BY Edet Okpo
The Executive Chairman of Ibeno Local Government Area, Hon (Deaconess) Glory Effiong Ekah, is leaving nobody in doubt about her leadership acumen, Vision and the capacity to deliver positive dividends of democracy to the people of Ibeno Local Government Area.
No wonder her name has been constant on the tongues of every Ibeno indigene at home and beyond. The general feeling is that her performance has opened new pages in the history of Ibeno and the people have shown no pretences in their appreciation for what is happening in the local government Area courtesy of her inclusive and result- oriented administration.
Let's break it into concrete details before cynics and Thomases mistake evidential testaments for exaggeration. A study of her modus operandi has revealed three critical components that drive her style. One, from the day she assumed office, she adopted integrity and accountability as a creed for everything she would do. Two, she places the people at the front-burner of her policies and initiatives. Three, she believes in sustainable development and empowerment targeted largely at youth and women. She holds tenaciously to the old schism that it were better for someone to be shown how to fish rather than always be given fish. In other words, she believes in pragmatic and sustainable empowerment that creates a value chain of entrepreneurship and self-independence.
To practically actualize this, her administration has provided grants to small-scale business owners in the local government area, cutting across age and gender, to expand their businesses, create vertical employment opportunities, and by extension boost the general socio-economic outlook of Ibeno.
She has also invested massively in the education of Ibeno indigenes through provision of scholarship to secondary school children; free sandals and books to primary school children, ensuring there was increased mentoring to sharpen the dreams of the students. This matters to her in such a way that, as many respondents have corroborated, the materials for the students were always ready long before commencement of a term or in the very early days of a new session. Added to this is the prompt yearly payment of WAEC fees for Ibeno students. We are told that plans for bursary also top her agenda of capacity development of indigenes.
In healthcare, Hon. Ekah has demonstrated her love for the people by prioritizing their physical wellbeing which in turn affects their mental alertness to face the times, always ensuring that medical consumables were accessible and appropriate care given to those in need. For instance, a recent case was the promptitude and empathy with which she responded to victims of communal clashes in Ibeno local government area. Instead of beating sanguine drums of war than can destabilize peace in Ibeno, she promptly provided medical care and related assistance to the victims. She didn't stop there. She went a step further to rehabilitate the burnt buildings affected by the communal clashes between Eket and Ibeno
Hon. Ekah also believes ergonomics has strong correlation to the attitude to work and general productivity of workers in any given context where goal realization matters. Hence, she aggressively has added shine and breathtaking aesthetics to the local government area's secretariat. Some parts of the Council Secretariat is presently undergoing massive renovation, furnishing, and fumigation against dangerous animals. Perhaps most outstanding is Hon. Grace Ekah's initiative to construct an ultra modern two storey secretariat building to give more work space and other advantages at the secretariat
Other aspects of her stellar performance include evacuation of solid waste at the Iwochang market, to enhance a friendly and healthy atmodphere. Until now, the market had been a constant source of pollution and related hazards. For the elderly, she has made it sacrosanct the payment of monthly stipends to both the
elderly and the youths; payment of monthly stipends to chiefs and vigilantes as strategic stakeholders in the growth and development of Ibeno. Vocational trainees have also benefited from the chairman's financial support for their skill acquisition programmes. There have also been provision of relief materials to fire victims in Atabrikang village; presentation of post natal packages and start-up grant to multiple birth parents as well as widows to start business; and provision of grants to communal clash victims. Others also include provision of emergency relief materials to flood victims, provision of medical care for students of secondary grammar school who were involved in a road accident, etc.
It would be recalled that at the swearing-in of the present local government council chairmen on October 7, 2024, Gov Umo Eno had urged them to show leadership by result, a pattern of the ARISE Agenda.
"Each of you are now autonomous in your financial dealings, which means you will receive your funds directly. But remember, we have shared responsibilities, and those shared responsibilities must be carefully thought out...We will continue to work collaboratively with all of you to bring good governance to our people. That’s what they expect us to do..We expect that we sit down and understand our shared commitment to our people. We all must make sure that our people have what is needed", Eno had said.
Hon Glory Ekah was among the four women as Chairmen of their respective Councils, a provision Gov Umo Eno had insisted upon as a rare provision for gender inclusiveness. Today, It would be safe to say that she is proving to Governor Umo Eno that her election as chairman and CEO of Ibeno Local Government Area was no mistake or accident.
Her performance indices rather have added impetus to the discourse of gender equity in democratic processes and governance.
Part of these testimonies is that, just in June 2025, the Association of Eket Senatorial District Media Professionals, during a mm media symposium, honoured her with an award that further proclaim her quality service delivery and impact on the masses.
For Hon (Deaconess) Glory Effiong Ekah, it is only nine months of fruitful experiments. We can only imagine the future with stronger confidence and greater expectations.
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