Otobong Sampson
June 20, 2020

A year after she emerged as senator for the district, Dr. Akon Eyakenyi has come under not unexpected scrutiny - more so as elected government leaders recently scrambled to present their scorecards in public space for grades on their first full calendar year in office.

Gusts of verdict have flurried in bids to rate the senator's service to the district and her constituents. Many have thumped-up her honest efforts. A few do not agree - they habour a resentment. Dissensions could be borne out of conviction. At other times, it isn't germane.
While a vast number of the people have okayed her strides, she is listening to the minority voices with differing opinion. In the assertion of MLK jnr, 'a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus'.

Her ambitions for the district haven't waned. This can be seen in the energies she exudes in the pursuit of those ambitions. It is seen more in her deep and non segregatory relations with constituents. To motivate people, leaders must be close enough to relate with them.

In 12 months, the activities of her predecessors have been enlarged. She has promoted greater collaborations and trained many young persons with brave aspirations.

Political consciousness is peaking across Nigeria. Electorates, in contrast to previous times, have upped their demands from leaders and representatives; they are asking for more. The people would have to salute the approaches adopted by the senator in her search for workable solutions where old patterns have failed.

Her promise of a 'Better Deal' was sub-grouped into five templates. Quality Representation; Economic and Political Inclusiveness; Enterpreneurial and Human Resource Development; Education; and Infrastructural Development. In all but the last, her strides have been stark staring obvious. She's had two motions, one in education and the other on security in Nigerian waters and in the Gulf of Guinea. She has co-sponsored eight motions including one on the imperative to increase funding to primary health care centres. There's her bill which seeks to upgrade Maritime Academy, Oron, to a full scale Maritime University.

In her first 100 days in office, 400 young people across the three federal constituencies were trained in the skills of scaffolding, industrial safety and rigging. 250 widows were rewarded during her 60th birthday merriment. There are several start-ups that bear testament to Eyakenyi's benevolence. Whether in health or educational assistance, her good-heartedness has shone through.

The argument that the senator has served below par is straight mischief. That she has exhausted just 12 months of a four year mandate renders such protestation ridiculous. If advanced from the springboard of genuine ignorance of her activities, then it is excusable. While a few would stay loyal to their prejudice, there's no evidence that she is what they assume.

Her representation has served majority constituents the most and served nobody the least. The clamour for 'more' should not be misconstrued for underperformance. It is simply an acknowledgement of her capacity to match rising expectations.

With every leadership begins the immersion in an unending process and not a quest for final destination. So far, Eyakenyi's senate peregrination has been a surefootedness in patching together a mix of a new model and the old order. If anyone appreciates big-picture thinking, her first year service should win a fair prize. Hers is creating a new culture of diligence, inventiveness and cerebral freedom.

The old system has bought constituents a third-class seat for so long on the national economic train. Unarguably, the senatorial district is bouncing back from an era of shattering representation. Failure to embrace a new era of provocative leadership and efforts at reconstruction would menace the future of the political, social and economic structure of the District.