Udeme Nana
At the time he came the world was in the thick of a major conflict- the Second World War. That particular year, Japan terrorized the United States of America, wreaked immense havoc, shaking the whole country, causing much pain, griefs and tears having dropped a bomb on Pearl Harbor. This particular horrifying and murderous onslaught killed 2,400 American soldiers. It was a sad and gloomy day for American citizens.
Elsewhere, in the British colony of Nigeria, the small rustic homestead of Udo Akpan Etok Udo and Affiong Udo Essien of Ibiaku Ata section of Ibiaku Ntok Okpo, now the headquarters of Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State was in ecstatic mood. Their joy stemmed from the birth of a fair-skinned little baby boy who was promptly named Sunday.
This was not to celebrate the exact day he was born as the convention of the time demanded. Not at all, rather it was to underscore the influence of the Christian church which united the community on that day of the week. The parents of the handsome infant were dutiful adherents of the Methodist Church in the village.
The lad, fair in complexion, grew up as a typical village boy. He cracked kernels for his mother who was a farmer and also helped her out in farming. The Methodist mission, which set up its jurisdiction in his village, had also established a Primary School which the young boy attended in due time. He was brilliant and the Teaching profession, which, at that time, recruited its best pupils after graduation enlisted this star who rose quickly into what was the blue chip calling of his generation.
Along the intersection of life, the hardworking young man veered off into another line of work as an Audit Clerk. He held this job for only a few years in Enugu. Fired by an aspiration to climb the ladder towards the highest rungs in the public service, the young man proceeded to the University of Lagos, earned a degree in Accounting and emerged as the best graduating student in the Class of 1966. Later on, in 1975, the Accountant was sponsored by the South Eastern government to study for a Master’s degree in Economics at the University of Birmingham, England.
His Methodist and communal heritage in addition to his new profession had served to define this new octogenarian’s disposition, character and outlook in life. Through diligence, the gentleman was entrusted with sensitive responsibilities in the public service among which were: Chief Internal Auditor, South Eastern State Marketing Board where he worked to stem the tide of sharp practices in the South Eastern State Marketing Board. He was promoted to the post of Deputy State Auditor General, Principal Secretary and Permanent Secretary, Administration and Finance in the civilian government of the late Dr Clement Isong, the first civilian Governor of the former Cross River State.
In 1981, crude oil production dropped drastically and as the Permanent Secretary, Administration and Finance of the Cross River State, it was a part of his responsibility to help manage the austerity measures of the period by ‘eliminating as much waste as possible in public expenditure, suspending award of new contracts, the purchase of new vehicles for Ministries and Departments and further recruitment of staff, excepting in very exceptional cases’. His years in that government were marked by prudence and financial accountability.
When the military government of General Buhari which toppled the Second Republic later carried out a rigorous investigation of that Civilian government, nothing incriminating was found against this first class Administrator and his boss, who had earlier served, without dent, as a Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. That was an exceptional feat because it was a season where the Governors who had been overthrown and their officials were arrested, tried, convicted of infractions leveled against them and sentenced to long terms in jail. Buhari has always postured as an anti – corruption avatar.
The accomplished bureaucrat retired as a Permanent Secretary and joined the services of the University of Cross River State as a Lecturer in the Department of Economics. His sojourn in the ivory tower was, however, brief as he rather chose to go into private practice as a management consultant where he organized training and capacity development workshops, seminars and conferences around Nigeria.
Humans have been described as political animals. He is not an exception. He caught the bug when the political experiment by General Ibrahim Babangida, in 1991, brought him into politics and he vied for nomination for the position of Governor on the platform of the National Republican Convention (NRC), but came third at the Party primaries which was won by Obong Akpan Isemin.
The iconic Community leader shrugged off that disappointment and continued to make contributions to his church and community. He built his Ododuma Management Consulting firm into a credible and popular training company which services were much sought after in Nigeria. That management consulting organization evolved into the International Management and Finance Institute (IMFI), the first Information Communication Technology Academy in Akwa Ibom State approved by the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, for the award of Diplomas in ICT.
Earlier in life, this respected community leader had collaborated with other Ikonians to set up the Ikono People’s High School, Nnung Ukim, Urban Secondary Commercial School, Ibiaku and the Methodist Nursery/Primary School, Itiam Etoi in Uyo. He was also one of the Ibibio patriots who founded the Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio in 1981 and was a signatory to the demand for the creation of Ikono local government Area as a separate administrative division. The Chief facilitated the siting of the General hospital in Ibiaku Ntok Okpo in Ikono. The Military regime in Akwa Ibom State later tapped him to serve as Chairman of the State Economic and Intelligence Committee, a responsibility he discharged creditably.
In June 1999, the government of Governor Victor Attah appointed him to serve as the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development. Thunder struck again near him as the history of economic downturn repeated itself under his watch. This time, it was not on the basis of a drop in the price of crude oil but a result of the abolition of the onshore-offshore dichotomy and payment of 13 per cent derivation revenue to oil-bearing states in Nigeria.
His experience, financial and economic wizardry also came in handy to save the day for the government of Obong Attah. His spectacular initiative, the Inter-ministerial Direct Labour Co-ordinating Agency which he chaired became a vehicle for the government’s intervention in rehabilitation of social infrastructure like schools, electricity, rural roads, and mini-water supply schemes in all parts of the state. The Agency was conceived as a bottom-up approach to identify and provide the basic needs of the people as well as in the execution of Constituency projects.
As a respected Christian leader and Chairman of the state Resource Control Committee, the Knight of John Wesley gave fillip to the hosting of a solemn assembly to mobilize the state to pray for victory in the struggle for the payment of 13 per cent derivation to the state. He helped to moot and drive several policies, projects and programmes which cushioned the state against the vagaries of poor finances at that time.
As an adroit administrator, the Mkpisong Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio initiated the memorandum, as a Member of the State Executive council, for the establishment of the defunct Akwa Ibom State University of Science and Technology, serving as a member of the pioneer planning Committee for the University. He was the brain behind the founding of the Association of retired Permanent Secretaries and Mboho Ndito Ikono ndo Ini in Uyo.
This man, who has taught me so many things is a Trustee of Methodist Church Nigeria. He has covered grounds in the Church as a Sunday School Teacher, a Lay Preacher, Lay President, Arch-Diocesan Lay President and has inspired the establishment of branches of the Church in several locations in both Cross River and Akwa Ibom State. He has been the moving spirit behind the Methodist Evangelical Movement (MEM) in these parts.
Another worthwhile contribution to Christianity by this oak of inestimable value was the establishment of the Holy Club for Charity in 1993 to cater for the welfare and education needs of orphans, particularly off springs of dead Clergymen.
In 40 years of relating very closely with him as his mentee, one never caught him drinking any alcoholic drink. One picked up the habit of drinking Fanta soft drink from him until a few years ago when I stopped.
At 80, the old man has seen the good and hard times which have taken their toll on him physically. He survived near fatal accidents on three different occasions in his journey through life. However, his voice, his sharp intellect, his power of recall remains razor sharp.
This great and patriotic elder statesman who started out as a primary school teacher, taught in the University and in seminar halls across the country, is the author of Financial Management in Government, A Guide to Managing Development For Policy Makers and A Technocrat Lifted By God’s Grace.
Sir Sunday Udo Akpan is still married to Cecilia (Nne), his wife of 55 years and the union is blessed with six Children and many grandchildren. Happy 80th birthday, my mentor and role model.
