In a clime where political office holders are very busy enriching themselves and almost forgetting that they were elected by the people to represent them, a position or mandate they only hold in trust for the people who elected them without any sense of giving back to the people or in the quality of legislative engagements.
One of the legislators in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly that is impressing his people and truly provides a connect with his root is Hon. (Barr.) Ime Okon, member representing the good people of Ibiono Ibom at the Assembly and chair, Business, rules ethics and privileges committee. Trained as a lawyer, he has enhanled the horizon of being a community leader, politician and lawmaker. He came into the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly with a rich experience having been a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria since 1995. He also served for about nine months as transition chairman of Ibiono Ibom local government council. He also served as the managing solicitor of Lex Associates, a law firm based in Uyo.
His law practice career has spanned over 15 years. Quite an impressive stint in leadership. He comes along as a gentleman whom the people of Ibiono Ibom see as a rallying point to articulate the projections for a more united and progressive Ibiono. Prior to becoming a legislator, because of his penchant for community development he served as the secretary to the paramount ruler of Ibiono Ibom palace committee and Secretary Advisory Committee to the paramount ruler of Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area, HRM Okuku (Dr) Ime Udousoro Inyang voluntarily for a reasonable seven years and counting. That kept him very close to the people at the grassroots.
Hon. Okon participates actively in various socio, philanthropic and community development organizations such as the Esop Iberedem where he still serves as the President. He is also the vice President General of Mboho Ndito Ibiaku where he comes from. In 2007, the Okuku of Ibiono Ibom HRM Okuku Udousoro Inyang awarded him a Chieftaincy title of UTENGE Ibiono Ibom for his outstanding contributions to the development of his people in Ibiono Ibom. As a politician of repute, he believes in Politics without bitterness, perhaps that informed his ensuring political stability in Ibiono Ibom when he served then as the transition chairman of the Area. He provided robust assistance to development associations, security agencies and youth orgainsations in the area. Barr. Okon is a stalwart of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party having served as an Elder in the Elders Forum of PDP in Ibiono Ibom before his election into the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. He served as the secretary General of Ibiono Ibom Grand Alliance, a prominent Socio-Political organization in Ibiono Ibom.
In the fifth Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon Barr. Ime Okon remain a formidable ally in the Akwa Ibom project. Beyond Chairing, the House Committee on Business, rules, ethics and privileges, the vocal legislator is always contributing to bills and other issues brought before the State House of Assembly in a proactive manner to facilitate the core mandate of the House. He has proved beyond doubt his legislative and advocacy skills needed to perform his duties as a legislator. Another angle to his excellence as a legislator is the fact that he is not one of those absentee legislators, he is always attending plenary of the house except a pertinent official engagement keeps him away.
As an astute legislator, he has sponsored one motion and passed into resolution. Hon. Okon Co-sponsored four bills all passed into laws not limited to the bill re-validating the payment of pensions to retirees from the state civil service. History will engrave his name on its pages of honour when the abolition of the anti-people contributory pension law is mentioned. He contributes sensibly, conscientiously and is really not given to playing politics with issues that bother on the welfare and interests of Akwa lbom people. In terms of community development projects, he has facilitated the restoration of electricity in many communities along Itak- Useabat-Okoita axis of Itak Okoita Use Ikot Amama Road, how about linking of Ekimbuk to the national grid?.
It is also worthy of note that, he facilitated the provision of electricity transformers to Ikot Ukana and Ikot Usan Villages in Ibiono Ibom .Barr. Okon aside from his robust legislative contributions has embarked on a number of constituency projects such as the renovation of two classroom blocks with offices and conveniences at community secondary school, Ikot usen- Ibiono Ibom, construction of six classroom block at primary school Ikot Esen also in Ibiono Ibom. Others include the construction of a modern town hall at Urua Abasi/Ikot Okopko community, renovation of classroom blocks in community secondary school, Ibiaku, Primary school, Nsan, Community secondary school Itukho and primary school ikot Efim, Provision of solar mini-water projects at Ikot Inyang, Itu Udo, Mbiakpan Ikot Edim Villages which are on-going and renovation of civic centre at Ikot Usen is also on-going.
The pragmatic leader has also constructed an assembly hall, community secondary school Ikot Usen and renovation of 6 classroom blocks at primary school Afaha Itiat both on-going. He believes in empowering his constituents in many positive ways that is why he has donated a 40KVA sound proof generator to one of the constituents in aid of his hospitality business.
Hon. (Barr.) Okon single handedly donated ten vehicles (two SUV’s and eight saloon cars to ten constituents in aid of their mobility. He has also made available the sum of five million (N5M) naira so far which have been disbursed as capital for small business financing to various groups of persons including youth, widows and disabled persons. The accomplished legislator has also embarked on constituency human development fund for employment creation, a strategy to take the teeming graduates and other young persons off the streets. In this regard he has made over N5M so far available as monthly grants to 20 selected youth across the eleven wards to enable them improve upon their businesses and welfare.
A very dynamic personality poised to making impact on the lives of his constituents, perhaps this informed the educational assistance extended to over twenty six students of Ibiono Ibom origin in recognized tertiary institutions in Nigeria. He is also currently sponsoring a yearly quiz competition for nursery/primary schools (public and private) in Ibiono Ibom to enhance their mental alertness and in support of the free and compulsory education programme of the Akpabio led state government. Usually, prizes are presented to winners of the competition as motivation to excel.
He has also donated English language textbooks and exercise books to all public secondary schools in Ibiono Ibom including union secondary school Ibiaku. Vintage Hon.Okon is currently sponsoring over (50) Fifty indigenes of Ibiono Ibom in different vocational trainings in various skills. He has already disbursed training fees to the beneficiaries. He is very practical in his disposition to empowerment issues that is why he has so far employed ten constituents in his constituency office, ten constituents have also benefited from integrated farmers scheme of the state government through his recommendation. Fifteen women from lbiono lbom have been empowered under the Women Agro Entrepreneurship Development Programme (WAEDEP) arising from his willing recommendation. Hon. Okon has assisted many indigenes of Ibiono Ibom to gain employment in both public and private establishments and enrollment in various SURE-P programmes.
As a community development exponent in geometric progression, he gives to his constituents for the growth and development of unions and associations in Ibiono Ibom not limited to one hundred thousand naira (100,000) quarterly to Ibiono Ibom Welfare and Development Union (IWADU), one of the frontline socio, economic and cultural associations in Ibiono Ibom and fifty thousand (N50, 000) monthly to Ibiono Ibom staff association in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. The vivacious and voluble legislator has spent over four million naira on over one hundred indigenes in the areas of health care, projects/School fees, community development, purchase of motorcycles/replacement of old ones and social welfare including payment of hospital bills for an indigene of Ibiaku Ntuk Okpoin Ikono Local Government Area outside his constituency at VVF, Mbitibit Itam in Itu Local Government Area.
Hon. (Barr.) Ime Okon gives me the impression of how a representative of a people should be connecting with the people at all times and always evolving ways of adding value to them. I greatly admire him when it comes to his voracious quest to empower his people more. If I had my way, I will nominate him the most valuable legislator in the fifth Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. I’m really impressed and proud of this legislator of a kind. When the time is ripe enough the good people of Ibiono Ibom will have no choice than to encourage him to continue to serve them.The constant is that lbiono lbom people will not let him go. welldone, the peoples’ servant.
Anny Michaels is a broadcast journalist based in Uyo and can be reach on 08023249776
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