Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, the youngest Senator in the 10th Senate, representing Cross River South Senatorial district, has shown outstanding commitment to youths empowerment in Cross River State. In his first year in national politics as a member of the national assembly, he has facilitated 27 combined opportunities for young Cross Riverians in employment, scholarships, political appointments, and the Police Academy.
Specifically, he has facilitated employment opportunities for eight young people in prominent agencies like the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the Niger Delta Development Commission. The beneficiaries include Cinna Ometu, Uduak Anam, Ben Nkebem, and Enobe Etim who were employed under the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Additionally, Eyo Ita, Efefiong Nkebem, Egbai George, and Edide Nkebem were employed under the Niger Delta Development Commission.
For foreign scholarships, he has secured opportunities for seven people, with each receiving $40,000, totaling $280,000. They include Engr. Abasi Ekpenyong, Monday Obio, Effichang Christopher Ntui, Ntami Egbonyi Egbe, Nchor Bitty Ayuk, Ikpeme Bassey Nkebem, and Angela Inyang. Also, he has paved the way for the enrollment of four new prospective Police officers from the state, including Ukpong Nicholas Godswill, Ehanmo Solomon Daniel, Isaac Iwara ThankGod, and Akpet Resame Rachel.
The young Senator, nicknamed, “Standard”, has also facilitated the appointment of eight Cross Riverians as Senior Legislative Aides to the Senate President. The appointees include Edem Bassey, Ntufam Bassey Edim, Victor Effiong, Mizam Arikpo, Ita Archibong, Eric Anderson, Paul Ndik, and Mrs. Egor Offiong.
It is worth noting that none of these beneficiaries are his direct relatives or girlfriends. Rather, they represent a diverse group of young individuals from Cross River State who have benefited from his commitment to empowering the youth and advancing their welfare.
I eagerly await the release of the list containing names of individuals who have benefited from employment, scholarship opportunities, and appointments facilitated by other national assembly members, particularly those who claim to have outperformed Sen. Ekpenyong in the past one year.
While Sen. Ekpenyong has utilized his position as Senate Committee chairman on NDDC to facilitate employment and scholarship opportunities for Cross Riverians, other members chairing committees overseeing critical sectors like the gas sector, where organizations like the Petroleum Training Development Fund, Shell, and other multinational oil and gas companies offer scholarship programmes annually, should disclose how many individuals they have helped secure these opportunities.
Similarly, Sen. Asuquo has utilized his good relationship with the Senate President to secure appointments for young Cross Riverians. Some national assembly members have close ties with the influential Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and it would be interesting to know how many individuals they have used their connections to appoint into positions within the FCT or the federal government.
I appeal that we focus on verifiable facts, rather than spreading fiction or launching personal attacks with blatant falsehood.
~ Inyali Petter, Ph.D.
Peoplesmind