By Ime Silas
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, interest groups have begun the search for individuals who would best serve their collective interests.
One of such persons identified as an emerging leader; economic and social justice crusader capable of filling the leadership vacuum, is Mr. Ikakke Bassey
A multifaceted individual with various roles and expertise, Ikakke Bassey is a renowned entrepreneur, business management consultant and change maker based in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
He hails from Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of the State.
Speaking on what he described as “existing leadership vacuum” and the need to fill the gab, the Chapter Coordinator of a socio-political organization known as Democratic Freedom Front, DFF, Ibesikpo Asutan chapter, Comrade Japheth Etuk, hinted that the current situation in Uyo/Uruan/Nsit Atai/Ibesikpo Asutan Federal Constituency has presented Mr. Ikakke as a man long prepared for the time.
“Even the blind can see that there’s a serious leadership vacuum currently in Uyo Federal Constituency caused by a political error committed”, Comrade Etuk said, adding that the time for the correction of that mistake was now.
He continued “In 2023, it was the turn of Ibesikpo Asutan local government area to produce member of the House of Representatives for Uyo Federal Constituency. Some of our people traded off the position for a wrong person to emerge. Today, everyone is suffering. But, by God’s special grace, that would be corrected come 2027. Ikakke Bassey is the man prepared for the task”.
Checks by our paper reveal that Mr Ikakke Bassey is a trained leadership expert with experience in business strategy, organizational context design and development.
His Curriculum Vitae shows that he trains individuals and organizations on management best practices. Ikakke Bassey has held executive positions in various companies and organizations, including, Board Secretary of Zenithpoint Energy Ltd.
He founded and managed his own businesses in different sectors of the economy. Through his various training fora, Mr. Ikakke has taught and shared his knowledge on business, leadership, culture and spirituality. He has also founded a culture-driven and social change organization in Akwa Ibom State.
As a development expert, Mr. Ikakke has been advocating for economic development and empowerment. He believes in building and developing human potentials, hence, has personally sponsored many sons and daughters of Akwa Ibom State in school, skill development, business setup and talent mapping.
In a brief chat with our correspondent on the call by his people to represent them, Mr. Ikakke Bassey noted that it’s a welcomed development and a call for service.
“The call by my people to represent them is not only a welcomed development, but also a move towards a timely intervention. For instance, about twenty to twenty six billion Naira has been released for constituency projects since 1999 till date in Uyo Federal Constituency, yet over seventy percent of our youths are not proficient in a basic skill as data processing – typing and formatting a document using computer.
How many of our youths have professional certificates that meet global standard as far as digital economy is concerned? How about Oil and Gas Sector? How many youths in Uyo Federal Constituency can write a bankable business plan to attract capital for business development?
Worse off, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, 71.3 % of people leaving in Akwa Ibom are multi-dimensionally poor. That’s threatening; it means over 5 million people out of the 7.2 million cannot afford basic needs, they’re living below the poverty line.
Now, this breaks my heart. If there’s anything I would like to do for our youths in my Federal Constituency, it is to provide jobs, help them develop world-class skills, and give the people results that would visibly impact the three pillars of Human Capital Development. As far as I am concerned, we are many years behind global realities. I can practically bridge that gap for my people.
So I think this is an opportunity for me to bring to bare my experiences in the private sector for the benefit of my people. My tasks would be to create jobs, provide sponsorship for skill acquisition and the results would be visible, Ward-by-Ward”.
