Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr: Cometh the hour, cometh the man
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When a man's way is just and pleases God, his hour comes seamlessly and nothing abbreviates his ascendency
Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr's finest hour is here. The immediate past Cross River state Commissioner for Finance stands out in the galaxy of governorship hopefuls angling to succeed His Excellency, Professor Ben Ayade come next year
Ekpenyong and millions of Cross Riverians rooting for his governorship embody the American Author, Warren Bennis' timeless treatise on leadership and followership: "Followers who tell the truth, and leaders who listen to it, are an unbeatable combination"
Suave, soft-spoken and cerebral, Ekpenyong possesses a calm mien and has a lovable personality with an electrifying presence. He rises above the fray to stamp competency and accomplishment in the position he had held
Ekpenyong's rich academic resume and uncanny leadership experience make him the knight in the shining armour for Cross Riverians.
The most prepared of all the aspirants, while every other aspirant is talking outside the knowledge of Cross River, Ekpenyong is talking from the strength and advantage of an insider who has been in government for almost eight years
Cross River is not particularly a rich state; Ekpenyong knows how Ayade has been able to keep the state afloat and execute projects even when monthly allocation to the state sometimes comes as low as 36 million Naira
Unlike other aspirants, Ekpenyong has a practical experience in governance and leadership. As Commissioner for Finance for almost eight years, he has a practical experience in statecraft
A youth himself, Ekpenyong has been able to galvanise the youths. This is instructive because the population of Cross River is youth-based. Therefore, if the APC in Cross River is desirous of winning the 2023 governorship election, their best bet is Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr
When the other aspirants were busy campaigning for themselves, Asuquo Ekpeyong Jnr rather chose to transverse the 18 local government areas of the state in political evangelism, sensitising the people of the need to support the party, the All Progressives Congress (APC)
None of the aspirants has done a quarter of what Ekpenyong has done in terms of sensitisation and mobilisation for the party
At last count, Ekpenyong has consulted members of the state House of Assembly, Cross River State Traditional Rulers' Council, Legacy APC ( Old APC Wing), Organized a 30,000 man youth summit, undertook a 10-day local government tour on sensitization for voters registration and encouraged new membership for the APC.
He visited each council area, consulted youths, elders, party leadership, Chiefs, women groups etc
He has also interfaced with the Hausa community, Commissioners forum and state party Exco
A Havard trained economists, Asuquo's ideas on financial management and wealth creation are consistent with modern economic ideas.
This is in tandem with the yearnings of Cross Riverians who want a governor that can consolidate on the industrialisation drive of the incumbent government.
First appointed Commissioner in 2015 at the age of 29, Ekpenyong was reappointed by the governor in 2019 after his ( The governor's) second-term victory
Of course, Governor Ayade, with a knack for efficient service delivery and competence, would not let a star-studded Ekpenyong slip from him
Though born into wealth and affluence and influence, Ekpenyong is not magisterial in his interpersonal relationship and conducts
Instead, he is effervescent and self-effacing in his dealings with the public. This, of course, is the kind of personality Cross Riverians want, a governor that connects easily with the people
Ekpenyong's outstanding performance as Finance Commissioner is an open record. For example, he was the brain behind the successful implementation of the Treasury Single Account( TSA) in Cross River
Cross River is one of the few states to implement this policy and this was made possible through the dogged efforts of Ekpenyong Jnr.
Under his watch as the chairman of the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Program for Results (PforR) the State excelled and achieved over 20.4M USD and 7.6M USD in grants for the year 2019 and 2020 respectively.
This outstanding achievement wouldn't have been possible if not for guidance, direction and leadership of Mr Asuquo Ekpenyong
For Cross River, the Asuquo Ekpenyong way is the way to go for his hour has come and Cross River is on the cusp for a quantum freshness.
Featured News
Published May 05, 2022
Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr: Cometh the hour, cometh the man
When a man's way is just and pleases God, his hour comes seamlessly and nothing abbreviates his ascendency
Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr's finest hour is here. The immediate past Cross River state Commissioner for Finance stands out in the galaxy of governorship hopefuls angling to succeed His Excellency, Professor Ben Ayade come next year
Ekpenyong and millions of Cross Riverians rooting for his governorship embody the American Author, Warren Bennis' timeless treatise on leadership and followership: "Followers who tell the truth, and leaders who listen to it, are an unbeatable combination"
Suave, soft-spoken and cerebral, Ekpenyong possesses a calm mien and has a lovable personality with an electrifying presence. He rises above the fray to stamp competency and accomplishment in the position he had held
Ekpenyong's rich academic resume and uncanny leadership experience make him the knight in the shining armour for Cross Riverians.
The most prepared of all the aspirants, while every other aspirant is talking outside the knowledge of Cross River, Ekpenyong is talking from the strength and advantage of an insider who has been in government for almost eight years
Cross River is not particularly a rich state; Ekpenyong knows how Ayade has been able to keep the state afloat and execute projects even when monthly allocation to the state sometimes comes as low as 36 million Naira
Unlike other aspirants, Ekpenyong has a practical experience in governance and leadership. As Commissioner for Finance for almost eight years, he has a practical experience in statecraft
A youth himself, Ekpenyong has been able to galvanise the youths. This is instructive because the population of Cross River is youth-based. Therefore, if the APC in Cross River is desirous of winning the 2023 governorship election, their best bet is Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr
When the other aspirants were busy campaigning for themselves, Asuquo Ekpeyong Jnr rather chose to transverse the 18 local government areas of the state in political evangelism, sensitising the people of the need to support the party, the All Progressives Congress (APC)
None of the aspirants has done a quarter of what Ekpenyong has done in terms of sensitisation and mobilisation for the party
At last count, Ekpenyong has consulted members of the state House of Assembly, Cross River State Traditional Rulers' Council, Legacy APC ( Old APC Wing), Organized a 30,000 man youth summit, undertook a 10-day local government tour on sensitization for voters registration and encouraged new membership for the APC.
He visited each council area, consulted youths, elders, party leadership, Chiefs, women groups etc
He has also interfaced with the Hausa community, Commissioners forum and state party Exco
A Havard trained economists, Asuquo's ideas on financial management and wealth creation are consistent with modern economic ideas.
This is in tandem with the yearnings of Cross Riverians who want a governor that can consolidate on the industrialisation drive of the incumbent government.
First appointed Commissioner in 2015 at the age of 29, Ekpenyong was reappointed by the governor in 2019 after his ( The governor's) second-term victory
Of course, Governor Ayade, with a knack for efficient service delivery and competence, would not let a star-studded Ekpenyong slip from him
Though born into wealth and affluence and influence, Ekpenyong is not magisterial in his interpersonal relationship and conducts
Instead, he is effervescent and self-effacing in his dealings with the public. This, of course, is the kind of personality Cross Riverians want, a governor that connects easily with the people
Ekpenyong's outstanding performance as Finance Commissioner is an open record. For example, he was the brain behind the successful implementation of the Treasury Single Account( TSA) in Cross River
Cross River is one of the few states to implement this policy and this was made possible through the dogged efforts of Ekpenyong Jnr.
Under his watch as the chairman of the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Program for Results (PforR) the State excelled and achieved over 20.4M USD and 7.6M USD in grants for the year 2019 and 2020 respectively.
This outstanding achievement wouldn't have been possible if not for guidance, direction and leadership of Mr Asuquo Ekpenyong
For Cross River, the Asuquo Ekpenyong way is the way to go for his hour has come and Cross River is on the cusp for a quantum freshness.
Written by: Anthony Ofem