By Bassey Nkponam
UYO
The Akwa Ibom governor and his Anambra counterpart, Professor Charles Soludo, have joined the University of Uyo(UNIUYO)community to felicitate Nigeria’s ace economist, and former vice chancellor of the institution, Professor Akpan Hogan Ekpo, on his 70th birthday, and retirement from academics.
Pastor Umo Eno and Soludo registered their felicitations,Wednesday, at the first Valedictory Lecture of the Professor Akpan Hogan Ekpo Centre for Public Policy, University of Uyo, themed:“Nigeria: The Economics of Potentials and the Potentials in Economics”, which took place at the 1000-seater auditorium of the University of Uyo Main Campus along Nwaniba Road, Uyo.
Eno, in his message of felicitations at the event, described Professor Akpan Ekpo’s 70 years as deserving of celebration and commended his dedication to academic excellence and sanitising the University of Uyo community of corruption, cultism and certificate racketeering.
He lauded the meritorious services of the ace economist at the various institutions across the country, and the globe, seeing him as an honourable Akwa Ibom ambassador and a great asset to the nation and the global community.
Eno applauded the vice chancellor of the University of Uyo, Professor NyaudoNdaeyo, for initiating the Valedictory Lecture to give the renowned academia a deserving honour on his exit from the institution.
The governor, in reaction to the plea made by the chairman on the occasion, Dr Asikpo Essien Ibok, on the need for the provision of a road to Ekpo’s residence in his village, directed the commissioner for works and fire service, Professor Eno Ibanga, to put modalities in place for the commencement of the construction of the Ikot Obio Eka-Ikot IbokRoad that connects Professor Akpan Ekpo’s Southern Iman Ward II community to Mbioto in Etinan Local Government Area, as well as internal roads leading to the UNIUYOcampus auditorium.
The Anambra governor, Charles Soludo, congratulated Professor Akpan Ekpo on his tripartite celebration, describing his 70 years on earth, particularly their 36 years of friendship, as impactful.
Soludo recounted their friendship, which started 36 years ago, and recalled the various encounters in serving with Ekpo on various platforms including the African Economic Consortium in Nairobi, Kenya, African Institute for Applied Economics in Enugu State, Board of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), and West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, describing the celebrator as an asset to not just Akwa Ibom but Nigeria and the global community.
The managing director of Vika Farms Limited, Uyo and former lecturer at the Department of Economics in the University of Uyo, Dr Asikpo Essien Ibok, who chaired the occasion, described the event as a worthy celebration of an academic icon with track record of excellence which earned him the scholarship of the Dean’s Honour Roll in his undergraduate days.
Ibok noted that his ascendancy to the pinnacle of excellence was not unconnected to his contributions to knowledge and rational decision-making prowess in administration.
A one-time secretary to the state government, Obong Umana Okon Umana, who co-chaired the occasion, corroborated the accolades of the chairman on the occasion, asserting that the world has the likes of Akpan Ekpo come one per season, but expressed optimism that his legacies with outlive his generation.
The vice chancellor, University of Uyo, Professor NyaudohNdaeyo, described Akpan Ekpo as a rare gem and an asset to the University of Uyo community, Akwa Ibom and the world at large, as well as a man who was ready to lay his life for the university system, making reference to his fight against social injustice in the university, and his zero tolerance for things that were outside merit.
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