Not long after Governor Udom Emmanuel disclosed that he would allow people with innovative ideas and creative solutions to serve in his administration, the governor put his words to action by appointing eight new commissioners on August 3, 2020.
Although each of the appointees is remarkable in their own right, the overwhelmingly favourable response to Barr. Ini Ememobong’s appointment as the commissioner for information and strategy is distinct and perceptible. The accolades bestowed on him by a considerable number of people suggest that he is a man of compelling personality.
Careful consideration of Ini Ememobong’s public life shows that he has defied the odds to arrive at where he is today. After he completed a four-year degree course in Linguistics and Nigerian Languages at the University of Uyo, Ememobong enrolled to study Law at the University of Uyo. Barely two years into his study, on December 13, 2009, he contested and emerged the president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), ahead of six other candidates. Even though the election was not void of the controversies that follow electoral processes in Nigeria, Ememobong strived to authenticate his mandate.
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Fortunately, he had the backing of his predecessor, Comrade Bashir Baballe, and other officials of NANS. Amidst discordant opinions, his predecessor and four NANS officials signed and released a press statement titled “Setting the records straight”. In the statement, they declared Ini Ememobong as the authentic president of NANS. On April 15, 2010, NANS inaugurated Ini Ememobong as the 24th president of the umbrella body of all students’ organizations in Nigeria.
Even though many have attributed his emergence to the support he got from former Governor Godswill Akpabio, Ememobong’s brilliance is undeniable. More so, he has never denied getting help from the people he served. At the thanksgiving held after his inauguration as a commissioner, Ememobong said, “There is no self-made man; our greatness depends on the people we serve”.
After the end of his tenure as the NANS president, then Governor Godswill Akpabio appointed Ememobong as his special assistant on student matters. His time as the governor’s aide on students’ matters birthed a renaissance, particularly in students’ politics and socials. He encouraged students in different departments to vie for elections within and outside their department.
By his intervention, two of his protégés, Morgan Ekanem and Borono Bassey, held student government positions as undergraduates. Currently, Morgan Ekanem is a personal assistant to Governor Udom Emmanuel on public affairs and Borono Bassey is the new state publicity secretary of the PDP.
Meanwhile, Ememobong’s tenure as the state publicity secretary of the PDP is arguably intriguing. From May 2016 when he assumed the role to May 2019, he published 35 press releases. His press statements were a salvo fired periodically against the claims of the opposition party in the state during the 2019 general elections in Akwa Ibom State. Those press statements also earned him scathing criticisms from people who accused him of making scornful remarks about his former benefactor, then-Senate minority leader, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, who had become the voice of the opposition in the state.
Notwithstanding, Ini Ememobong’s innovative approach and accomplishments in the discharge of his duties are beyond doubt. From his days as the president of NANS to being governor’s aide on student affairs and notably, his tenure as the state publicity secretary of the PDP, Ememobong executed his role with panache.
In addition to his pursuits and helping his close associates to occupy positions of considerable influence, Ememobong’s benevolence has endeared him to people. To mark his 35th birthday, he empowered 35 widows drawn from various parts of the state with N100, 000 each to expand their businesses; gave scholarships to 35 students in higher institutions, and took out time to acknowledge and appreciate 79 teaching and non-teaching staff that taught and mentored him from secondary school to the university level.
On a final note, Ini Ememobong’s recent appointment as the commissioner for information and strategy at the age of 37 is awe-inspiring. He is the living proof that young people can aspire to be more, inspire one another to be more, and reach out to help others along the way.
