Ini Okori: The quintessential leader

BY EMMANUEL EKONG

Inibehe Okorie has been a pivotal player in the ruling Peoples Demcratic Party since 1998 and remains a frontline chieftain of the party who also featured as a Governorship aspirant in 2006. 

For people who have come close to him, his in-depth passion to bring change to governance and his quintessential leadership qualities in his successful business career, leaves no one in doubt that this great son of AkwaIbom State, a tested technocrat and modern day leader is once again on the path of greatness to liberate his people in his quest to emerge as the next Senatorial candidate at the forth coming nominations of the party for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District.

The call to represent Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District by Chief Inibehe Okori is a familiar terrain and the interesting fact today lies in the fact that history favours his passionate desire to accomplish this task as he takes the turn of the ever marginalised Abak Five comprising Abak, Ika, Etim Ekpo, Ukanafun and Oruk Anam Local Government Areas which deservedly belongs to them.
Coming from a background with a huge followership and massive appeal who over the years has consistently kept in touch with the yearnings of his people, Chief Ini Okori offers a fresher perspective of effective and quality representation for his people in the march to change the destiny of a great people, ushering them into a stronger legislation that would attract greater federal presence in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District.

An outstanding Nigerian whose influential connections with Presidents spans across  continent, Chief Inibehe Okori was born in 1966 and hails from Etim Ekpo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

His intimidating academic profile which puts him in good stead as prominently qualified to pick the senatorial ticket of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District include a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from the prestigious University of Jos, also holds a Diploma in Finance and Banking and currently is in pursuit of a Masters Degree in Money and Finance.

His life as a successful and renowned businessman extols this hardworking son of Akwa Ibom State who has worked his way up the ladder to achieve the great and monumental feat that has positioned him among Nigeria’s elite corps of industrialists.

As a young school leaver, Chief Ini Okori while serving with the Cross River State Credit and Wholesale Association acquired a taste for business having spent his early Post Graduate years serving in the banking sector, before launching out on his own.

As a key player in the private sector of the Nigerian economy for decades, this astute and skillfull individual successfully built up a massive conglomerate The Mattini Group of Companies who’s agricultural and food programmes have generated a lot of commercial and self reliance initiatives at the grassroots.
He also has expanded his vast business empire into Real Estate and Environmental Management as his influence and presence on several boards and committees within and outside the country has seen him establish stronger ties with Presidents of nations including Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa.

The  entry of Ini Okorie in politics has seen him engaged and assigned in strategic portfolios including his membership of the Presidential Campaign Team of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003 and between 2003- 2007 was a caucus member of the party in Akwa Ibom State.

As a renowned financial expert in the country, Chief Inibehe Okorie also served in various capacities including his membership of the National Economic Intelligence Committee (NEIC)  in the Presidency, member governing board of the National Council for Arts and Culture where he served  as Chairman of the Technical Committee, member of the strategic committee of the Presidential Campaign Team for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in 2011 and has been  the Honorary Special Adviser ( International Co-operation and Development) to Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State since 2012.

A proud recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Award of the Rotary International and awards from other notable bodies like the Niger Delta Youth Movement among many other professional bodies in Nigeria including the Nigeria Institute of Management , Nigeria Institute of Bankers and is a distinguished Pillar of the Abuja Polytechnic as  he holds the home front in high esteem and in god’s love  where he is happily married with four lovely children.

The emergence of Inibehe Okori on the Senatorial platform of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District brings to the table a wealth of economic driven vision from the private sector into governance and a great opportunity for the people of the senatorial district to  key into his vision and blueprint to transform AkwaIbom North West as the next Senator in 2015.

His representation provides a stronger platform to unite the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district as Abak Five finally and rightfully takes its place in the history of a great people for and equitable and effective representation in the Upper chambers at the National Assembly.