Towards The improvement of educational sector in Ak’Ibom - Recipes of Mr Ekanabasi Ubong

 BY ANDREW OBOT

Going by what a famous philosopher, Ralph  Emerson has said, “there is time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power that resides in him is new in nature and none but he knows what that in which he cannot do, nor does he know until he tried”.    

  
From creation in every generation, there are people naturally assigned with historic roles for the advancement of the society. One of such persons is the permanent secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr Ekanabasi Ubong, a distinguished educational administrator who is diligently working in partnership with the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Elder Aniekan Akpan to reposition the sector for a greater productivity in the state. 

As a shining star that can’t be hidden even in the darkest night in view of his distinctive educational prowess for the progression of human race, Mr Ekanabasi Ubong, an ardent supporter and outstanding advocate for qualitative education with a magnetic zeal of achieving an inestimable height at all courses is set to implement the policies that will enable the state government to achieve optimum result for the betterment of Akwa Ibom children. 

This gigantic man is fast becoming a major factor in the educational system of this 21st century and a reference point in the history of humanity. A great deal of this could be seen in the prominent role he played in the success story of the State Secondary Education Board while he was serving there prior his appointment in the state ministry of Education as the Permanent Secretary. 
In the success story of Mr Ekanabasi Ubong, there is no victory that can‘t be achieved and there is no war that can’t be won in the rivalry of life. His tenacious commitment and dogged zealousness to duties are often the impeccable demonstration and attestation of facts to his dent of hard works and pragmatic approach to issues. These of course have portrayed him as a contemporary protagonist in the atypical script inscribed by God and endeared him to thousands of associates, especially in the educational arena as well as alluring uncountable accolades to him. 

According to William Bennett, a foremost philosopher, ‘‘People of good character are not all going to come down on the same side of different political and social issues. Good people…people of character and moral literacy can be conservative and good people can be liberal. We must not permit our disputes over thorny political questions to obscure the obligation we have to  offer to all our young people in the area in which we have as a society, reached a consensus: namely on the importance of good character and on some of its pervasive particulars’’.      

   
   Great achievers are those who build and affect positively the lives of the poorest people as well as children by making them better human beings in the community. In today’s society, the wealth of the nation is not in how much natural resources endowment they have but in the quality of their human capital. If the natural resources were to be the basis of wealth and development, Belgium, one of the Europe’s most developed countries would certainly be the poorest. But Belgium has human capital thus put it at the top. Obviously, when putting this philosophical template within the Akwa Ibom context, Mr Ekanabasi Ubong is the greatest asset that cannot be joke with, owing to his track records of service.

 An exceptional teacher of note and a character reformer of no mean repute, a born educationist with exemplary humility, focused and always zealous to any given duty, Mr Ubong has demonstrated his gentlemanly disposition and practical approval of issues of diligent administration, high moral and academic discipline. His brilliant activities and interactions with people both at home and abroad have undoubtedly portrayed him as a man of honour, impartiality, vitality and accountability. Accountability in this context is the obligation to answer for any responsibility that is being conferred upon a person, in order words, those who are charged with the responsibility of executing policy should be obliged to give explanations of their actions to the government and the general public.   Another striking quality that endears him to all and sundry is his divine compassionate nature. Compassion also, in this context is the human attribute of understanding the suffering of others as well as applying the necessary techniques that will alleviate the sufferings and pains of the people. The real compassion is a characteristic that converts knowledge to wisdom.

 Admittedly, Mr Ekanabasi Ubong is a distinguished administrator and a role model with multidimensional experiences in the public administration that has been garnered over the past years. He has developed strong general management skills and strategic ideas for the enhancement of educational affairs. Naturally, he is a creative and result oriented personality with proven success records in research, corporate governance and resource planning among other areas in the public sector. 

Speaking with newsmen on the appointment and posting of Mr Ekanabasi Ubong, some major stakeholders in education while applauding the State governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel for recognising excellent in the person of Mr Ekanabasi Ubong, stated that his appointment and posting to the ministry of Education is apt and timely as he will employ his wealth of experiences to bear for the improvement of the educational sector in the state. 

   
Another person noted ‘’ as an outstanding  educational administrator with example of humility and sincerity, Mr Ubong is an epitome of sound education, adding that with his wide range of academic attainment and robust track records of service in the public sector, he will not fail to live up to the expectations of government and the massive.’’

In the words of Anthony Robbins ‘‘I believe life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment, and life’s greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret’’.  Intandem with the above philosophical postulation of Robbins, Mr Ubong’s commitment and focus despite turbulent in life have undoubtedly portrayed him as a generational icon of hope who live his life propitiously and not in regret.  

  
   As posited by the Holy Bible, Seest thou a man diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings. Mr Ubong is passionate about making a difference, this remarkable man has vision, and he can see into future and predict what it has in store. He has a clear idea of where he is going and what he is going to accomplish for the people in general. Having a clear and unique vision is what highly separate him from others in the race and showcase him as an icon of faith that has capacity and moral to implements effective policies for the advancement of educational sector in the state for a betterment society.

 Mr Ekanabsi Ubong is a devoted Christian with a golden heart, charismatic and sociable to all. He is happily married and the union is blessed with children.