Amb. Prof. Dean Roberts Jnr., High Commissioner and Continental Vice President of UNPGC-USA, has called on Africans across the continent and in the diaspora to reject division and embrace unity, saying the legacy of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade must not continue to weaken the continent.
He made the call while speaking at the Ibiaku Clan Development Association (ICDA) Family Retreat held at the Villa Hilton Hotel, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, under the theme “Reclaiming our Story: Ibiaku History, Identity and Heritage.”
Describing himself as “not a victim of history, but a survivor of the gravest crime against humanity,” Amb. Prof. Roberts said Africans must reframe their narrative around resilience rather than pain.
He referenced President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, who while addressing the United Nations General Assembly on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, described the trade as _“the gravest crime against humanity.”
President Mahama, speaking for the African Group, moved a Ghana-sponsored draft resolution titled _“Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialized Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity.”
According to Amb. Prof. Roberts, the resolution was adopted with 123 countries voting in favor, 3 against, and 52 abstentions out of 178 member states.
“That day, President Mahama said he could not think of a better way to honor our forebears than to have the world affirm that the trafficking and enslavement of nearly 13 million human beings was indeed the gravest crime against humanity,” Roberts noted.
Amb. Prof. Roberts said the slave trade succeeded through a deliberate strategy to _“divide, conquer and export”_ African human capital.
“Families were broken, names were lost, and clans were weakened. Our ancestors were scattered to the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, the Arab nations, and across the world,” he said.
He said the ICDA retreat was dedicated to the memory of Late Obong Elder Harry Etukudoh, whom he described as a man who “lived in the shadow of slavery’s aftermath, yet chose to build, not break.” He compared Etukudoh’s legacy to that of *Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and Sir Ahmadu Bello.
“Division destroys but unity builds,” he stated. “Slavery taught the world that divided people are exportable people. Today, poverty, youth restiveness, land disputes, and cultism are modern chains. Unless we deploy the keys of UNITY, RECONCILIATION, and BREAKING GENERATIONAL CHAINS, we will remain locked down.”
Speaking as a Global Humanitarian Peace Ambassador, Criminology Professor, and Minister of the Gospel, Amb. Prof. Roberts pledged to carry Ibiaku’s name to international diplomatic platforms.
“As a diplomat I will speak Ibiaku’s name at international tables. As a professor of criminology I warn that divided clans are forgotten, but united clans make history,” he said.
He concluded with a call for collective cooperation, faith, and leadership, commending *Amb. Dr. Dennis Ufot*, UN Peace Ambassador and Engineering Scientist, for his exemplary leadership and philanthropy in advancing the cause of Ibiaku, Mkpat Enin LGA, and Akwa Ibom State at home and abroad.
The ICDA Family Retreat brought together clan members, traditional leaders, and dignitaries to reflect on heritage, identity, and strategies for community development.
