Home Opinion The Audacity Of Hope, Who Is Engr. Ben Etim Akak?

The Audacity Of Hope, Who Is Engr. Ben Etim Akak?

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Engr. Ben Akak

Opinion
He has taken the political arena in Cross River  State by storm. The mere fact of his ambition  has awoken the anger of retrogressive  politicians. They  had hoped he was never born. Who is he to challenge the status quo? Especially when they are accustomed to  apportioning  future political offices to themselves as if the levers of power must perpetually be theirs to command . What audacity has he and who  is behind him? Their followers are angry that a young man from nowhere is challenging their source of living, a source of living that is detrimental to the growth of the larger society. A lot has been thrown arround about him, which all later turned to his favour. The more they try to bring him down, they more he rises like tsunami, breaking down their manipulative cobwebs they have used on the populace for a long time now, through the Grace of the  Almighty God, the one and in whom, he puts his trust. They are surprised at the sudden rise and political wave he is carrying, some out of fear would not want to mention his name when talking about politicians, so as not to mistakenly promote him.

THE FEAR OF ENGR. BEN AKAK, IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM TO THOSE WHO ARE DREAMING TO BE GOVERNOR IN CROSS RIVER STATE.

They have talked about experience and he said I am more experienced than you, because you are money sharers while I am a prudent human and material  resources  manager and have proven to be a good one and Cross River State of today needs a  manager and not sharers of money as you are, and he has reminded them that experience is not bought in the market place. In their confused State, they are now asking where was he 10 years ago? As if it takes 10 years to garner experience to be Governor, even though he has been around all these while.

WHO IS ENGR. BEN AKAK AND WHERE IS HE COMING FROM?

Engr. Ben Etim Akak is currently the leading 2023 governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and leading contender for the governorship seat in the State. He is  a Prince of the Eburutu axis of the Efik Efik Eburutu Kingdom, precisely from Ukwa Eburutu in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State. Born in the early 80s, he is a young man that has tasted  the pains of not eating three times in a day like every other and most  Nigerian children  who were born and raised with no golden spoon. He has also tasted wealth out of hard work, the undying and conquering spirit  of the African/Nigerian child and above all, through the unmerited Grace  and unlimited Favour of God.

He is a Petroleum Engineer from the University of Port Harcourt with a Bachelors degree in  Engineering in 2002.

Engr. Ben Etim Akak is currently the Chairman/CEO Bengies Group of Companies that has interest in Real Estate, Construction, Oil/Gas and the entertainment industry. He has built bussinesses from scratch to stardom most of which are located in Cross River State, such as,  Bengies Bakeries, High Quality Bakery  and others, having over 700 Cross Riverians on payroll as workers. He is currently the third highest employer of labour in the State.

Two years after his graduation from the University in 2004 to be precise, he and others formed the Margaret Ekpo Foundation where he was made the Executive Secretary, and his duties included amongst others:  the coordination of the other arms of the Foundation  which included driving the policy agenda of the foundation in the Board of Trustees and the  day to day running of the Foundation to deliver on the mandate of meeting the needs of the needy, protecting the rights of women, girl child and other vulnerable children within our society. Through his personal efforts, that foundation was declared open by a former Millitary President  of Nigeria, General Yakubu Gowon.

Engr. Akak has also worked and headed different companies and groups such as:  Czer Continental Services Limited where he was the Executive Chairman from 2009 to 2015 and during this time he was in charge of LPO Sourcing, Financial and Human Resource Management which included recruitment, employee services and staff related activities to ensure timely and efficient execution of all projects awarded to the company. He was also part of M.O.E Resource Enterprise where he was incharge of General Adminstration/Bussiness Development and later Consultant Oil Palm Development and Marketing for the company.

Engr. Ben Etim Akak’s desire and quest to see a developed Cross River State in particular, and Nigeria in general, has seen him in most times volunteer his knowledge, wealth and everything in him for the betterment of the society.

To see an improved Cross River State and Nigeria, Engr. Ben Etim Akak through the Ben Akak Foundation he later formed after leaving the Margaret Ekpo Foundation in 2009,  has collaborated at different times with the Local Government Department’s of Agriculture to organize workshops on best practices in Oil Palm Production and record keeping for oil palm farmers in the Local Governments and has remained a Consultant to many Oil Palm farmers and various other Commodities Interest groups. He was the PDP Youth Leader Ito/Idere/Ukwa Ward in and arround 2006.

The Ben Akak Foundation today has brought   succour to the people of Cross River State from North, South and Central Cross River. During the Corona Virus Pandemic, the Ben Akak Foundation was the first  to donate funds , relief  materials  and medical equipments to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and the Cross River State Government. The Foundation also donated food items to traditional rulers, communities and some institutions in Cross River State.

Engr. Ben Akak Foundation has also donated electric Boreholes with standby 250KVA soundproof generator to  towns and Communities in Cross River,  the recent ones being the one donated to Okuku in Yala L.G.A,  Ugep in Yakurr L.G.A and the one at Watt Market in Calabar South L.G.A, all in Cross River State.

The Ben Akak Foundation has also over the years organized quiz and debates in our secondary schools and also collaborated with the School Board in Cross River State to carry-out creative entrepreneurial trainings and education  for career Development and awarded scholarships to deserving students. The Foundation has also over the years collaborated with Institutions like the Senate Committee on States and Local Government Affairs to organize Seminar on Legislative Procedures for State and Local government workers to enhance their administrative productivity. To deliver on its mandate of impacting knowledge on citizens to enhance personal productivity, the Ben Akak Foundation has over the years collaborated with Palmet Consult Limited to organize workshop for citizens on Entrepreneurship development. He has also created awareness on Job creation for citizens, in collaboration  with IEC Career Training Network. And to see a United  and peaceful Cross River State and Nigeria, the Ben Akak Foundation collaborated with Civic Enlightenment Orgainization of Nigeria(CEON), to organized a National Seminar on the task of Nation Building in a Nascent Democracy.

So, for those who have been asking where has he been 10 years ago or what has he been doing? The answer is that he has been arround developing and preparing  himself for today’s task. He is the most qualified to lead Cross River State at this time because he is a prudent manager of people and resources. Others contending with him are money sharers. They have been living on governments funds and have been sharing it to their families and cronies to the detriment of the larger society. None of them have a proven record of creating  jobs and Cross River State cannot endure such wasteful sharers at this time. We need human and resources managers like  Engr. Ben Akak to consolidate on the industrial revolution of the Prof. Ben Ayade’s government and others before  him.

If he can successfully manage humans and resources privately, he can manage and grow Cross River State as well as propel to its   deserved destination.

Engr. Ben Etim Akak is a lover of the people.

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Ekpenyong Isaiah-isababa
Commander, Infantry Pen Battalio
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isacool4good@yahoo.com

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