GODSWILL OBOT AKPABIO - GOVERNOR OF AKWA IBOM STATE
Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State was born at Ukana Ikot Ntuem on the 19th of December, 1962. He attended Methodist Primary School, Ukana and scored a Distinction in the First School Leaving Certificate. From there, he proceeded to the Federal Government College Port Harcourt for his secondary education. Later, he gained admission into the University of Calabar to read Law and, on graduation, he went into the Nigerian Law School from whence he was called to the Bar.
Godswill Akpabo started his working life as a teacher at the Afaha Secondary School, Essien Udin in 1982 from where he joined Paul Usoro & Co, Lagos, a law firm, as Associate Partner. By 1995, he had joined EMIS Telecoms as Director, Corporate Affairs/Legal Services. He was there until 2002 when he was appointed Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources. About a year later, he was transferred to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. His dedication to duty earned him a posting to the Ministry of Lands & Housing in 2006.
To crown it all, Godswill Akpabio contested the governorship election of 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and emerged victorious. He was sworn in on 29th May, 2007. As a result of his wide exposure to the problems of Akwa Ibom State, Governor Akpabio had a clear vision of what he wanted – that is, an Akwa Ibom State with an empowered populace and a private sector – driven economy, acting as a catalyst to Nigeria’s industrial revolution.
His mission, essentially, as a prominent member of the government he took over from, as he defined it, was to steer the Akwa Ibom ship from where His Excellency, the former Governor Obong Victor Attah anchored, to its final destination where indigenes of the state would burst forth from the shackles of tribalism, subservience, pettiness, blackmail, subservience, character assassination, inferiority complex, poverty to a fulfilled, peaceful, virile and united Akwa Ibom State. From reports of huge development strides across the state, he has largely achieved these goals.
For his efforts over the years, he has garnered lots of awards. These include his appointment as Youth Ambassador of Nigeria by the National Youth Council of Nigeria; nomination as the most outstanding Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State in 2005; his AIT/Ray Power Award for Excellence in Local Government administration/Reforms; and Man of The Year Award at the Niger Delta Leadership Award (NDLEA). Others are his naming as Facilitator of Movement for National Accommodation and Continuity (MONACO); Patron of more than 178 youth organisations in Nigeria; and Facilitator of Akwa Ibom State chapter of National Coalition for the Continuity of Reforms Agenda (NCCA) of President Obasanjo.
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