Meet Chief Akin Ricketts, The New Chairman Of Nigeria Ports Authority

DOMINIC KIDZU

Left to Chief Akin Ricketts alone, the world and all its peoples will relentlessly live in peace and harmony, without arguments and quarreling, since his very nature abhors disquiet and the vain ego that constantly produces disharmony among people and human communities. All his life he has been a happy – go – lucky man, focused more on producing aggregate value for himself and the people around him through hard work and strategic efforts. He looks at life with philosophical insights, worships God with humility and waters friendship with love and attention. 

When he was appointed Commissioner of Information in Cross River State by Governor Liyel Imoke, he arrived Calabar with the unmistakable panache and aura of high breeding and good living, and not a few were overawed by his sheer presence. I was the General Manager of the Cross River State Newspaper Corporation then and I can recall the unease and trepidation with which myself and other heads of the various agencies under the ministry prepared to attend the inaugural management meeting with the new commissioner. 

It could not have been otherwise. Here was a man you always saw around the Governor more as a friend than his appointee, and who was also rumoured to have purchased the election form for the Governor. But it was all an anti – climax, for Chief Ricketts turned out to be a very humorous and genial man who was more prepared to learn from us than to teach us. It was always a delight to be invited into his presence which  was defined by uncommon simplicity and forthrightness. He was always ready to give away his resources and indeed at that time we thought he was personally richer than the Ministry.

He has always been a businessman, with interests in logistics and procurement for the oil and gas sector, road and general construction and also a farmer with over 100 hectares of farmland producing and processing mainly palms and other cash crops. Born of a royal lineage in Ugep, his grandfather having been a Paramount Ruler and member of the Eastern House of  Chiefs representing Abakaliki division in the old Ogoja Province, Ricketts is a chief, a philanthropist and a socialite, and people naturally gravitate towards him as if beckoned upon by the sheer force of his aura. No one who touches him comes away without a testimony to his essence as a kind and generous man who is more concerned about the comfort of the people than about himself. 

I cannot exactly say why he parted ways with the Peoples Democratic Party, and joined the APC, but once the divorce was sealed, Ricketts invested humongous amounts of money and energy in promoting his new party which was hitherto weak in the State. Infact, he was on course to be the Senator representing Cross River Central in the 2019 general elections when the APC in Cross River was unfortunately rocked by fractionalization. In spite of this setback, Ricketts continued to work for the party while rooting for a raproachement between the contending factions in the State. Today he is not only a key rallying point for members of his party but  also of a great army of youths in the State who love and support him because of his resonance with them and philanthropy. There is no doubt in my mind that Chief Akin Ricketts will yet again carry his amiable personae and midas touch to the Nigeria Ports Authority.