By Louis Iba
Mr. Moses Ekpo’s foray into politics started in 1987, following the creation of Akwa Ibom State and his appointment as pioneer commissioner of information.
Ekpo arrived Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital from Cross Rivers State to work with Col. Tunde Ogbeha, who was named pioneer military governor by the President Ibrahim Babangida-led government which had created the State alongside Katsina State on September 27, 1997.
Ekpo deployed his wealth of experience spanning close to three decades in journalism, advertising, and public administration to his new assignment, and to his credit, his tenure brought about the establishment of what is today a vibrant Ministry of Information and Culture in the state, the establishment of a state-owned newspaper, The Pioneer, and upgrading of infrastructure and programmes at the state owned radio and television stations.
Ekpo started his journalism carrier with the Daily Service, which later became Daily Express, before moving to the West African Pilot and Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service. He later left Lagos for Enugu where he worked at the Eastern Nigeria Broadcasting Service until the outbreak of the Nigeria – Biafra civil war, a crisis that led to his incarceration for 30 months on the suspicion that he was spying for the Federal Government.
Regaining freedom at the end of the civil war, Ekpo returned to the newly created Cross Rivers State and became instrumental in the setting up of the state-owned Nigerian Chronicle, where he served as its pioneer editor.
At the completion of his assignment as Akwa Ibom information commissioner, Ekpo served as director, Nigerian Copyright Council; external examiner, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations; president of the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization; director- general, Nigerian Copyright Commission; president of the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization; director- general, Nigerian Copyright Commission, and federal commissioner, National Population Commission, Abuja. He became deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2015.
As deputy governor, Ekpo has remained pivotal in the formation and implementation of various socio-economic programmes of the Governor Udom Emmanuel administration, especially in the areas of industrialization, education, youth empowerment and job creation.
It is in recognition of his dynamism and industry that he is considered worthy of The Sun LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT award, 2020.