Akon Etim Eyakenyi (born 24 February 1960 in Urue-Offong/Oruko,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

politician. She is the current senator representing Akwa Ibom south senatorial district in Akwa Ibom State. She was elected into the senate during the 2019 general elections of Nigeria. She won with a total vote of 122,412. Before being elected into the senate she was the former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development during the regime of President

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...

Early life and education

Eyakenyi was born in 1960 into the family of Chief Uweh Isangedihi in Urue-Offong/Oruko local government area in Akwa Ibom State. In 1968 she attended Government Primary School, Uko Uyokim where she finished with her First School Leaving Certificate in 1974. In 1974 she enrolled into the Methodist Teacher’s Training College in

Oron Oron may refer to: "Light" or someone that is "being able" or "capable" of doing anything posible or impossible. *Oron people a multi ethnic group of people living In the lower Cross River basin. *Oron Nation, one of the major states in the old Ca ...

and graduated with Teachers Grade II Certificate in 1979. In 1983 Akon enrolled into the University of Calabar and was given Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) in 1986. In 1990, she obtained a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...

(B.Ed) degree from the University of Calabar. She also obtained a Master of Education (M.Ed) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Curriculum Education in 2010 and 2014 respectively. She is married with children and grand children.

Career

Akon Eyakenyi began her career as a teacher when she was appointed Mistress I & II by the Cross River State Education board where she served from 1986 to 1993. In 1991, while serving as a teacher she was appointed Supervisor for Education, Youths, Sports and Culture in

. Subsequently she served in the Akwa Ibom State ministry of education 1993 to 1999 as an Education officer. In 1999, she was appointed to serve in the Akwa Ibom State Education board. In 2000, she was appointed Commissioner for Industry, Commerce and Tourism in Akwa Ibom State during the regime of

Victor Attah Obong Victor Bassey Attah (born 20 November 1938) was Governor of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), but has since joined the All Progress ...

. In 2013, she was appointed by

Godswill Akpabio Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, (born 9 December 1962), is a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He is the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs as he resigned on 11 May 2022 on the direction of President Muhammadu Buhari to contest at presidentia ...

as Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Technical Schools Board. She served as Chairman of the board until her appointment by President

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...

as Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in 2014.

Senate

In 2018, Eyakenyi declared her intentions to run for senate and represent Akwa Ibom South senatorial district. In October 2018, she participated in the party primaries of the

People's Democratic Party (Nigeria) The Peoples Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with its main rival, the All Progressives Congress. Its policies generally lie towards the centre-right of the political spectrum. It won eve ...

to represent Akwa Ibom South senatorial district and emerged the winner in the primaries. On 25 February 2019 she was declared winner of the 2019 general elections to represent Akwa Ibom South senatorial district.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyakenyi, Akon Oron people Living people 1960 births Members of the Senate (Nigeria) Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians University of Calabar alumni