Why Nsima Ekere Is Akwa Ibom’s Best Pick For Minister

Since taking his oath of office on May 29th, 2023; President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has started out well as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic Of Nigeria. Amidst ongoing cases against his Presidency at the elections tribunal from aggrieved politics parties and candidates; President Tinubu has somehow kept his focus, sticking his head right inside the tedious job of Leading Africa’s most populated and ethnically diverse nation, even as the nation awaits the verdict from the Judiciary.

A couple of policies signed into Law, Necessary Lay offs, round peg in round hole appointments and engagements with stakeholders from various spheres of the Nation, speaks of hope of a better country, even though this government is barely two months. Peharps this very hope was first envisioned by President Tinubu himself, when he unveiled his election campaign slogan to be “Renewed Hope 2023”.

Like he said in his inaugural speech. Elections are over, Now is the time for Governance. And one of the crucial parts of Governance is setting up a team, well trusted and capable; to help achieve his desired vision. President Tinubu himself is no stranger to putting together a quality team for the job, having done so before when he held sway as Governor of Lagos State. So good his team was, that beyond growing Lagos from a normal, commercially growing city to Africa’s fifth Largest economy; members of that team went on to become Governors, Federal Ministers and even Vice President of Nigeria. Hence, Nigerians trust him to assemble some of the Nation’s finest, intellectually robust men and women to spearhead a massive revival of this nation’s survival at this critical time.

It is well known, that the President is expected to carry every state along and have them represented, in his National Executive Council, mostly populated by Federal Ministers.  And for Akwa Ibom State, the question is not ‘Who does the cap fit?’ but rather, Why not Nsima Ekere?’.

ONE (Obong Nsima Ekere) as his Followers love to call him, perfectly fits President Tinubu’s requirement for Appointment, Precisely ministeral appointment. A technocrat and Good, Productive Party man. Ekere embodies this all.

As a technocrat, Nsima carved out an excellent carear for himself before jumping into the muddy waters of Politics. Nsima attended the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he graduated with a B. Sc. Honours Degree in Estate Management,  in 1986, and thereafter created an amiable carear for himself in the said field of study.  ONE is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (FNIVS), and a registered member of Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria, ESVRBN. He is also a Senior Certified Valuer, International Real Estate Institute, IREI, Minnesota, USA. Ekere enjoys associate memberships of the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation, IRRV, London.

In 1989, Mr. Ekere set up Gassons Nigeria Limited, an indigenous anti-corrosion, environmental, fabrication/maintenance engineering company. Before joining politics, Ekere was the Principal Partner of Ekere and Associates, a firm of estate valuers and real estate development consultants with offices in Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja and Uyo, which he started in 1993. He sat on the board of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) and served in various entities like Universal Energy Resources Limited, Anchor Insurance etc., before emerging as the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State. Such vast ganered experience, explains why in 2016, the then President Muhamadu Buhari appointed him as the MD/CEO of NDDC, a position he held until January 2019 when he resigned to focus on his quest to become his State’s Governor as the then APC gubernatorial Candidate. And before leaving, his strides in the commission elevated him to become one of the finest administrators to ever grace the commission.

Politically, Obong Nsima Ekere is one of the prominent Leaders of the APC in the state.  By virtue of his position as a former Deputy Governor and gubernatorial Candidate, He is unarguably a leader in the party. But that is not the only criterion. Ekere has invested time, energy and finances over the years, to see to the stability of the Party. It is worthy of note that since joining the party in 2015, Ekere has never left or been a part of any anti-party activity.  Peharps, this is why During the campaigns, Asiwaju Tinubu appointed him the Chairman of the AKS  State Central Planning Committee for the APC Presidential Campaign Rally. To those who know, that is a sensitive appointment given to only those you can trust to deliver. He happens to be one of the few party leaders to deliver his unit/ward.

Finally, in terms influence in the Party, After the likes of Sen. God’swill Akpabio, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, Mr. Umana Umana, the next name to be mentioned is Obong Ekere. This pertains to those still in the party, not green pasture seeking decampies.  It is interesting to note that since the ascention to power of the APC, the aforementioned three have all risen to become Federal minisrers of Niger Delta, Budget and National Planning, Niger Delta Respectively; leaving Obong Nsima the only one yet to ascend such height.

An appointment as Minister for Ekere by President Tinubu will kill three birds with a single shot.
– Compensate a committed Party Stakeholder
– tap from the resources of a seasoned technocrat
– And finally, gift Akwa Ibomites a man who would help bring Dividends of Governance to them. One who has done it before, through the NDDC.