Let me say this plainly, for the records, and for those who may be tempted to rewrite history: The eight-year tenure of Rt. Hon. Victor Udofia in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, from 2011 to 2019, remains the most productive, impactful, and unparalleled representation Ikono State Constituency has ever witnessed. Period.
While many legislators confuse motion for movement and rhetoric for results, Udofia understood the assignment. His legacy is not in the volume of his voice on the floor of the House, but in the tangible footprints he left across the length and breadth of Ikono and beyond. This was a man who empowered with keys and ownership documents, not just handshakes and promises.
He knew that true empowerment means self-reliance. He provided twenty-three sewing machines, twenty-one grinding machines, twenty-one generators with barbing kits, and twenty-one salon hair dryers. This was the hallmark of a wise leader who builds entrepreneurs, not dependents. He invested in human capital through scholarships for twenty-eight tertiary students, secured permanent civil service employment for fifteen constituents, and recommended ten people for pilgrimage to Israel. And let’s talk about the direct financial impact—a massive eighty million naira in cash empowerments and welfare support that reached all eleven wards of Ikono and beyond. We are talking about fifty-six motorcycles, sixteen cars to stakeholders including a traditional ruler, and ten mini-buses—this was a strategic injection of mobility that connected communities and boosted local economies across both Ikono and even into Ini State Constituency in 2018.
Udofia also transformed the educational landscape of Ikono. He constructed a four-classroom block at Primary School Afaha Ediene/Itak, another at Nkwot Ikot Nseyen, a four-classroom block at Urban Secondary School in Ibiaku Ntok Okpo, a three-classroom block at Migrant School Nkwot Ikot Obok Idem, a four-classroom block at Ndinya Mfia, another at Nung Ukim Ward 1, a three-classroom block with office and store at Lutheran School Ikot Akpa Edok, and a four-classroom block with office and store at Primary School Ikot Akpa Ayara. This was literally building the future, one classroom at a time.
He transformed physical infrastructure too, constructing about 6.2km of road with drains across Ibiaku Ntok Okpo community and building the Mbiaobong Ikot Udofia-Nkari Road in Ini Local Government Area. He brought essential utilities, providing solar water with overhead tanks at Obio Itak road and a transformer to power Ibiaku Ntok Okpo opposite HRM Nyong Obop’s Palace.
Beyond the visible projects, he was a legislative force who understood that true change is embedded in law and policy. He sponsored the famous Akwa Ibom State Youth Development Bill that directly led to the creation of the state’s stand-alone Ministry of Youth Development—that is legacy thinking. Co-sponsoring more than thirty bills during his tenure shows he was a key player in the hall of power, not a benchwarmer. All these achievements stemmed from proper consultations and periodic engagements with stakeholders, women, and youth—he listened before he acted.
So, when anyone asks who the best representative Ikono has ever had, the evidence is overwhelming and indisputable. Victor Udofia’s tenure stands as a towering monument of what is possible when competence, compassion, and a relentless drive for development meet a legislative seat. Ikono, you have had a taste of excellence. Never settle for less again.
That is my stand.
