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Tag: Akpan

  • Ex-Eaglets goalie ​Akpan joins ​Maltese club

    Ex-Eaglets goalie ​Akpan joins ​Maltese club

    Golden Eaglets 2015 World Cup-winning goalkeeper Akpan Udoh has joined Maltese Premier League side, Mosta FC, in a deadline day transfer deal.

    The 24-year-old Akpan who joined Mosta FC from Nigeria National League side, Abeokuta stormers Sports Club, said the transfer was an opportunity for him to relaunch his career abroad

    Read Also: Tinubu appoints 32-yr-old Halilu as NASENI CEO

    “I am very happy right now that am opening a new chapter of my career n Europe with Mosta FC,” Akpan who had a stint with FC One Rocket in the NNL, told NationSport.

    Akpan has been handed a one-year contract and he enthused that he would be ready to put his best for his new team.

    “My ambition with the club is to give my best and win trophies,” he said.

  • Assets declaration failure: Fed Govt charges Ekweremadu, Akpan to court

    •Courts fix October 22, Nov 19 for arraignment

    THE Federal Government has filed two charges against Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Senator Albert Bassey Akpan (Akwa Ibom North-East) for allegedly failing to declare some of their assets.

    The charges were filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja on behalf of the Federal Government by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel (SPIP).

    The charge against Ekweremadu has been assigned to Justice Binta Nyako. The one against Akpan is assigned to Justice John Tsoho.

    Both judges yesterday granted leave to the prosecution to serve the charges and other accompanying court documents on the defendants through the National Assembly Clerk.

    The order for substituted service was granted by both judges after listening to prosecution lawyer, Celsus Ukpong, who complained of difficulty in effecting personal service on the defendants.

    Justice Nyako adjourned to October 22 for arraignment and Justice Tsoho adjourned to November 19.

    The two count-charge against Ekweremadu reads:

    “That you, Ike Ekweremadu ‘M’ ‘on or about 28th day of March, 2018, being a public officer with the National Assembly, Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, committed an offence to wit: refuse to declare your assets without reasonable excuse and upon the notice to declare your assets in the manner prescribed by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property contrary and punishable under Section 3 (3)(1)a of the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provisions) Act 2004.

    “That you, Ike Ekweremadu ‘M’ on or about 28th day of March, 2018, being a public officer with the National Assembly Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court, committed an offence to wit: neglect to declare your assets without. reasonable excuse and upon the notice to declare your assets in the manner prescribed by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, contrary and punishable under Section 3(3)(1)3 of the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provisions) Act 2004.”

    The charge against Akpan reads:

    “That you, Senator Albert Bassey Akpan ‘M’ on or about 12th day of April, 2018, being public officers with the National Assembly within the jurisdiction of this honourable court ,committed an offence to wit; refusal to declare your assets without reasonable excuse and upon notice to declare your assets before the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Abuja, contrary to and punishable under Section 3 (3) (1) (a) of the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provision) Act 2004.

    “That you, Senator Albert Bassey Akpan ‘M’ on or about 12th  day of April, 2018 being public officers with the National Assembly within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, committed an offence to wit: neglect to declare your assets without reasonable excuse and upon notice to declare your assets before the Special presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Abuja contrary to and punishable under Section 3(3)(1)(a) of the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provision) Act 2004.”

     

    Action laughable, says Deputy Senate President

    DEPUTY Senate President Ike Ekweremadu said yesterday his attention has been drawn to an attempt by the Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Mr. Ofem Obono-Obla, to smear his name in midst of the present political activities.

    Ekweremadu described the suit filed against him by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation on behalf of the SPIP over his refusal to declare his assets to the panel as laughable and malicious.

    He said: “Let me re-affirm to Nigerians and my supporters that I have no assets declaration case to answer. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria requires public office holders to declare their assets every four years, a requirement which I fulfilled. The panel requested and obtained copies of my Assets Declaration Form from the Code of Conduct Bureau, where everything is stated in black and white.

    “For emphasis, all my assets were fully and comprehensively declared to the Code of Conduct Bureau.

    “What is at issue here is that the SPIP had forwarded fresh assets declaration forms to me to fill contrary to the position of the 1999 Constitution, a demand I refused to oblige because it is clearly unconstitutional. It is this refusal to disobey the Constitution that I am now being charged for.

    “I am aware that the Panel chairman wrote the same letter to some serving Honourable Judges of the Federal High Court, who also declined to fill them.

    “I am also aware that the affected judges petitioned the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mallam Abubakar Malami, who immediately withdrew the provocative letters and fresh asset declaration forms with apologies.

    “I am further aware that the Office of the AGF had also intervened in a similar case involving the Obla Panel at the Federal High Court, Lagos and I believe all these culminated in Obono-Obla’s suspension in November 2017 before his recall.

    “It is, therefore, left to Nigerians to see the politics of the so-called charges in my case. The Office of the AGF should not allow itself to be used in filing malevolent and unconstitutional charges that destroy our democracy and make mockery of our judicial system.”

  • Akpan: Eagles will improve against South Africa

    Akpan: Eagles will improve against South Africa

    Reading midfielder  Hope Akpan has vowed that the Super Eagles will up their performance on Sunday when they face South Africa, following the loss to Uganda two days ago.

    The Anglo – Nigerian has lavished praise on Vincent Enyeama, saying the Lille goalkeeper is one of his role models.

    “Not the result we wanted yesterday (Wednesday), but there were positives from the performance of players still gelling together. We will improve for SA.

    “Congratulations to our captain Vincent Enyeama on 100 caps for the Super Eagles. The guy is simply an inspiration, ” said Hope Akpan on Twitter.

    23 – year – old Akpan has sported the Super Eagles jersey on three occasions since he debuted.

  • Akpan: APC has come to stay in Akwa Ibom

    Akpan: APC has come to stay in Akwa Ibom

    Imo Akpan is the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives candidate for Ikono/Ini Constituency. In this interview with Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, the lawyer agues that the ruling party created a fertile ground for the APC to thrive in Akwa Ibom State.

    Why did you abandon your law practice for politics?

    Like every contest, the primary impetus is personal. The second reason is that I want to serve my people. There are obvious lapses that have been created in my constituency, in terms of providing the basic necessities to improve the lot of the people and the dearth of infrastructure generally. For me, the main reason why attention has not been focused on those areas is because sufficient ‘noise’ has not been made to highlight the plight of the people. Where such attention has been drawn, there is no sufficient political will on the part of those in positions of authority to address these issues. Given my background and training, I believe I have sufficient passion to drive through the process of attracting the necessary infrastructure, to uplift the standard of our people. In fact, fundamentally, the two local government areas that make Ikoni/Ini federal constituency are regarded historically as the cradle of the Ibibio nation. In the ethnic make-up of Nigeria, the Ibibio race is number four; after the three major ethnic groups. But, ironically, all you hear from the Ibibio nation is the cries of marginalization, lack of development and backwardness. I don’t believe that we have taken our place in the comity of ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.

    How do you intend to attract development, since you would not have executive powers?

    I am aware of the duties of a legislator and I know that in attracting development to a particular constituency, a lot of lobbying would be required. Lobbying is the essential tool a legislator has to employ. Given my background, not just as a lawyer, but also as someone who has lived in almost all parts of the country, I would not have problems interacting with legislators from other areas, to get them to see the need to bring development to our area. Inter-personal relationship also comes into play. Healthcare is one of the critical issues. The basic infrastructure for healthcare is non-existent in the two local government areas that make-up the constituency. Though the two local government areas can boast of two general hospitals, but they are nothing to write home about. The one in Ini Local Government Area is a beautiful edifice put in place by the last administration of Obong Victor Attah, but it is not equipped at all. The one in Ikono Local Government Area has been there for at least 30 years, but it is also not equipped.  In fact, it has no source of power, no water and its roof has caved in. So, we must make sure that we impress it on the executive to attend to the yearnings of our people in the healthcare sector. The other area is education. The infrastructure to guarantee qualitative education in my federal constituency is non-existent. Fundamentally you need the manpower; the right quality of teachers who can impact knowledge. The stories you hear about free education in Akwa Ibom State is about renovating buildings and having red roofs put over them.

    The PDP has been in power in Akwa Ibom since 1999. W hat are your chances?

    Our chances are very bright. The state has been badly run by the PDP administration. Right now we have stronger presence of the opposition in Akwa Ibom State because a fertile ground has been laid by the government in power. The ranks of the opposition are swelling by the day because of the discontent among the people. If you look at the calibre of people we have as candidates in the APC, from the governorship down to the House of Representatives, then you will realize that our chances are indeed very bright. A lot of things we hear about the PDP and the uncommonness of its transformation are a media creation, especially your colleagues in the electronic media.

  • Eagles’ doctors monitor Akpan

    Eagles’ doctors monitor Akpan

    •Reading FC star awaits final clearance

    Reading of England midfield roamer, Hope Akpan, has started training with his club’s first team in the United Kingdom and should be cleared fit to resume competitive football action by the end of this month, Super Eagles doctor, Ibrahim Gyaran, declared at the weekend.

    Doctor Gyaran, who said he has been mandated by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to keep tabs on all injured national team players, said he has been following up on Akpan after the star midfielder pulled a shoulder in the Super Eagles’ 2-0 away win over Congo Brazzaville in Pointe Noire in the run-up to the ongoing Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea.

    He noted that it has become a tradition in the NFF and the Super Eagles for officials to keep tabs on the welfare of players in particular and the entire staff of the team in general. “The Team Administrator, Dayo Enebi Achor, has been working on that alongside the Head Coach and the medical team to ensure that players an’d officials of the national team are in good health at all times”, he said.

    He further announced that following his interaction with Akpan, he got to know that the player has a final clearance to do with doctors in England by the end of January to enable him resume active football action with his clubside. “I want to re-emphasise that Hope Akpan has started active training with the first team of Reading and only awaits final clearance from the doctors who operated on his shoulder by the end of this month to resume full action with his club side”, Gyaran declared.

  • Akpan dreams first team shirt after injury

    Akpan dreams first team shirt after injury

    INJURED Super Eagles    midfielder Hope Akpan has said he hopes to play more regularly for his English championship side Reading when he returns from the shoulder injury he sustained in Nigeria’s 2-0 win over Congo in Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON) qualifier. The 23-year-old has been ruled out for three months after his club announced he will need surgery for the dislocated shoulder. But the former Everton youth teamer said he hopes to return stronger and play more regularly for Reading and help them push for promotion to the Premier League. “I haven’t played every game before my injury but hopefully I will play more games when I return from injury. The season started very well and then the form of the team has been up and down but I will keep trying so that I will play more games when I return,” he told SL10.ng. “It’s still a long way to go before the end of the season and a lot of points to play and we will be fighting for every point and hopefully we’ll be fighting to get a place in the play offs at least.” Akpan was gradually becoming a regular in the Nigerian side before suffering the unfortunate injury that has now ruled him out till the new year.

  • Akpan fails to sparkle for Red Bulls

    Akpan fails to sparkle for Red Bulls

    Andre Akpan  failed to shine as  New York Red Bulls lost 3-1 away to Philadelphia Union yesterday morning.

    Akpan,who was born in Grand Prairie, Texas to a Nigerian father and an American mother, was an 80th minute entrant in place of Eric Alexander.

    France Legend,Thierry Henry, teed up Bradley Wright-Phillips’ 60th minute strike for the Bulls at the PPL Park.

    On March 28, 2013, the 2010 MLS Cup winner was traded to the New York Red Bulls in exchange for a conditional 2015 Super Draft pick.

    In his first season with the Bulls, Akpan played in seven regular season matches, recording two assists. He was also the team’s top scorer in the MLS Reserve League scoring 10 goals.

    He was a member of the United States U-20 team for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He scored a hat trick in qualifying and appeared in the quarterfinals.

    The 27-year-old attacker has also defended the colours of Westchester Flames, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Real Maryland and FC Tampa Bay in his career.

  • Akpan…Audacity to dare

    Akpan…Audacity to dare

    The immediate past finance commissioner of Akwa Ibom State, Bassey Albert Akpan, is said to be gearing up towards realising his ambition of succeeding his erstwhile boss, Governor GodswillAkpabio in 2015. Although the controversial zoning of the governorship position to the Eket Senatorial District does not favourAkpan, who hails from the Uyo Senatorial District, the audacious young man appears set to give a shot at clinching the ticket of the ruling People Democratic Party (PDP) when it comes up for grabs at the primary scheduled for October this year.

    Although the 41-year old is yet to declare his ambition, there are tell-tale signs of his aspiration to join the governorship race on the platform of the PDP.  Speculations are rife that before his removal in April 2014, Akpan, who had been finance commissioner since the inception of the Akpabio administration in 2007, had only been at technical peace with his principal over alleged attempts by Akpabio to get members of his cabinet to endorse the governor’s plan of anoint  a consensus candidate. Many believe that Akpan was sacked for the audacity to have organised a golf tournament in honour of Senate President David Mark during his last birthday celebrations.Whatever the reason was, the young ex-banker must have been startled to have been woken up with the news of his ouster at about 2am on April 27.

    However, by 7am of the same day, Akpan’shome in Uyo was filled to the brim with people of various ages and social statuses who gathered to show solidarity and encourage him to declare his quest for the  governorship seat. The visitation would continue from dawn till dusk for the next three days, after which he was said to have traveled out of town to get some rest.

    Before his appointment into the AkwaIbom State cabinet in 2007, Akpan was Zonal Head of the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plcfor AkwaIbom and Cross River states since 2005, where he was in charge of daily supervision of 15 branches (and the attendant responsibilities)of the first private bank in Nigeria.

    Prior to his stint with FCMB, he was Branch Manager for the defunct First Inland Bank in Uyo as well as Manager, Corporate Banking Group at the head office of the defunct Continental Trust Bank in Lagos between 1999 and 2003.

    An accomplished manager of men and resources, Akpan’s tenure as finance commissioner in AkwaIbom State is said to have brought tremendous changes to the generation and management of the resources of the oil-rich state.

    As a pointer to his shrewdness, the internally generated revenue of the state was said to have shot up dramatically from 350 million naira in 2007 to an average of 2 billion naira currently. He is also credited with the full digitalisation and real time, on-line administration of the finances of the state. Other achievements of the Bassey Akpan-led finance ministry in the Akpabio administration include the opening of 16 sub treasuries for seamless management of the revenue of the state, prompt payment of workers’salaries, which contributed to increased work efficiency as well as the completion of the office of the Accountant-General of the State through direct labour.Akpan is also credited with the efficient implementation of the state finance policy and maintaining the 20-80 percent recurrent and capital budgeting ratio all through his tenure.

    As chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee, his tenure as Finance Commissioner is said to have produced over 6,000 people-oriented projects which include classrooms, rural electrification, civic centre, and skill acquisition centre projects all over the state.

    Akpan also at various times served as chairman of the State/Local Government Joint Derivation Committee and the State Micro Credit Committee. He was also a member of the Finance and General Purpose Committee.

    Born on October 28, 1972, to the family of Chief Albert Robert Akpan ofIdidepUsukinIbionoIbom Local Government of the State,  Albert BasseyAkpan graduated from the University of Uyoin 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Economic in the Second Class Upper Division. Thereafter, he proceeded to study for a Master’s  degreein Business Administration at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, graduating in 2000. A grassroots mobiliser and respected leader of youths, Akpan has the chieftaincy title of IberdemIdidep(Pillar of Ididep).He was also honoured with the award of “Omeroha(Philantropist)ofAkokwa by Obi of Akokwa, HRH Eze(Sir) IkennaOkoli(V) KSC, Agbakweruibe (111) He is married with children.