Chairman of MTN Nigeria, Pascal Dozie, Ray Ekpu, CEO of May Five Limited, will be among top dignitaries to grace the launch a biography of Moses Ekpo, deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State.
In a statement made available to BusinessDay, Dozie will chair the occasion that will also feature a keynote address titled, Book as a Factor in National Development – A Biographical Perspective, to be presented by John Asein, director-general, Nigerian Copyright Commission.
Udom Inoyo, executive vice chairman of ExxonMobil, will perform presentation of the book that will be reviewed by Ray Ekpu.
The event scheduled for Friday, May 31, 2019 at Ibom Hotel and Resorts, will also feature an address by Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, who will be the special guest of honour and the unveiling of a foundation in honour of the late wife and son of the deputy governor.
According to the statement, Martha Udom Emmanuel, wife of the governor, will perform unveiling of the book, titled, Trials and Triumphs. The book, written by veteran journalist, Uko Okopide, chronicles the many travails of Ekpo at different stages of his life, which he was able to overcome to forge ahead to achieve successes in different areas of endeavour, crowning with his election as deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2015.
The high point of the occasion will be the unveiling and inauguration of the Martha and Moses Jr, Ekpo Foundation by the state governor. Ekpo set up the foundation in 2019 to serve as a platform for the provision and funding of social projects and programmes for improvement of the lives of Nigerians in the areas of health, education, and welfare.
The foundation will provide and fund projects that would give easier access to quality healthcare delivery by Nigerians in the rural areas, especially in the treatment of preventable diseases as well as child and maternal health. It will also provide bursaries to medical and para-medical professionals, with special focus on those operating in the rural areas.
The Martha and Moses Jr, Ekpo Foundation will fund and implement educational programmes and projects that would equip Nigerians to compete internationally, especially in the area of economy. It will provide bursaries to students studying strategic and innovative courses, and also fund programmes and projects that promote digital, as well as entrepreneurial and financial literacy for teachers and students.
It will fund projects and programmes that address poverty, with welfare programmes that are at aimed improving the quality of lives of the vulnerable population, including widows, widowers, disabled person and children.
Some of the trials mentioned in the book were Ekpo’s 30-month incarceration in Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War; the loss of his wife and child, all of which marked very low points in is life.
Rather than allow his spirit to be killed, Ekpo emerged from all the trials stronger in a manner that made his successes in life overwhelm those trials. An important milestone in his professional life was his rising to the top of his journalism and public relations career as Chief Public Relations Officer in the Department of Information, Governor’s Office, in the Second Republic administration of the late Clement Isong in the former Cross River State.
The book examines Ekpo’s very cordial relationship with Emmanuel, which greatly influenced and shaped the character of the People’s Democratic Party administration in the state from 2015, as evidenced in the high flying performance of the administration, leading to the securing of a fresh mandate by both men from the people of Akwa Ibom for another term.
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