Profile
Bassey Albert Akpan is a successful banker and philanthropist, who ventured into politics in 2007 as a Commissioner in the Executive Council of Akwa Ibom State. He is currently a member of the Senate government, representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District under the flagship of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).
Personal Life
He was born on 28th October 1972 in Ididep Usuk village, Ibiono Ibom local government area, Akwa Ibom State, to the family of Chief Albert Robert Akpan, a successful businessman, prominent politician and philanthropist. He is married to Pastor Nkeiru Imaobong Bassey Albert, and they are blessed with four children.
Akpan is known and addressed by both women and youths, as the “Ehnin of Ibionno Ibom” (The Elephant of Ibionno Ibom), and the “Anowo Udiah 1 of Ibionno Ibom” (The Man That Gives People People Food To Eat”. Similarly, he holds many traditional titles, including the Obong Uforo Akwa Ibom State (Monarch of Prosperity of Akwa Ibom State).
Education
School | Qualification | Year |
University of Nigeria, Nsukka | Masters of Business Administration (MBA) | |
University of Uyo, Calabar | BSc. Economics | (Graduated in) 1997 |
St. Patrick’s College, Calabar | West African Senior School Certificate | |
WTC Primary School, Enugu | First School Leaving Certificate |
Work History
Place | Position | Date |
United Bank For Africa (UBA) | International Operations and Consumer Banking/Retail Banking Unit | 1997 |
Continental Trust Bank
Victoria Island, Lagos (Head Office) |
Manager, Corporate Banking Group | 1999 |
First Inland Bank Plc, Uyo | Branch Manager | 2003 |
First City Monument Bank | Assistant Vice President
General Manager (Akwa Ibom and Cross River States) |
2005 |
Agbo Ojeka from Opkoma; Yala LGA, Cross River State
4 June 1966
Cross River State
People's Democratic Party (PDP)
Christianity
Commissioner for Finance, Akwa Ibom State ( 2007-2014)
Senator
requests@senatoroba.org
facebook.com/Senator Bassey Albert
Twitter: twitter.com/ @SenatorOba
Political History
Akpan broke into politics in 2007, by being nominated by Governor Godswill Akpabio to serve as the Commissioner for Finance in the Akwa Ibom State Government. He accepted the nomination and held the position between 2007 to 2014. During his tenure, he was able to grow the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to 15.6 billion Naira in the last quarter of 2013.
Akpan also served as the Chairman of the Inter-ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee. His responsibility was to ensure the completion of government projects using direct labour to save state funds. He saw through the successful completion of over 6000 significant projects in the health and education sectors and areas of rural and human capital development.
In 2014, he declared his intention to contest for the governorship of Akwa Ibom State. However, he didn’t make it beyond the primary elections of his political party, PDP.
Bassey contested for a senatorial seat under the flagship of PDP, and on June 9th 2015, he was sworn in as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from the Akwa Ibom North-Senatorial district – a position he holds to date.
Since his appointment as a Senator, Bassey has sponsored several bills, motions, petitions and other matters of relevance. A notable example is a motion he moved to the Senate, to address the terrible condition of the Ikot-Ekpene – Itu – Calabar highway, which had been abandoned. This motion led the Senate to set up a committee, called the “Senate Committee on Gas Resources”. Bassey was appointed as the committee chairman by Bukola Saraki, the 8th Senate President.
He was re-elected in the 2019 elections to continue serving as a senator, and during this time, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Committee on Upstream Petroleum Resources by the 9th Senate President, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan.
He left the People’s Democratic Party in May 2022 to join under the umbrella of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) as their current gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 election.
Leadership Style/Philosophy
Awards & Honours
- Golden Award by Lions Club International for Service to Humanity (2011)
- The Paul Harry Fellow Award by Rotary Club International in recognition of Service to Humanity (2011).
- Fellow, Nigerian Association of Teachers of Technology (2010).
- Award of Excellence, the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) Uyo and District Society (2009).
- Award of Honour, Ibiono Ibom Welfare & Development Union (IWADU – 2009).
- Traditional Title of “ENIN IBIONO IBOM” (Elephant of Ibiono Ibom) by Ibiono Ibom Traditional Rulers Council (2009)..
- Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) 2013.
- Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (2013).
- Fellow of the National Association of Research Development (FNARD) (2013).
- Patron of Christian Council of Nigeria (2013).
- Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Golf Association (2013)
- Golden Public Service Award by the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Uyo Branch (2013).
- Award of Excellence by the Foundation for Sound and Intervention (FASMACIN) (2013).
- Award of Honour’ presented by National Association of Ibiono Ibom Students, University of Calabar Chapter (NAIBS – UCC), (April 2014).
- Award of Excellence Presented by Forum of Past Student Leaders, University of Uyo, (March 2014)
- Award of Chieftaincy Title of “OBONG UFORO AKWA IBOM STATE (Monarch of Prosperity of Akwa Ibom State) by the Paramount Ruler of Etinan and Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Council of Chiefs, His Majesty Edidem Dickson Umoette.
- Patriotism Award by Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio (November 7, 2015)
- Patriotic Service Award of Excellence for Scholarship Achievement by Patriotic Service Platform (November 2016)
- Prestigious Award of the South-South Senator of the Year 2017 by Senate Press Corp (October 2017)
- Educational Endowment and Philanthropic Award by Governing Council and Academic Board of College of Education, Afaha Nsit, Akwa Ibom State (July 12, 2019).
- Ibom Pride Award of Excellence by Akwa Ibom State Association of Nigeria, USA, INC., (AKISAN) (August 1, 2019)
Project
- Initiation of the undergraduate scholarship scheme, which covers the full tuition and upkeep allowance of beneficiaries throughout their program. As of the beginning of the 2019/2020 academic session, 381 students from Akwa Ibom State had benefited from the scheme.
- Construction of a multi-million naira sports complex in the Ifa Ijot Akpan community, Uyo
- Partnered with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to organise a one-day entrepreneurial development training for women in Uyo.
- Facilitation of a 100% automated water project at Afahaubong Itam, Itu LGA, Akwa Ibom to provide drinking water to every home in the community.
- Construction of a free multipurpose ultra-modern civic hall.
Criticism/Controversy
- On 27th February 2017, Akpan Bassey was disqualified from the Senate by the High Court of Nigeria who nullified his election to the Senate body. Following investigations and court hearings, the Court of Appeal in Calabar overturned the ruling by the High Court in Uyo, declaring him the just winner of the conducted election.
- In May 2017, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) detained Senator Akpan over cars that he allegedly received as a bribe from Jide Omokore (a notable Kogi State businessman, who is allegedly into multi-billion dollar fraud), while he was the Commissioner for Finance in Akwa Ibom State, and the Chairman of the Inter-ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee. In August 2018, EFCC filed charges of corruption and bribery against both the Senator and Omokore in the High Court of Lagos. However, the case was thrown out due to jurisdictional issues on the case being brought to Lagos State, and not Akwa Ibom.
- In June 2018, following an investigation by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel on the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), charges were filed against Bassey Akpan for failing to disclose his ownership or the true cost of several houses. Akpan claimed the charges were all part of a plot to tarnish his image.
- In August 2021, after the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Basset Akpan was accused of facilitating the bribery of federal legislators. According to reports by Peoples Gazette, at least $10 million was paid to legislators by both Akpan and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva – with between $1.5 and $2 million going to both the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and House Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila. Reports were corroborated by multiple legislators, however, the four aforementioned individuals involved in the scheme refrained from responding to the accusations.