Emmanuel Okon: The unsung champion of Divine Mandate

BY JOSEPH OKON

When Mr Udom Emmanuel in 2014 presented himself to contest for the office of Governor of Akwa Ibom State, some skeptics doubted his political strength to win the Peoples Democratic Party Governorship ticket and eventually win the general election, but he believes that under a divine arrangement, his aspiration can come to pass.

This perhaps was the reason he christened his campaign organization, “the divine mandate”. The skeptics may have been looking at Mr Udom Emmanuel alone in the political picture of actualizing the divine mandate, but the bigger picture is that there were a lot of unseen factors that worked for the divine mandate.

One of such unseen political factor that galvanized the entire state mobilizing support to ensure the emergence of the divine mandate is the Managing Director/ CEO of Eminence Oil and Chemicals, Mr Emmanuel Okon.

Mr Emmanuel Okon, a distinguished son of Nsit Atai, a native of Ikot Itie Udung is a Petroleum merchant with an operational base in Port Hacourt, Rivers State.

This is one man behind the scene of actualizing the Divine Mandate since 2014 who has not been seen or celebrated even after the emergence of the mandate in April 2015. Apart from galvanizing the entire state mobilizing support for the actualization of Udom Emmanuel’s divine aspiration, Mr Okon has been one of the major stakeholders of the divine mandate project.

As a prominent stakeholder in the divine mandate, Mr Okon has contributed financially and intellectually for the success of the divine mandate which has given Akwa Ibom people a lot of comfort and relief especially in the face of the current hash economic situation in Nigeria. While people in other states of the country are dying of hunger, workers are not paid, the custodian of the divine mandate is putting smiles on the faces of people.

From the beginning to the emergence of the divine mandate, Mr Emmanuel Okon popularly called; “Eminence Oil or Pepsi” has always been on the forefront, contributing meaningful ideas that culminated in the success of the much celebrated divine mandate administration in Akwa Ibom State today.
As a true patriot and believer in the divine mandate and Governor Udom Emmanuel, the Eminence boss has always been there to backup the present administration in ways that make the poor and the downtrodden feel the positive impact of Mr Udom Emmanuel’s administration.

The routine distribution of Kerosene to all families and widows across the entire state is a testament of Eminence kindness and effort to ensure the people of Akwa Ibom state are impacted positively by the divine mandate. Because he believes that the divine mandate will stay for eight years, he is doing everything possible to maintain the mandate with Governor Udom Emmanuel till 2023.

As a people centered man, this grass rooter has done a lot with his personal resources to make Akwa Ibom people especially the less privilege happy with the administration of Mr Udom Emmanuel. Apart from distributing kerosene to Akwa Ibom people, Eminence oil has a lot of beneficiaries in his education empowerment for the poor, skill acquisition for self-reliance, market women empowerment, entrepreneurial, and other forms of empowerment programmes.

Every week, Eminence Oil sets-aside his personal resources for the PDP ward meeting while he meets with his people every month to share some empowerment packages. Indeed, he has been able to surmount and collapse all forms of opposition in Nsit Atai. This will definitely give Governor Udom Emmanuel a smooth ride again to hilltop mansion of Akwa Ibom State come 2019.

More than five years now, it has been a routine elaborate Christmas celebration with his people in Ikot Itie Udung that always come with empowerment. The routine Christmas celebration and empowerment is growing every year. The just concluded 2016 edition was a clear evidence of the fact that Eminence Oil has institutionalize massive empowerment in Nsit Atai every December.

The 2016 edition was witnessed by a brother to the Governor, Mr Gabriel Nkanang, an aide to the Governor, Mr Elijah Iyak, and other prominent sons and daughters of Nsit Atai and by extension Akwa Ibom State. It was a commendable feat that needs to be commended. Within the last years, he has been able to touch a lot of lives and resuscitate many back to business through his kindness.

He is not doing this to be noticed or praised, he believes that as a true champion of the divine mandate, he has to represent that mandate and the custodian of the mandate anywhere he finds himself. This may have prompted his kind gestures across the state.

Governor Udom Emmanuel is no doubt the chief custodian of the divine mandate, but Mr Emmanuel Okon sees it as his responsibility to protect and defend the divine mandate at all times especially when the mandate is under threat.

A clear example of this was when the forces of men ganged up in that obnoxious Appeal Court ruling in December 2015 to thwart the divine mandate of God freely given to Mr Udom Emmanuel by the people of Akwa Ibom State during the April Governorship election, he immediately rose to the occasion to protect and preserve the mandate.

Based on his avowed determinations to protect, defend, and preserve the divine mandate he contributed to the birth of a socio political emancipation group known as “Mandate Preservation Group” (MPG). The group went round the entire state creating awareness to the people of the state that the mandate they gave to Mr Udom Emmanuel to govern them as Governor of Akwa Ibom state is under a serious threat.

The people of the state in unity rose and send the strongest signals to manipulators, the group then embarked on prayers across the state which caused the Appeal Court ruling to be upturned at the Supreme Court by the Supreme God of divine mandate. As the Vice Chairman of MPG BoT, Mr Emmanuel Okon has done a lot strategically to protect and preserve the divine mandate.

Today, the divine mandate is seen as the only consolation and antidote to the current depression that Nigerians are going through. Akwa Ibom state is beaming with smiles while people in other states are crying for lack of money to eat. Workers in other states now work for God and not for wage, while workers in Akwa Ibom are paid as at when due. Akwa Ibom continues to be a miracle land filled with milk and honey courtesy of the divine mandate. 

With this honest commitment to ensure that Akwa Ibom people have a better deal under Mr Udom Emmanuel administration, it is only God that will reward his sincere labour of love for the people of Akwa Ibom State.