‘Etubom’ Bassey E. Bassey speaks in Efik to the Peace Gathering, 2004. English translation below.

During a Peace Gathering in Calabar, organized by Ékpè lineage heads, journalist Bassey Ekpo Bassey is the keynote speaker. Cross River State, Nigeria, August 2004.
“Nkong-nkan! All mighty Muri Munene of Efut [addressing the paramount ruler of Efut], and my beloved brothers and sisters, may I continue to speak Efik language, or is there anyone here who does not understand Efik? [crowd urges him to speak Efik].
First of all I want to stand on behalf of the Etubom and Chiefs who accompanied me here today. Adana [people from outside Calabar] and people from other boundaries, especially the people from Ekoretonko, who live in Calabar, Akpabuyo, Bakaski, and Akwa Ibom State. Ekoretonko is a village with its people residing in Calabar, in Akpabuyo, Akwa Ibom State and Bakassi, I greet all of you here today.
Nkong-nkan! This is a feast that the Muri Munene has called to emulate peace and to discuss how we will keep things in place for the progress of our communities so that it [this progress] will be enough for everybody. As we are here gathered to eat and drink, let it not end here. [He speaks in Ibibio language]. The Ibibios say: ‘Don’t eat Udoh’s food without giving Udoh something’. The elderly people have died off, so the young people don’t know their left from their right. There is a saying: ‘When you eat shit, you should not rub it on your clothes’. [i.e., we should not wash our dirty linens in public]. These are not the things that we used to see in our childhood, there are new things now, that we why we must call ourselves and have a discussion among us.
What is the problem of our land? What is the problem with thieves? What is the problem with killing? Why are these things happening now, but they didn’t happen before? What is bringing them? First of all, you will see that the people in our land are more now than in years past [‘overpopulation’]. If you look deeper, the older ones are not many; we now have young men in abundance. Because of hardship, people don’t live longer anymore, so the elderly are not many. A proverb speaks of, ‘small fishes, small fishes, everywhere in the river’. In other places, the government of the land has plans for the younger ones, they know their numbers, how many they are this year, and in five and tens years to come, how many there would be. If the people used to be 100, and are now 102, they will start planning for schools, hospitals, sport stadiums to engage them, and also plans to make more jobs, so that these new generations will have jobs after they pass through school . . . [Translation of Efik by Ms. Ama Edet]