udy was adamant, and in the end, her father gave in, and allowed Idongesit Nkanga and Udy to get married.

In the course of their travels on military postings, they had their only daughter, Victoria, who was born in Kano but spent most of her life in America, after primary school in Lagos and also attending the Nigeria Air Force Secondaey School.

Unfortunately, all the while Nkanga was frolicking recklessly with small girls. Udy had started to experience ridicule over his behaviour. She quietly moved out, hoping he would change. Udy decided to settle in Lagos and pursue a career in acting. She played the role of Ngozi in the NTA television series, ‘Mirror In The Sun.’ She later launched her fashion line, ‘Colours’, which was the choice of Nigeria’s celebrities.
All the same, Udy and Idongesit remained quite close until his death.

As it happens, I was also close to the late Idongesit Nkanga, and he told me that Udy was his first love. He also told me that if he had his way, Udy would still be in his house today.
When Nigeria’s military President Ibrahim Babangida decided to appoint indigenous Military Governors, his first choice for Akwa Ibom State, which he, Babangida also created, was his former commander of the Presidential Fleet: Wing Commander Idongesit Nkanga!

However, that appointment came with a tight timeline, and with a very stringent condition- Nkanga could only assume the appointment along with his legal wife, or else the appointment would quickly be given to another officer.

Mrs Udy Nkanga, now Lady Udy Umondak was Nkanga’s legal wife. She willingly accepted to relocate to Akwa Ibom, and move in with him as a couple, into the Government House . The Nkanga administration lasted just one year and four months before handing over to a democratically elected government ( in Nigeria’s Thirrd Republic).

In that time Nkanga built the state secretariat complex ( named after him).

Lady Udy as First Lady, was also astounding in performance. In 16 months, she achieved what no other First Lady has been able to achieve in eight years. Lady Udy constructed and completed the first and only purpose- built facility for women, the Women Development Centre on IBB Way in Uyo which is still in good use till this moment. From it, several women cooperatives were formed which brought about enhanced economic standing for the women.

The funds to build the Women Developement Centre was raised by The First Indigenous First Lady, Udy and Akwa ibom women.
She commissioned famous Music Producer, Lemmy Otu Jackson to produce an album “Iban Akwa Ibom Ayo Asiere,’ which was launched at the then Akwa Ibom Stadium , in which the Late Ime Umana was chairman and later Lady Udy and all the women embarked on a drive for a donation of N1,000 each by every indigene .

The project was 85 percent complete by the time she left.
Her successor Mrs Bako completed the project and Lady Udy was invited for the commissioning.
Lady Udy danced with a basin accompanied by all the women to raise funds at the stadium during the launch

Three months ago, the Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel had an empowerment programme for physically challenged people, irrespective of gender. The venue of that event was the Women Development Centre, built by Lady Udy.

Udy also fully implemented the Better Life for Rural Women’s programme in Akwa Ibom State. This further established many viable cooperatives for women who began to be economically empowered. She was able to achieve all these with very little funds at her disposal. Importantly, Lady Udy carried out her task of uplifting the women without reservation or partiality. This is in stark contrast to what obtains now, where one must be a friend/ wife of a friend to a sitting governor in order to have any iota of inclusiveness in government.

With all these achievementsto her credit, her home state, Akwa Ibom has neither acknowledged her contributions nor come through for her at any critical time of her need.

Udy and Idongesit were again joined together in 2017 when tragedy struck and their only child , Victoria Nkanga Herman died of cardiac problems. She was buried in Washington before her distraught parents and son.
Indeed, Nkanga had other children but Victoria was his eldest child.

It actually would appear that those three, Victoria, Udy and Idongesit were joined together even by fate. Victoria was born on December 21, Udy was born on December 23 and Idongesit Nkanga died on December 24!

In fact, that was how Udy even got to know of his passing away. They were always in touch on the phone, and Nkanga never failed to call Udy on her birthday. But last December 23, he did not call! Udy instinctively knew that something was horribly wrong. She decided not to wait, but call him herself. Udy was proven right when his line was picked by someone else who informed her that Nkanga was in critical condition of health. In less than 24 hours , he was gone, dead. It was a total tragedy for Udy.

And now, 10 months after the passing on of Idongesit Nkanga, Lady Udy has been left to wallow in sorrow alone, with no state recognition, in spite of all her achievements. Yet, without Lady Udy, Idongesit Nkanga would never have become Military Governor and be celebrated today.

Akwa Ibom State needs to do the right thing by rehabilating the legacy of Udy Umondak, who, in my opinion is the Best First Lady Akwa Ibom has ever had.
This is the time for the Akwa Ibom State government to reach out to her officially in her dowager which, purely by reasons of fate, has now occurred without endowment. The everlasting beauty that is Lady Udy Umondak is now in her 60s , and it is old age that will soon beckon. The Akwa Ibom State Government should take it as a point of duty to offer her commensurate assistance at this time.

Or how would it be, now that her only child and her former husband are both deceased, God forbid; if she were to pass on now- is it her neighbours in Lagos that would have to rally round to bury her? Once again, God forbid that .
Meaning, the time to act is now.

QUOTE

Lady Udy constructed and completed the first and only purpose- built facility for women, the Women Development Centre on IBB Way in Uyo which is still in good use till this moment. From it, several women cooperatives were formed which brought about enhanced economic standing for the women. The funds to build the Women Developement Centre was raised by The First Indigenous First Lady, Udy and Akwa ibom women. She commissioned famous Music Producer, Lemmy Otu Jackson to produce an album “Iban Akwa Ibom Ayo Asiere,’ which was launched at the then Akwa Ibom Stadium

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