BYChristy Usen­Akpan
I WRITE today as a product of history and a former leader of Nigerian students to pay tribute to a man who rose from a fairly modest background to champion an inspiring legacy  for  Akwa  Ibom  State  and  for  my  generation.  Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio, CON, has become  an icon of this generation,  a  champion of uncommon
transformation,  a  true  leader  and  a  dynamic  manager  of  people,  resources  and processes.  Nigerian students and former students’ leaders cannot but  reckon  with you; we are proud that you are one of us, being a former students’ leader yourself.

Akpabio’s  administration  has  gone  on  record  as  the  most  student friendly administration Akwa Ibom State has ever had. This administration’s student­ friendly    policy interventions include,  but  are  not limited to, the free, compulsory and qualitative  education scheme, overhaul of school infrastructure in hundreds of primary  and  secondary  schools  across  the  state,  infrastructure  rehabilitation  and support  grants to the University of Uyo and  other tertiary institutions in the state, take­off  and scaled up funding for the Akwa Ibom State University  and  consistent bursary  and  scholarship  opportunities  for  students  of  the  state  origin,  including grants and laptops to Akwa Ibom State students at the Nigerian Law School. Your tenure  has  also  seen  the  emergence  of  leading  Akwa  Ibom  State  students  into prominent  offices  in  the  students  and  youth  movement  nationally.

We have also witnessed the appointment of an unprecedented number of former student leaders to serve in political offices, a salutary trend in leadership development.
In addition, the overall infrastructure and human capacity transformation of the state remains  a  solid  legacy  for  the  next  generation,  a  fact  that  students  appreciate,  perhaps more than  any other  constituency, because,  among the youth, the students are the  elites. As a leader that recognizes and prioritizes the role of students, you deserve the gratitude of the students’ movement. As students’ and former leaders, we owe  Your  Excellency  our  solidarity  and  support  as  you  pilot  the  Uncommon Transformation train through this era of political transition. As young leaders, we are concerned about the political future of our state, because if anything goes wrong, it is our future that is at stake.

One of my greatest reasons for excitement is that your birthday holds on the wings of the 16 Days of Action on Violence against Women, which is usually celebrated the world over from November 25 to December 10 every year to draw attention to the violation of women’s rights at home, at school, at work and on the streets. When several years ago, we were laying the foundations of the Nigerian Female Students Leadership Forum; our mission was to build the capacity of girls and young women in  our  campuses  as  champions  of social  change  and  their  own rights. In the past, students’ and youth leadership used to be an all men affair. Today I am happy to see that the girls and young women are not just ably represented in the movement but more so in leadership capacities. Through laws, policies and the composition of your administration, you have shown that you are a champion of women’s rights. I am a living testimony of your investment in the development of women. Our young men in the students’ movement have a huge lesson to learn from our Governor.

In  making  these  remarks,  I  cannot  fail  to  appreciate  the  role  of  the  wife  of  the Governor, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, a woman who has not only personally mentored me  in  diverse  areas,  but  has  also  taken  under  her wings,  the entire  Nigerian  students  movement  in  Akwa  Ibom  State.  She intervenes during critical junctures to ensure that conflicts are amicably resolved, and that the younger
generation  stays  focused  and  politically  mobilized  for  their  present  and  future leadership roles. We remain ever grateful, ma’am. When the history of this state is finally written, one of the most important chapters will be reserved for her roles not only in supporting the father  of  uncommon transformation  but  also in leaving  her own compassionate legacies in the hearts of our people. We remain grateful to this Amazon.
At 51, Your Excellency, yours is a rendezvous with history, a tryst with destiny and a messianic pact with mankind. In all these, you stand tall as a first among equals.

By your exemplary leadership, you have vindicated Frantz Fanon who once quipped:
“Each  generation  must,  out  of  relative  obscurity,  discover  its  mission,  fulfill, or betray it.”  Yes, you are indeed fulfilling your mission.  But above all, you have challenged the rest of us, to do likewise, if not more. Because you are one of us, Your Excellency, we are indeed inspired to stand up for our generation, following in your footsteps!
Mrs Christy Edwards­Akpan is  Special Assistant to Governor Akpabio on Education Monitoring.