Many things have been written about the life of Akwa Ibom State governor, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, with most of them bordering on his achievements in office as governor of the state. Moses Alao, in this report, looks at the governor's childhood belief about greatness, his drive and the countless recognition and awards that have followed his service to humanity.LIKE a man born to get it right in life, Godswill Obot Akpabio set forth early in life with a passion for greatness. Having lost his father at an early age, he was brought up under the influence of his mother who instilled in him discipline and sound teachings that would later prove to be inestimable.In fact, for a man who has known the meaning of the word 'greatness' at an early age, achieving greatness to Akpabio, did not come as a surprise but as reward for a life of excellence and passionate commitment to lofty ideals and noble causes.The governor, who narrated how he came to know about greatness at a tender age, said that when he usually pestered his mother, Madam Lucy Obot Akpabio (nee Inyang Etor), on his father death, wanting to help him manage the great loss of a father, his mother told him that his dad died so that he (Godswill Akpabio) would be a great man in life. So, the promise keeper, as the governor has come to be known in Akwa Ibom, set out with a mentality that children whose fathers were dead would be great in life while those who still had their fathers might not, even going to the point of telling his colleagues in school how disadvantaged they were to have their fathers alive as only he would grow up to be a great man in life because his dad was late.Akpabio's childhood story, subtle and funny as it seemed, has become a reality, as he has, right from his childhood days, become a centre of attraction not only because of his intelligence but also due to his passion for the good of others, his unbridled commitment to progress and his selfless lifestyle.Born on Decemeber 9, 1962, to the family of Chief Obot Akpabio and Madam Lucy Obot Akpabio, the governor set forth at dawn with a primary education at the Methodist Primary School, Ukana.The young Akpabio did not allow his background to deter him but determined to further his education. For a man on a date with destiny, different doors often open of their own accord and this was the situation for Akpabio, when he won a scholarship to have his secondary education at the Federal Government College, Port Harcourt. It was there that the governor began to prove the biblical injunction that a man that is diligent in his works will stand before kings and not mere men, as he was appointed as the General Senior Prefect of the school.He proceeded to the University of Calabar, where he obtained a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) degree, while at the University of Calabar, the destiny for greatness which has come to be known with Chief Akpabio, was played out again as he was elected as the Speaker of the Students' Parliament.Like a master builder,he continued to build commitment, diligence and passion for excellence wherever he was, beginning with a stint as a teacher to his days as an associate partner with Paul Usoro and Co., a notable law firm in the country. By the year 2002, the ebullient Akpabio was the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of EMIS Telecoms Limited, where in his characteristic manner, he used his position to build and develop men and women of worth, among who are the present crop of management in the telecommunications industry. It was in that same year that he was appointed as the Commissioner of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. In the course of his selfless service to Akwa Ibom State, the 'Land of Promise,' which he now calls a 'Land of fulfilment,' he served in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and later Ministry of Land and Housing. Despite the differences in job description, Chief Akpabio continued to run a single thread through the needle of service to humanity, commitment and dedication, two twin values that have placed the state as one of the best in the country in terms of development and has given Chief Akpabio the enviable status of a primus inter pares, ever since he emerged as the governor of the state in April 2007.Having been a teacher himself and from a background where he strove to attain mastery in education, his deep love and passion for children has seen him take decisive steps in dealing with illiteracy in the state.According to Chief Akpabio, "I was uncomfortable with the image of servitude which the state has come to be known with as a result of teenage children from the state serving as house helps," and in a move that could only be made by a man that is passionate about children, he declared free and compulsory primary and secondary education. He has also rendered assistance to the University of Uyo, a federal university, while also making sure that his transformational impacts are felt in the institution. Apart from these moves which have changed the education sector in the state for better and have continued to be celebrated, his definition of governance reflects that of strong character, passionate leadership and a sense of direction which have made his transformational government an example for other governors.To Governor Akpabio, service and leadership can only be summarised as commitment to the people and posterity. This posture has singled him out among his peers as he daily brings new meaning to governance. Like the proverbial golden fish without a hiding place, Chief Akpabio, after a short time in government began to attract the attention and recognition that accompany leaders who have the interest of people at heart. With an avalanche of awards and chieftaincy titles for the governor, it indeed became a truism in Akwa Ibom State and other lands that hard work cannot go unnoticed. In his four years and some months in office, he has attracted national and international recognition for good leadership, with awards and recognitions such as; Gold Humanitarian Service Award from Niger Republic; Most Outstanding Governor (South -South) by the National Daily newspaper; the Nehemiah Award of the African Church of Nigeria; Tribune Governor of the Year Award in 2010; honourary doctorate degrees from universities; and many other accolades that have distinguished him for his rare service to humanity and transformation of Akwa Ibom State.What would serve as the grand confirmation of Dr Akpabio's season of reward for service to humanity came in the form of a recognition award from the United States Congress last month, where the governor and his lovely wife were recognised for no other thing than the exemplary service which they have been providing to the people of the state through governance.It is, therefore, no surprise that Dr Godswill Obot Akpabio would, by tomorrow, become the first governor in Nigeria to be awarded with a doctorate degree honoris causa in Management Science at the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), a recognition which highlights the zenith of performance which Akpabio has reached, amid assurances to do more for his people, as he has stated that no amount of recognition or awards can 'get into his head' in his mission of total transformation for Akwa Ibom State. But all these awards, according to the governor, can only encourage him to do more for the people as he has chosen the path of service and commitment to the people above the adulations and allure of awards and recognitions which many political office holders crave.'Thankfully, God has given us the grace to rise up to challenges. The process of transforming our state has gone on in all fronts and direction and no sector has been left untouched in the development of our dear state,' he humbly said, understating his achievements and unrivalled contribution to the development of the state.Like his childhood thought that children who have lost their fathers often become great people in life, he has come, he has seen and he has continued to conquer on all grounds; achieving greatness by sheer dint of diligence and God's help.
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